If you’re looking for probate records, you may be asking: Can I find probate records online for free?
In Oklahoma, the answer depends on the county where the probate case was filed. Each county varies as to what records it posts online. In general, the more recently a probate case was filed, the more likely you can find it online.
Because the Persaud Law Office practices only in Oklahoma, this page will discuss only how to find Oklahoma cases. If you’re looking for a probate record in another state, you’ll have to look in that state’s court system. In an earlier post, I list the websites of all the court systems of each U.S. state and territory.
How to Find Oklahoma Probate Records for Free
In Oklahoma, there are two websites where you can find free court records: OSCN and ODCR. I’ll tell you here how to find probate records on each of these.
OSCN
Go to www.oscn.net.
Click on “Court Records”
Then click on “Search OSCN Dockets.”
This is what you should see:
If you know the county where the case was filed, choose the county for the drop-down menu.
The proper venue for a probate case is the county where the decedent died, if he was a resident of Oklahoma at the time of his death. If he was not a resident of Oklahoma at the time of his death, the venue for a probate case is the county in which the decedent owned property. If you are not sure of the county where the decedent died, or if you want to search in multiple counties, leave that space blank.
If you know the case number, enter that number in the “case number” search bar. If you have any of the probate documents, you can usually find the case number at the top of the page.
You may also enter the decedent’s name in the name search bar.
If you’re looking only for probate cases, go to the drop-down menu under “District Court Case Type” and scroll down to “Probate.”
If you know the date when the case was filed, you can limit your search by date range.
After you’ve entered all the data, push enter or click “Go.” You should see a page that looks like this:
Click on the case name. You should see a page that looks like this:
This is a list of all documents that have been filed in the case. Notice that next to each document, it says, “Document Available” and then “TIFF” and “PDF.” If you click on the “TIFF” or “PDF” you will be able to download a copy of the document.
However, some older probate cases will say, “Document Available at Court Clerk’s Office”, like this:
If your case says that, you won’t be able to download or see the documents; you’ll have to call the county court clerk to obtain the documents. For the phone number of the court clerks of every county in the state, click here.
Oklahoma law requires the court clerk send you the documents if you request them. Some clerks will e-mail the documents; others only use postal mail. Some clerks will charge for printing the documents, but the fee is usually quite small.
How to Find Probate Records on ODCR
ODCR, like OSCN, also has probate records. However, if you use ODCR and you don’t have a subscription, you can only find a listing of the documents filed. Unless you have a subscription, you can’t download or see any of the documents. To get a subscription to ODCR, you will have to pay a monthly fee, and you will (usually) have to be a licensed Oklahoma attorney.
To find probate record on ODCR:
Go to www1.odcr.com.
Enter all of the relevant information, and click “Search for cases.” You will then see a list of cases, like this:
When you see the case that you are looking for, click on the case number. You will then see a page that looks like this:
You can see the title of each document and the date it was filed, but you can’t download the actual document without a paid subscription. If you still want the document, you’ll have to call the county court clerk.
Still Need Help? Call the Persaud Law Office
Many people, when handling property of an estate, need to find probate records. The Persaud Law Office has handled many estate matters, and we can help you not only obtain probate records, but also with the handling of other work necessary to settle matters regarding estate property. If you need assistance, please call us today.
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