OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB138

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB138 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 138 By: Weaver
5858
5959
6060
6161
6262
6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to civil procedure; amending 12 O.S.
6666 2021, Section 2004, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
6767 59, O.S.L. 2022 (12 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 2004),
6868 which relates to service of process; authorizing
6969 service of process by electronic means; establishing
7070 procedures for service by electronic means;
7171 establishing requirements for return when serving by
7272 electronic means; making language gender neutral; and
7373 providing an effective date .
7474
7575
7676
7777 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
7878 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 12 O.S. 2021, Section 2004, as
7979 amended by Section 1, Chapter 59, O.S.L. 2022 (12 O.S. Supp. 2024 ,
8080 Section 2004), is amended to read as follows:
8181 Section 2004.
8282 PROCESS
8383 A. SUMMONS: ISSUANCE. Upon filing of the petition, the clerk
8484 shall forthwith issue a summons. Upon request of the plaintiff
8585 separate or additional summons shall issue against any def endants.
8686 B. SUMMONS: FORM.
8787 1. The summons shall be signed by the clerk, be under the seal
8888 of the court, contain the name of the court and the names of the
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140140 parties, be directed to the defendant, state the name and address of
141141 the plaintiff’s attorney, if any, otherwise, the plaintiff ’s
142142 address, and the time within which these rules require the defendant
143143 to appear and defend, and shall notify the defendant that in case of
144144 failure to appear, judgment by default will be rendered against the
145145 defendant for the relief demanded in the petition.
146146 2. A judgment by default shall not be differ ent in kind from or
147147 exceed in amount that prayed for in either the demand for judgment
148148 or in cases not sounding in contract in a notice which has been
149149 given the party against who m default judgment is sought. Except as
150150 to a party against whom a judgment is entered by default, every
151151 final judgment shall grant the relief to which the party in whose
152152 favor it is rendered is entitled, even if the party has not demanded
153153 such relief in his or her pleadings.
154154 C. BY WHOM SERVED: PERSON TO BE SERVED.
155155 1. SERVICE BY PERSONAL DELIVERY.
156156 a. At the election of the plaintiff, process, other than
157157 a subpoena, shall be served by a sheriff or deputy
158158 sheriff, a person licensed to make service of proce ss
159159 in civil cases or a person specially appointed for
160160 that purpose. The court shall freely make special
161161 appointments to serve all process, other than a
162162 subpoena, under this paragraph.
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214214 b. A summons to be served by the sheriff or deputy
215215 sheriff shall be del ivered to the sheriff by the court
216216 clerk or an attorney of record for the plai ntiff.
217217 When a summons, subpoena or other process is to be
218218 served by the sheriff or deputy sheriff of another
219219 county, the court clerk shall mail it, together with
220220 the voucher of the court clerk for the fees collected
221221 for the service, to the sheriff of that county. The
222222 sheriff shall deposit the voucher in the Sheriff ’s
223223 Service Fee Account created pursuant to Section 514.1
224224 of Title 19 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The sheriff or
225225 deputy sheriff shall serve the process in the manner
226226 that other process issued out of the court of the
227227 sheriff’s own county is served. A summons to be
228228 served by a person licensed to make service of process
229229 in civil cases or by a person specially appointed for
230230 that purpose shall be delivered by an attorney of
231231 record for the plaintiff to such person.
