A judge of any court of this state may award the following as costs:
§ 942.Costs Which Judges Are Required to Award
Chapter 14: Costs · Last amended November 1, 1997 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 942 lists the specific items -- from clerk fees and service expenses to deposition and transcript costs -- that a judge of any Oklahoma court may award as costs.
Full Text of § 942
1. Any fees assessed by the court clerk or the clerk of the appellate court;
2. Reasonable expenses for the giving of notice, including expenses for service of summons and other judicial process and expenses for publication;
3. Statutory witness fees and reasonable expenses for service of subpoenas;
4. Costs of copying papers necessarily used at trial, limited to the amount authorized by law. If no amount is specified, costs of copying papers shall be limited to ten cents ($0.10) per page;
5. Transcripts of the trial or another proceeding that the court determines are necessary to resolve the case;
6. Reasonable expenses for taking and transcribing deposition testimony, for furnishing copies to the witness and opposing counsel, and for recording deposition testimony on videotape, but not to exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per two-hour videotape, unless the court determines that a particular deposition was neither reasonable nor necessary; and
7. Any other expenses authorized by law to be collected as costs.
Amendment History
Added by Laws 1991, HB 1037, c. 165, §1, eff. 9/1/1991; Amended by Laws 1997, SB 731, c. 403, §4, eff. 11/1/1997.
Plain-English Summary
This section itemizes what counts as recoverable costs. A judge may award court clerk or appellate clerk fees, reasonable notice expenses including service of process and publication, statutory witness fees and subpoena service expenses, copying costs for papers used at trial (capped at ten cents a page if no other limit applies), necessary trial or hearing transcripts, and reasonable deposition expenses -- including videotaping, capped at $100 per two-hour tape unless the court finds the deposition unnecessary. A final catch-all covers any other expense the law authorizes to be collected as costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What items can a judge tax as costs in an Oklahoma civil case?
Court clerk fees, notice and service expenses, witness fees and subpoena expenses, copying costs, necessary transcripts, deposition expenses, and any other expense the law authorizes as costs.
Is there a cap on copying costs for trial papers?
Yes, unless another law sets a different amount, copying costs are limited to ten cents per page.
What about the cost of videotaping a deposition?
It's capped at $100 per two-hour videotape, unless the court finds the deposition wasn't reasonable or necessary.
Does this list cover every possible litigation expense?
The final item is a catch-all for "any other expenses authorized by law to be collected as costs," so this list isn't the only source of recoverable costs.
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
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