Any person willfully swearing falsely in making the affidavit aforesaid, shall, on conviction, be adjudged guilty of the felony of perjury, a Class D3 felony offense, and shall be punished by imprisonment as provided for in subsections B through F of Section 20P of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
§ 923.False Swearing In Such Case
Chapter 14: Costs · Last amended January 1, 2026 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 923 makes it a felony under Oklahoma law -- punishable as perjury -- for a person to willfully swear falsely in the pauper's affidavit that Section 922 describes.
Full Text of § 923
Amendment History
Amended by Laws 2025, c. 486,s. 646, eff. 1/1/2026. R.L. 1910, § 5224; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 1213, c. 133, §131 (effective date amended to July 1, 1999, by Laws 1998, 1st Extr. Sess., HB 1002, c. 2, §§ 23-26, emerg. eff. 6/19/1998).
Note
Laws 1998, 1st Ex.Sess., c. 2, § 23 amended the effective date of Laws 1997, c. 133, § 131 from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.
Plain-English Summary
Anyone who willfully swears falsely in the affidavit Section 922 describes commits perjury, classified as a Class D3 felony, punishable as set out elsewhere in the criminal code. A compiler's note on this section explains that an earlier 1998 special-session law pushed back the effective date of the 1997 amendment from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.
Frequently Asked Questions
What crime does someone commit by lying in a pauper's affidavit?
Perjury, classified under this section as a Class D3 felony.
Does the affidavit have to be knowingly false, or just mistaken?
The statute requires willfully swearing falsely -- an honest mistake in the affidavit isn't the offense this section punishes.
Where is the punishment for this offense spelled out?
Section 923 points to subsections B through F of Section 20P of Title 21 for the applicable imprisonment terms.
What was the compiler's note about an effective date change?
It explains that a 1998 special-session law delayed the effective date of the 1997 amendment to this section from July 1, 1998, to July 1, 1999.
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: perjury pauper's affidavit oklahomafalse swearing in forma pauperis oklahoma12 O.S. § 923class d3 felony perjury oklahoma