232232 c. Service shall be made as follows:
233233 (1) upon an individual other than an infant who is
234234 less than fifteen (15) years of age or an
235235 incompetent person, by delivering a copy of the
236236 summons and of the petition personally or by
237237 leaving copies there of at the person’s dwelling
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289289 house or usual place of abode with some person
290290 then residing therein who is fifteen (15) years
291291 of age or older, by delivering a copy of the
292292 summons and of the petition to an agent
293293 authorized by appointment or by law to receive
294294 service of process, or by delivering a copy of
295295 the summons and of the petition personally or by
296296 leaving copies thereof at an agreed meeting place
297297 with some person then residing at the person’s
298298 dwelling house or usual place of abode,
299299 (2) upon an infant who i s less than fifteen (15)
300300 years of age, by serving the summons and petition
301301 personally and upon either of the infant ’s
302302 parents or guardian, or if they cannot be found,
303303 then upon the person having the care or control
304304 of the infant or with whom the infant lives; and
305305 upon an incompetent person by serving the summons
306306 and petition personally and upon the incompetent
307307 person’s guardian,
308308 (3) upon a domestic or foreign corporation or upon a
309309 partnership or other unincorporated association
310310 which is subject to suit unde r a common name, by
311311 delivering a copy of the summons and of the
312312 petition to an officer, a managing or general
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364364 agent or to any other agent authorized by
365365 appointment or by law to r eceive service of
366366 process and, if the agent is one authorized by
367367 statute to receive service and the statute so
368368 requires, by also mailing a copy to the
369369 defendant,
370370 (4) upon the United States or an officer or agency
371371 thereof in the manner specified by Federal Rule
372372 of Civil Procedure 4,
373373 (5) upon a state, county, school district, public
374374 trust or municipal corporation or other
375375 governmental organization thereof subject to
376376 suit, by delivering a copy of the summons and of
377377 the petition to the officer or individual
378378 designated by specific statute; however, if there
379379 is no statute, then upon the chief executive
380380 officer or a clerk, secretary or other official
381381 whose duty it is to maintain the official records
382382 of the organization,
383383 (6) upon an inmate incarcerated in an institu tion
384384 under the jurisdiction and control of the
385385 Department of Corrections, by d elivering a copy
386386 of the summons and of the petition to the warden
387387 or superintendent or the designee of the warden
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439439 or superintendent of the institution where the
440440 inmate is housed. It shall be the duty of the
441441 receiving warden or superintendent or a designee
442442 to promptly deliver the summons and petition to
443443 the inmate named therein. The warden or
444444 superintendent or his or her designee shall
445445 reject service of process for any inmate who is
446446 not actually present in the institution, and
447447 (7) upon an inmate incarcerat ed in a county jail or
448448 detention center under the jurisdiction and
449449 control of the county sheriff or the jail trust
450450 of the county, by delivering a copy of the
451451 summons and of the p etition to the jail or
452452 detention center administrator or the designee of
453453 such administrator of the jail or detention
454454 center where the inmate is housed. It shall be
455455 the duty of the receiving jail or detention
456456 center administrator or designee to promptly
457457 deliver the summons and petition to the inmate
458458 named therein. The jail or deten tion center
459459 administrator or designee shall reject service of
460460 process for any inmate who is not actually
461461 present in the jail or detention center.
462462 2. SERVICE BY MAIL.
463463
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514514 a. At the election of the plaintiff, a summons and
515515 petition may be served by mail by the plaintiff ’s
516516 attorney, any person authorized to serve process
517517 pursuant to subparagraph a of paragraph 1 of this
518518 subsection or by the court clerk upon a defendant of
519519 any class referred to in division (1), (3) or (5) of
520520 subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this s ubsection.
521521 Service by mail shall be effective on the date of
522522 receipt or if refused, on the date of refusal of the
523523 summons and petition by the defendant.
524524 b. Service by mail shall be accomplished by mailing a
525525 copy of the summons and petition by certified mail,
526526 return receipt requested and delivery restricted to
527527 the addressee. When there is more than one defendant,
528528 the summons and a copy of the petition or order shall
529529 be mailed in a separate envelope to each defendant.
530530 If the summons is to be served by mail by the court
531531 clerk, the court clerk shall enclose the summons and a
532532 copy of the petition or order of the court to be
533533 served in an envelope, prepared by the plaintiff,
534534 addressed to the defendant, or to the resident service
535535 agent if one has been appointed. The court clerk
536536 shall prepay the postage and mail the envelope to the
537537 defendant, or service agent, by certified mail, return
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589589 receipt requested and delivery restricted to the
590590 addressee. The return receipt shall be prepared by
591591 the plaintiff. Service by ma il to a garnishee shall
592592 be accomplished by mailing a copy of the summons and
593593 notice by certified mail, return receipt requested,
594594 and at the election of the judgment creditor by
595595 restricted delivery, to the addressee.
