Oklahoma Free Public Records Directory

In the south central region of the United States lies Oklahoma, the 20th largest state in the U.S., covering 68,898 sq. miles. Oklahoma lies near the geographical center of the 48 contiguous states. It is bordered by Arkansas and Missouri on the east, Kansas on the north, Colorado on the northwest, New Mexico on the far west and Texas on the south and near west.

Oklahoma’s topography generally slopes from the high plains of its western boundary to the low wetlands of its southeastern boundary. It is one of the most geographically diverse states with more than 10 distinct ecological regions. Weather patterns within the state can vary wildly over short distances and can change drastically in a short time. Most of Oklahoma lies in an area known as “Tornado Alley.” The interactions between the cold, dry air from Canada, warm to hot, dry air from Mexico and the southwestern U.S., and warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico produces severe weather including thunderstorms, winds, large hail and tornadoes. Oklahoma averages 62 tornadoes per year, one of the highest rates in the world.

The state of Oklahoma was first part of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 until 1828. Thousands of Native Americans were expelled from their ancestral homelands from across North America and transported to the area. The phrase “Trail of Tears” describes the removal of the tribes from the southeastern U.S. In 2002, Oklahoma had the second-highest number of Native Americans. More than 25 Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma, ranking third behind Alaska and California.

In 1889, a major land run was held where certain territories were opened to settlement starting at a precise time. The land was open to settlers on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who crossed the border into the territory before the official opening time were said to have been crossing the border sooner, leading to the term “sooners,” which eventually became the state’s official nickname.

Oklahoma became the 46th state on November 16, 1907. The emerging oil industry in the new state prompted towns to grow rapidly in population and wealth. Tulsa became known as the “Oil Capital of the World” for most of the 20th century. Parts of the state during the 1930’s suffered the consequence of poor farming practices, extended droughts and high winds. The area became known as the “Dust Bowl.”

Oklahoma’s estimated population in 2016 was 3,923,561 ranking it as the 28th most populated state. There are 597 cities and towns in Oklahoma consisting of 77 counties. The capital and largest city in the state is Oklahoma City with an estimated population of 638,367. Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa are Oklahoma’s primary economic anchors. The government sector provides the most jobs followed by transportation and utilities. Oklahoma is the third largest producer of natural gas, the fifth largest crude oil producer, and has the second highest number of active oil drilling rigs in the United States. The aerospace sector is among the state’s largest industries with the world’s largest airline maintenance base located in Tulsa. Headquartered in Oklahoma, are a number of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. In 2007, Oklahoma was rated one of the most business friendly states in the U.S. ^[1]

When you are ready to begin your search of Oklahoma public records, you can review the below list of available records. The list of available records are categorized by record type including property records, criminal records, licensing records, community health records, government job records, vital records, and laws and codes records.

Abbreviation	OK, Okla.
Capital	Oklahoma City
Population	3,923,561 (2016 est.)
Area size	69,690 sq. mi.
Demonym	Oklahoman
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Mary Fallin
Lieutenant Governor	Todd Lamb
U.S. Senators	Jim Inhofe, James Lankford
U.S. House Delegation	5 Republicans
Time Zone – Formally Kenton - Informally	Central: UTC -6/-5 Mountain: UTC -7/-6

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

There are two types of public records; 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records.^[2] The Oklahoma Open Records Act is a series of laws designed to guarantee that public has access to all public records of governmental bodies. ^[3]

Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them. When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.