A. Every clerk of a district court shall keep a seal, to be furnished by the court, which shall contain the name of the county and the words "Oklahoma" and "District Court". The seal may be either metallic or nonmetallic.
§ 38.Seal of Clerk of District Court
Chapter 2: General Provisions · Last amended July 1, 2004 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 38 requires every Oklahoma district court clerk to keep an official seal naming the county, "Oklahoma," and "District Court"; requires that seal (or an approved digital signature) on certified court documents; and makes deceptive use of the seal a misdemeanor.
Full Text of § 38
B. Every instrument, document, record, paper or other thing required to be certified by the court or by the court clerk shall contain the seal of the court clerk. Where electronic transmission of a document is allowed, the document shall be deemed certified if it contains a digital signature or equivalent signing technology, as approved and supplied by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma. The Supreme Court shall be the guardian of digital signatures or equivalent signing technology and shall govern all rules as to validity and authenticity.
C. Any person who uses the seal of the court clerk with the intent to deceive or mislead any person as to the authenticity of the seal, a certification required by subsection B of this section, or the thing to which the seal is applied shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
D. Electronic transmittals of documents shall be allowed if safeguards are in place to protect against unauthorized users and if agents intended to receive the transmittals have agreed to electronic processing of the documents.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 1991, SB 428, c. 114, § 1, eff. 9/1/1991; Amended by Laws 2004, HB 2253, c. 94, §1, emerg. eff. 7/1/2004.
Plain-English Summary
Section 38 tells every district court clerk in Oklahoma to keep an official seal. The seal must name the county along with the words "Oklahoma" and "District Court," and it can be metallic or nonmetallic. Every document, record, or paper that the court or clerk certifies must carry that seal.
The section also covers electronic filing. A document transmitted electronically counts as certified if it carries a digital signature or similar technology approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which oversees the rules for validating these signatures. Courts and clerks can send documents electronically only when they've put safeguards in place against unauthorized users, and only to agents who've agreed to receive documents that way.
Using the clerk's seal to deceive or mislead anyone about its authenticity, about a certification under this section, or about the document it's stamped on is a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has to appear on an Oklahoma district court clerk's seal?
The seal must include the county's name along with the words "Oklahoma" and "District Court," and the clerk can use either a metallic or a nonmetallic seal.
Can a court document be certified electronically instead of stamped with the physical seal?
Yes. A digital signature or equivalent technology approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court counts as certification when a document is transmitted electronically.
What happens if someone misuses the court clerk's seal?
Using the seal to deceive or mislead anyone about its authenticity or about the document it's on is a misdemeanor.
Who decides whether a digital signature is valid?
The Oklahoma Supreme Court acts as guardian of digital signature technology and governs the rules for its validity and authenticity.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: district court clerk seal requirementsOklahoma court seal misdemeanordigital signature court certificationelectronic filing safeguards Oklahoma courts