596596 c. Service by mail shall not be the basis for the entry
597597 of a default or a judgment by default unless the
598598 record contains a return receipt showing acceptance by
599599 the defendant or a returned envelope showing refusal
600600 of the process by the defendant. Acceptance or
601601 refusal of service by mail by a per son who is fifteen
602602 (15) years of age or older who resides at the
603603 defendant’s dwelling house or usual place of abode
604604 shall constitute acceptance or refusal by the party
605605 addressed. In the case of an entity described in
606606 division (3) of subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this
607607 subsection, acceptance or refusal by any officer or by
608608 any employee of the registered office or principal
609609 place of business who is authorized to or who
610610 regularly receives certified mail shall constitute
611611 acceptance or refusal by the party ad dressed. A
612612 return receipt signed at such registered office or
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664664 principal place of business shall be presumed to have
665665 been signed by an employee authorized to receive
666666 certified mail. In the case of a state municipal
667667 corporation, or other governmental organization
668668 thereof subject to suit, acceptance or refusal by an
669669 employee of the office of the officials specified in
670670 division (5) of subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this
671671 subsection who is authorized to or who regularly
672672 receives certified mail shall constitut e acceptance or
673673 refusal by the party addressed. If delivery of the
674674 process is refused, upon the receipt of notice of such
675675 refusal and at least ten (10) days before applying for
676676 entry of default, the person elected by plaintiff
677677 pursuant to subparagraph a of this paragraph to serve
678678 the process shall mail to the defendant by first -class
679679 mail a copy of the summons and petition and a notice
680680 prepared by the plaintiff that despite such refusal
681681 the case will proceed and that judgment by default
682682 will be rendered against him or her unless he or she
683683 appears to defend the suit. Any default or judgment
684684 by default shall be set aside upon motion of the
685685 defendant in the manner prescribed in Sect ion 1031.1
686686 of this title, or upon petition of the defendant in
687687 the manner prescribed in Section 1033 of this title if
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739739 the defendant demonstrates to the court that the
740740 return receipt was signed or delivery was refused by
741741 an unauthorized person. A petition shall be filed
742742 within one (1) year after the defendant has notice of
743743 the default or judgment by default but in no event
744744 more than two (2) years after the filing of the
745745 judgment.
746746 3. SERVICE BY ELECTRONIC MEANS.
747747 a. Upon a court order or if a copy of the sum mons and
748748 petition cannot be personally delivered after three
749749 attempts to the named defendant as specified in
750750 paragraph 1 of this subsection, a summons may be
751751 served by electronic means, and by thereafter mailing
752752 a copy of the summons and the petition by certified
753753 mail, postage prepaid to the named defendant at the
754754 last-known address. Service of a summons in such
755755 manner shall be deemed complete on the day of receipt
756756 of the electronic transmission and mailing. A summon s
757757 and petition may be served b y electronic means by the
758758 plaintiff’s attorney or any person authorized to serve
759759 process pursuant to subparagraph a of paragraph 1 of
760760 this subsection upon a defendant of any class referred
761761 to in division (1), (3), or (5) of su bparagraph c of
762762 paragraph 1 of this subsection. Service by electronic
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814814 means shall be effective on the date of receipt or, if
815815 refused, on the date of refusal of the summons and
816816 petition by the defendant.
817817 b. Service by electronic means shall be accomplished by
818818 sending an electroni c notification to the named
819819 defendant via electronic mail. The electronic
820820 notification shall advise the named defendant of the
821821 nature of the communication and shall include a
822822 hyperlink to a secure application that tracks and
823823 provides evidence of whether th e electronic mail
824824 notification was bounced back, returned, received, or
825825 opened, and whether a copy of the summons was viewed
826826 or downloaded by the named defendant. The secure
827827 application shall give the named defendant the option
828828 of accepting the service by electronically signing an
829829 acknowledgement of receipt in the application or the
830830 option of declining the service . When there is more
831831 than one defendant, the summons and a copy of the
832832 petition or order shall be transmitted in a separate
833833 electronic mail notification to each defendant.
834834 Service by electronic mail to a garnishee shall be
835835 accomplished by transmitting via a secure application
836836 a copy of the summons and notice, return receipt
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888888 requested, and at the election of the judgment
889889 creditor, to the addressee.
