Recording a deed in Tulsa County, Oklahoma

Recording a deed in Tulsa County

Deeds affecting property in Tulsa County, Oklahoma are recorded with the County Clerk. Recording is what puts the world on notice of your ownership and fixes the priority date. An unrecorded deed can still transfer title between the parties, but it leaves you exposed to anyone who records first.

The recording rules the office applies come from Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 298 and tit. 16, §§ 26 and 28. Deeds themselves are governed by Okla. Stat. tit. 16, § 4.

What to bring

• The original signed and notarized deed. Recorders do not record photocopies handed over the counter.
• A completed notarial acknowledgment, with the date, the place where you signed, and the commission expiry all filled in.
• On a sale, the county clerk's documentary stamp (purchase price) affidavit, signed by the buyer, and payment for the stamps. A deed that owes none states its exemption on its face (68 O.S. §§ 3201, 3202).
• The Attorney General's Affidavit of Land Ownership for each grantee, notarized and attached to the deed (60 O.S. § 121(C)). A transfer-on-death deed, or a deed that only corrects an earlier recorded deed, states its exemption on its face instead.
• Payment for the recording fee, $18 for the first page and $2 per additional page. Many offices do not take personal checks.

Formatting

• Oklahoma requires a top margin of at least 2 inches on every page and margins of at least 1 inch on the other edges, clearly legible English in dark ink, and paper no larger than 8.5 × 14 inches (19 O.S. § 298(B)). The county clerk still records a legible document that misses these rules, for a higher fee: $35 for the first page and $10 for each additional page (19 O.S. § 298(C); 28 O.S. § 32).
• Deedly's layout, which suits this office: 8.5 × 11 inch paper, a 3-inch clear space at the top of page one for the recording stamp, 1-inch margins on the other edges, a 2-inch top margin on later pages, and type no smaller than 10 point. Deedly formats every document this way automatically.
• A legal description. A street address alone is not enough.
• A 'when recorded, return to' block so the stamped original comes back to you.

How to file

1. 1In personTake the original to the County Clerk in Tulsa. This is the fastest route. You usually walk out with the recording information the same day.
2. 2By mailSend the original with a check or money order for the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow one to three weeks for the stamped original to come back.
3. 3E-recordingTitle companies, attorneys, and other approved submitters file electronically through services such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. If you prepared the deed yourself, in person or by mail is usually simpler.