890890 c. Service by electronic means shall not be the basis for
891891 the entry of a default or a judgment by default unless
892892 the record contains evidence showing acceptance by the
893893 defendant or a returned e lectronic mail showing
894894 refusal of the process by the defendant. Acceptance
895895 or refusal of service by electronic means by a person
896896 who is fifteen (15) years of age or older who resides
897897 at the defendant’s dwelling house or usual place of
898898 residence shall constitute acceptance or refusal by
899899 the party addressed. In the case of an entity
900900 described in division (3) of subparagraph c of
901901 paragraph 1 of this subsection, acceptance or refusal
902902 by any officer or by any employee of the registered
903903 office or principal place of business who is
904904 authorized to or who regula rly receives electronic
905905 mail shall constitute acceptance or refusal by the
906906 party addressed. A return receipt e lectronic mail
907907 sent from such registered office or principal place of
908908 business shall be presumed to have been sent by an
909909 employee authorized to send electronic mail. In the
910910 case of a state municipal corporation or other
911911 governmental organization subject to suit, acceptance
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963963 or refusal by an employee of the office of the
964964 officials specified in division (5) of subparagraph c
965965 of paragraph 1 of this su bsection who is authorized to
966966 or who regularly receives e lectronic mail shall
967967 constitute acceptance or refusal by the party
968968 addressed. If delivery of the process is refused,
969969 upon the receipt of notice of such refusal and at
970970 least ten (10) days before applying f or entry of
971971 default, the person elected by the plaintiff pursuant
972972 to subparagraph a of this paragraph to serve the
973973 process shall send an electronic notification via
974974 electronic mail to the defendant that includes a copy
975975 of the summons and petition and a notice prepared by
976976 the plaintiff that despite such refusal the case will
977977 proceed and that judgment by default will be rendered
978978 against him or her unless he or she appears to defend
979979 the action. Any default or judgment by default shall
980980 be set aside upon motion of the defendant in the
981981 manner prescribed in Section 1031.1 of this title, or
982982 upon petition of the defendant in the manner
983983 prescribed in Section 1033 of this title if the
984984 defendant demonstrates to the court that the return
985985 receipt electronic mail was sent, or delivery was
986986 refused by an unauthorized person. A petition shall
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10381038 be filed within one (1) year after the defendant
10391039 receives notice of the default or judgment by default
10401040 but in no event more than two (2) years after the
10411041 filing of the judgment.
10421042 4. SERVICE BY PUBLICATION.
10431043 a. Service of summons upon a named defendant may be made
10441044 by publication when it is stated in the petition,
10451045 verified by the plaintiff or the plaintiff ’s attorney
10461046 or in a separate affidavit by the plaintiff or the
10471047 plaintiff’s attorney filed with the court, that with
10481048 due diligence service cannot be made upon the
10491049 defendant by any other method.
10501050 b. Service of summons upon the unknown successors of a
10511051 named defendant, a named decedent or a dissolved
10521052 partnership, corporation or other association may be
10531053 made by publication when it is stated in a petition,
10541054 verified by the plaintiff or the plaintiff ’s attorney
10551055 or in a separate affidavit by the plaintiff or the
10561056 plaintiff’s attorney filed with the court, that the
10571057 person who verified the petition or the affidavit does
10581058 not know and with due diligence cannot ascertain the
10591059 following:
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11111111 (1) whether a person named as defendant is living or
11121112 dead, and, if dead, the names or whereabouts of
11131113 the person’s successors, if any,
11141114 (2) the names or whereabouts of the unknow n
11151115 successors, if any, of a named decedent,
11161116 (3) whether a partnership, corporation or other
11171117 association named as a defendant continues to
11181118 have legal existence or not; or the names or
11191119 whereabouts of its officers or successors,
11201120 (4) whether any person de signated in a record as a
11211121 trustee continues to be the trustee; or the names
11221122 or whereabouts of the successors of the trustee,
11231123 or
11241124 (5) the names or whereabouts of the owners or holders
11251125 of special assessment or improvement bonds, or
11261126 any other bonds, sewer warrants o r tax bills.
11271127 c. Service pursuant to this paragraph shall be made by
11281128 publication of a notice, signed by the court clerk,
11291129 one (1) day a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in
11301130 a newspaper authorized by law to publish legal notices
11311131 which is published in the county where the petition is
11321132 filed. If no newspaper authorized by law to publish
11331133 legal notices is published in such county, the notice
11341134 shall be published in some such newspaper of general
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11861186 circulation which is published in an adjoining county.
11871187 All named parties and their unknown successors who may
11881188 be served by publication may be included in one
11891189 notice. The notice shall state the court in which the
11901190 petition is filed and the names of the plaintiff and
11911191 the parties served by publication , and shall designate
11921192 the parties whose unknown successors are being served.
11931193 The notice shall also state that the named defendants
11941194 and their unknown successors have been sued and must
11951195 answer the petition on or before a time to be stated
11961196 (which shall not be less than forty -one (41) days from
11971197 the date of the first publication), or judgment, the
11981198 nature of which shall be stated, will be rendered
11991199 accordingly. If jurisdiction of the court is based on
12001200 property, any real property subject to the
12011201 jurisdiction of the court and any pr operty or debts to
12021202 be attached or garnished must be described in the
12031203 notice.
12041204 (1) When the recovery of money is sought, it is not
12051205 necessary for the publication notice to state the
12061206 separate items involved, but the total amount
12071207 that is claimed must be stated. When interest is
12081208 claimed, it is not necessary to state the rate of
12091209 interest, the date from which interest is claimed
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12611261 or that interest is claimed until the obligation
12621262 is paid.
12631263 (2) It is not necessary for the publication notice to
12641264 state that the judgment w ill include recovery of
12651265 costs in order for a judgment following the
12661266 publication notice to include costs of suit.
12671267 (3) In an action to quiet title to real property, it
12681268 is not necessary for the publication notice to
12691269 state the nature of the claim or interest of
12701270 either party, and in describing the nature of the
12711271 judgment that will be rendered should the
12721272 defendant fail to answer, it is sufficient to
12731273 state that a decree quieting plaintiff ’s title to
12741274 the described property will be entered. It is
12751275 not necessary to state that a decree forever
12761276 barring the defendant from asserting any interest
12771277 in or to the property is sought or will be
12781278 entered if the defendant does not answer.
12791279 (4) In an action to foreclose a mortgage, it is
12801280 sufficient that the publication notice state that
12811281 if the defendant does not answer, the defendant ’s
12821282 interest in the property will be foreclosed. It
12831283 is not necessary to state that a judgment forever
12841284 barring the defendant from all right, title,
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13361336 interest, estate, property and equity of
13371337 redemption in or to the property or any part
13381338 thereof is requested or will be entered if the
13391339 defendant does not answer.
13401340 d. Service by publication is complete when made in the
13411341 manner and for the time prescribed in subparagraph c
13421342 of this paragraph. Service by publication shall be
13431343 proved by the affidavit of any person having knowledge
13441344 of the publication. No default judgment may be
13451345 entered on such service until proof of service by
13461346 publication is filed with and approved by the court.
13471347 e. Before entry of a default judgment or orde r against a
13481348 party who has been served solely by publication under
13491349 this paragraph, the court shall conduct an inquiry to
13501350 determine whether the plaintiff, or someone acting in
13511351 behalf of the plaintiff, made a distinct and
13521352 meaningful search of all reasonably availab le sources
13531353 to ascertain the whereabouts of any named parties who
13541354 have been served solely by publication under this
13551355 paragraph. Before entry of a default judgment or
13561356 order against the unknown successors of a named
13571357 defendant, a named decedent or a diss olved
13581358 partnership, corporation or association, the court
13591359 shall conduct an inquiry to ascertain whether the
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14111411 requirements described in subparagraph b of this
14121412 paragraph have been satisfied.
14131413 f. A party against whom a default judgment or order has
14141414 been rendered, without other service than by
14151415 publication in a newspaper, may, at any time within
14161416 three (3) years after the filing of the judgment or
14171417 order, have the judgment or order set aside in the
14181418 manner prescribed in Sections 1031.1 and 1033 of this
14191419 title. Before the judgment or order is set aside, the
14201420 applicant shall notify the adverse party of the
14211421 intention to make an application and shall file a full
14221422 answer to the petition, pay all costs if the court
14231423 requires them to be paid and satisfy the court by
14241424 affidavit or other evidence that during the pendency
14251425 of the action the applicant had no actual notice
14261426 thereof in time to appear in court and make a defense.
14271427 The title to any property which is the subject of and
14281428 which passes to a purchaser in good faith by or in
14291429 consequence of the judgment or order to be opened
14301430 shall not be affected by any proceedings under this
14311431 subparagraph. Nor shall proceedings under this
14321432 subparagraph affect the title of any property sold
14331433 before judgment under an attachment. The adverse
14341434 party, on the hearing of an application to open a
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14861486 judgment or order as provided by this subparagraph,
14871487 shall be allowed to present evidence to show that
14881488 during the pendency of the action the applicant had
14891489 notice thereof in time to appear in court and make a
14901490 defense.
14911491 g. The term “successors” includes all heirs, executors,
14921492 administrators, devisees, trustees and assigns,
14931493 immediate and remote, of a named individual,
14941494 partnership, corporation or association.
14951495 h. Service outside of the state does not give the court
14961496 in personal jurisdiction over a defendant who is not
14971497 subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of this
14981498 state or who has not, either in person or through an
14991499 agent, submitted to the jurisdiction of the courts of
15001500 this state.
15011501 4. 5. SERVICE ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
15021502 a. Service of process on a domestic or foreign
15031503 corporation may be made by serving the Secretary of
15041504 State as the corporation ’s agent, if:
15051505 (1) there is no registered agent for the corporation
15061506 listed in the records of the Secretary of State,
15071507 or
15081508 (2) neither the registered agent nor an officer of
15091509 the corporation could be found at the registered
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15611561 office of the corporation, when service of
15621562 process was attempted.
15631563 b. Before resorting to service on the Secretary of State
15641564 the plaintiff must have attempted service either in
15651565 person or by mail on the corporation at:
15661566 (1) the corporation’s last-known address shown on the
15671567 records of the Franchise Tax Division of the
15681568 Oklahoma Tax Commission, if any is listed there,
15691569 and
15701570 (2) the corporation’s last-known address shown on the
15711571 records of the Secretary of State, if any is
15721572 listed there, and
15731573 (3) the corporation’s last address known to the
15741574 plaintiff.
15751575 If any of these addresses are the same, the plaintiff
15761576 is not required to attempt service more than once at
15771577 any address. The plaintiff shall furnish the
15781578 Secretary of State with a certified copy of the return
15791579 or returns showing the attempted service.
15801580 c. Service on the Secretary of State shall be made by
15811581 filing two (2) copies of the summons and petition with
15821582 the Secretary of State, notifying the Secre tary of
15831583 State that service is being made pursuant to the
15841584 provisions of this paragraph, and paying the Secretary
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16361636 of State the fee prescribed in paragraph 7 of
16371637 subsection A of Section 1142 of Title 18 of the
16381638 Oklahoma Statutes, which fee shall be taxed as part of
16391639 the costs of the action, suit or proceeding if the
16401640 plaintiff shall prevail therein. If a registered
16411641 agent for the corporation is listed in the records of
16421642 the Secretary of State, the plaintiff must also
16431643 furnish a certified copy of the return showing t hat
16441644 service on the registered agent has been attempted
16451645 either in person or by mail, and that neither the
16461646 registered agent nor an officer of the corporation
16471647 could be found at the registered office of the
16481648 corporation.
16491649 d. Within three (3) working days a fter receiving the
16501650 summons and petition, the Secretary of State shall
16511651 send notice by letter, certified mail, return receipt
16521652 requested, directed to the corporation at its
16531653 registered office or the last -known address found in
16541654 the office of the Secretary of State, o r if no address
16551655 is found there, to the corporation ’s last-known
16561656 address provided by the plaintiff. The notice shall
16571657 enclose a copy of the summons and petition and any
16581658 other papers served upon the Secretary of State. The
16591659 corporation shall not be req uired to serve its answer
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17111711 until forty (40) days after service of the summons and
17121712 petition on the Secretary of State.
17131713 e. Before entry of a default judgment or order against a
17141714 corporation that has been served by serving the
17151715 Secretary of State as its agent under th is paragraph,
17161716 the court shall determine whether the requirements of
17171717 this paragraph have been satisfied. A default
17181718 judgment or order against a corporation that has been
17191719 served only by service on the Secretary of State may
17201720 be set aside upon motion of the corporation in the
17211721 manner prescribed in Section 1031.1 of this title, or
17221722 upon petition of the corporation in the manner
17231723 prescribed in Section 1033 of this title, if the
17241724 corporation demonstrates to the court that it had no
17251725 actual notice of the action in time to appear and make
17261726 its defense. A petition shall be filed within one (1)
17271727 year after the corporation has notice of the default
17281728 judgment or order but in no event more than two (2)
17291729 years after the filing of the default judgment or
17301730 order.
17311731 f. The Secretary of State shall maintain an alphabetical
17321732 record of service setting forth the name of the
17331733 plaintiff and defendant, the title, docket number and
17341734 nature of the proceeding in which the process has been
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17861786 served upon the defendant, the fact that service has
17871787 been effected pursuant to the provisions of this
17881788 paragraph, the return date thereof and the date when
17891789 the service was made. The Secretary of State shall
17901790 not be required to retain this information for a
17911791 period longer than five (5) years from receipt of the
17921792 service of process.
17931793 g. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to a
17941794 foreign insurance company doing business in this
17951795 state.
17961796 5. 6. SERVICE BY ACKNOWLEDGMENT. An acknowledgment on the back
17971797 of the summons or the voluntary appearance of a defendant is
17981798 equivalent to service.
17991799 6. 7. SERVICE BY OTHER METHODS. If service cannot be made by
18001800 personal delivery or, by mail, or by secured electronic means, a
18011801 defendant of any class referred to in division (1) or (3) of
18021802 subparagraph c of paragraph 1 of this subse ction may be served as
18031803 provided by court order in a manner which is reasonably calculated
18041804 to give the defendant actual notice of the proceedings and an
18051805 opportunity to be heard and upon filing an affidavit by the
18061806 plaintiff or plaintiff ’s attorney that with due di ligence service
18071807 cannot otherwise be made upon the defendant.
18081808 7. 8. NO SERVICE BY PRISONER. No prisoner in any jail,
18091809 Department of Corrections facility, private prison, or parolee or
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18611861 probationer under supervision of the Department of Corrections sha ll
18621862 be appointed by any court to serve process on any defendant, party
18631863 or witness.
18641864 D. SUMMONS AND PETITION. The summons and petition shall be
18651865 served together. The plaintiff shall furnish the person making
18661866 service with such copies as are necessary. The failure to serve a
18671867 copy of the petition with the summons is not a ground for dismissal
18681868 for insufficiency of service of process, but on motion of the party
18691869 served, the court may extend the time to answer or otherwise plead.
18701870 If a summons and petition are ser ved by personal delivery, the
18711871 person serving the summons shall state on the copy that is left with
18721872 the person served the date that service is made. This provision is
18731873 not jurisdictional, but if the failure to comply with it prejudices
18741874 the party served, the court , on motion of the party served, may
18751875 extend the time to answer or otherwise plead.
18761876 E. SUMMONS: TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF EFFECTIVE SERVICE.
18771877 1. Service of the summons and petition may be made anywhere
18781878 within this state in the manner provided by subsect ion C of this
18791879 section.
18801880 2. When the exercise of jurisdiction is authorized by
18811881 subsection F of this section, service of the summons and petition
18821882 may be made outside this state:
18831883 a. by personal delivery in the manner prescribed for
18841884 service within this state,
18851885
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19361936 b. in the manner prescribed by the law of the place in
19371937 which the service is made for service in that place in
19381938 an action in any of its courts of general
19391939 jurisdiction,
19401940 c. in the manner prescribed by paragraph 2 of subsection
19411941 C of this section,
19421942 d. as directed by the foreign authority in response to a
19431943 letter rogatory,
19441944 e. in the manner prescribed by paragraph 3 4 of
19451945 subsection C of this section only when permitted by
19461946 subparagraphs a and b of paragraph 3 4 of subsection C
19471947 of this section, or
19481948 f. as directed by the court .
19491949 3. Proof of service outside this state may be made in the
19501950 manner prescribed by subsection G of this section, the order
19511951 pursuant to which the service is made, or the law of the place in
19521952 which the service is made for proof of service in an action in any
19531953 of its courts of general jurisdiction.
19541954 4. Service outside this state may be made by an individual
19551955 permitted to make service of process under the law of this state or
19561956 under the law of the place in which the service is made or who is
19571957 designated to make servi ce by a court of this state.
19581958 5. When subsection C of this section requires that in order to
19591959 effect service one or more designated individuals be served, service
19601960
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20112011 outside this state under this section must be made upon the
20122012 designated individual or ind ividuals.
20132013 6. a. A court of this state may order service upon any
20142014 person who is domiciled or can be found within this
20152015 state of any document issued in connection with a
20162016 proceeding in a tribunal outside this state. The
20172017 order may be made upon application of any int erested
20182018 person or in response to a letter rogatory issued by a
20192019 tribunal outside this state and shall direct the
20202020 manner of service.
20212021 b. Service in connection with a proceeding in a tribunal
20222022 outside this state may be made within this state
20232023 without an order of court.
20242024 c. Service under this paragraph does not, of itself,
20252025 require the recognition or enforcement of an order,
20262026 judgment or decree rendered outside this state.
20272027 F. ASSERTION OF JURISDICTION. A court of this state may
20282028 exercise jurisdiction on any basis co nsistent with the Constitution
20292029 of this state and the Constitution of the United States.
20302030 G. RETURN.
20312031 1. The person serving the process shall make proof of service
20322032 thereof to the court promptly and in any event within the time
20332033 during which the person served must respond to the process, but the
20342034
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20852085 failure to make proof of service does not affect the validity of the
20862086 service.
20872087 2. When process has been served by a sheriff or deputy sheriff
20882088 and return thereof is filed in the office of the court clerk, a copy
20892089 of the return shall be sent by the court clerk to the plaintiff ’s
20902090 attorney within three (3) days after the return is filed. If
20912091 service is made by a person other than a sheriff or deputy sheriff,
20922092 the licensed process server shall make affidavit thereof. Th e
20932093 return shall set forth the county of issuance, the name of the
20942094 person served and the date, place and method of service.
20952095 3. If service was by mail, the person mailing the summons and
20962096 petition shall endorse on the copy of the summons or order of the
20972097 court that is filed in the action the date and place of mailing and
20982098 the date when service was receipted or service was rejected, and
20992099 shall attach to the copy of the summons or order a copy of the
21002100 return receipt or returned envelope, if and when received, showin g
21012101 whether the mailing was accepted, refused or otherwise returned. If
21022102 the mailing was refused, the return shall also show the date and
21032103 place of any subsequent mailing pursuant to paragraph 2 of
21042104 subsection C of this section. When the summons and petition are
21052105 mailed by the court clerk, the court clerk shall notify the
21062106 plaintiff’s attorney within three (3) days after receipt of the
21072107 returned card or envelope showing that the card or envelope has been
21082108 received.
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21602160 4. If service was by secured electronic means, t he person
21612161 sending the summons and petition by electronic mail shall endorse on
21622162 the copy of the summons or order of the court that is filed in the
21632163 action the date and place of mailing and the date when service was
21642164 receipted or service was rejected, and shall atta ch to the copy of
21652165 the summons or order a copy of the return receipt e lectronic mail,
21662166 if and when received, showing whether the e lectronic mail was
21672167 accepted, refused, or otherwise returned. If the e lectronic mail
21682168 was refused, the return shall also sh ow the date and place of any
21692169 subsequent electronic mail pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection C
21702170 of this section. When the summons and petition are sent by
21712171 electronic mail by the court clerk, the court clerk shall notify the
21722172 plaintiff’s attorney within three (3) days after the return receipt
21732173 electronic mail was received.
21742174 H. AMENDMENT. At any time in its discretion and upon such
21752175 terms as it deems just, the court may allow any process or proof of
21762176 service thereof to be amended, unless it clearly appears that
21772177 material prejudice would result to the substantial rights of the
21782178 party against whom the process issued.
21792179 I. SUMMONS: TIME LIMIT FOR SERVICE. If service of process is
21802180 not made upon a defendant within one hundred eighty (180) days after
21812181 the filing of the petiti on and the plaintiff has not shown good
21822182 cause why such servic e was not made within that period, the action
21832183 shall be deemed dismissed as to that defendant without prejudice and
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22352235 Section 100 of this title shall be applicable to any refiling of the
22362236 action. Upon application of a defendant not timely served, the
22372237 court shall enter an order dismissing the action as to that
22382238 defendant. The court shall enter a dismissal order of an action
22392239 within two hundred (200) days after the filing of the action in
22402240 which no service has been made on any defendant as required pursuant
22412241 to this section and such order shall be mailed to the address of the
22422242 party or the party’s attorney of record. The action shall not be
22432243 dismissed if a summons was served on the defendant within one
22442244 hundred eighty (180) days after the filing of the petition and a
22452245 court later holds that the summons or its service was invalid.
22462246 After a court quashes a summons or its service, a new summons may be
22472247 served on the defendant within a time specified by the judge. If
22482248 the new summons is not served within the specified time, the action
22492249 shall be deemed to have been dismissed without prejudice as to that
22502250 defendant. This subsection shall not apply with respect to a
22512251 defendant who has been outside of this state for one hundred eighty
22522252 (180) days following the filing of the petition .
22532253 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
22542254
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