Beckham County Court Records

Beckham County court records consist of any material created and maintained by the courts in relation to criminal and civil proceedings. They exist in various formats, including paper, electronic, and photographic, and comprise a range of documents, such as dockets, exhibits, orders, petitions, pleas, judgments, motions, affidavits, transcripts, and briefs. Criminal court records may include Beckham County arrest records.

Beckham court records are official documentation of court proceedings and are relevant for historical, legal, and research purposes. They aid public understanding of court actions and decisions, thereby, promoting accountability and transparency in the conduct of the legal system.

Are Court Records Public in Beckham County?

Beckham County operates under the Oklahoma Open Records Act (ORA), meaning that the county's court records are public, unless otherwise identified by statute to be confidential (51 O.S. § 24A.30). Per the ORA, Beckham County public records means all documents and materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, in the control or possession of public officials or bodies in connection with the transaction of public business (51 O.S. §24A.3).

In certain cases where confidentiality is not mandated by statute, the court may seal a record or portion thereof in the face of a compelling privacy interest that outweighs the public's interest in the record. Statutory identified non-public court records include the following:

• Records protected by attorney-client privilege or any other state evidentiary privilege.
• Social security numbers, tax identification numbers, and bank account information of case parties or other individuals mentioned in a case file.
• Juvenile records.
• Sealed court records.
• Information about domestic violence victims and confidential informants.
• Mental health reports of an individual.
• Juvenile dependency, delinquency, and custody records.

Beckham County Court Records Search

The first step in conducting a Beckham County court record search is identifying the court where a case was filed. A record seeker is required to possess a case party's full name, case number, or court dates to aid the identification and retrieval of the sought case records and be willing to cover any nominal fee or other cost required for the search. Interested individuals may obtain records through any of the following methods:

• In person at the clerk's office of the presiding court
• Online via the On Demand Court Records (ODCR) portal
• Third-party websites.

Note that non-public court records can only be obtained by an authorized party at the court clerk's office.

Beckham County Courts

Beckham County has a district court that serves as the county's general jurisdiction trial court, and three municipal courts serving their local jurisdictions. Municipal courts primarily handle cases involving traffic violations, city ordinance violations, and certain misdemeanor criminal cases. See the court addresses and contact information below:

Beckham County District Court
Beckham County Courthouse
302 East Main Street
P.O. Box 520
Sayre, OK 73662
Phone: (580) 928-3330
Fax: (580) 928-9278
E-mail: landrecords@beckhamcoclerk.org.

Elk City Municipal Court
422 East 3rd Street,
Elk City, OK 73644
Phone: (580) 225-4653

Erick Municipal Court
206 South Sheb Wooley Avenue
P.O. Box 25
Erick, OK 73645
Phone: (580) 526-3924

Sayre Municipal Court
102 West Main Street
Sayre, OK 73662
Phone: (580) 928-2260

NB: Contact information for the Sayre Municipal Court is that of the court clerk in City Hall. Court sessions for this court are held in Sayre Council Chambers, 108 West Main Street.

Beckham County Criminal and Civil Records

The different courts in Beckham County have individual court clerks who are responsible for filing and keeping permanent copies of their case records. Beckham County criminal records are documents filed in relation to misdemeanor and felony proceedings. Civil cases are all other non-criminal cases, such as family cases, divorce proceedings, contract disputes, property disputes, and personal injury claims.

Records maintained by the Beckham County District Court Clerk may be viewed online. Information required to perform an online record search is the first and last name of a case party, case type, case number, and filing date range. Alternatively, record seekers may visit the clerk's office during business hours to request records. Please contact the relevant court clerk in advance for request guidelines and requirements, as well as the availability of a sought-after record.

Beckham County Marriage Records

Beckham County marriage records are maintained by the court clerk who issued their respective licenses. The clerk's office is also responsible for the ensuing Beckham County Marriage Certificate and aiding retrieval of records by members of the public. Marriage records in Oklahoma are public. Interested individuals should contact the court clerk's office during business hours to request records or view marriage licenses online via the ODCR portal. Searches/requests may require the bride and groom's name and marriage date.

Beckham County Divorce Records

Beckham County District Court has jurisdiction over divorces and its clerk maintains all related records. Interested persons should contact the court clerk's office with the first and last name of a case participant to request records. Note that certain case documents are not available to non-case parties.

Beckham County Birth Records

Beckham County birth records document birth events that occur in the county. A person's Beckham County birth certificate serves various functions, including application for IDs and school enrollment. Birth records are part of Beckham County's vital records, which are not public. The Vital Records Division, Oklahoma State Department of Health maintains custody of these records for all counties in the state and is responsible for issuing copies to eligible persons.

Eligible persons include the record subject, parent (if the subject is a minor), spouse, grandparent, or child), or their legal representative. A requesting record-bearer's relative must be able to show a signed authorization from the record subject and a copy of the record-bearer's ID. A legal representative is required to provide proof of legal relationship with the record bearer.

Interested persons can only order birth records from this agency by mail or online, as walk-ins are not available in their office lobby. The cost for certificates is $20.00 for the first copy and $15 for each subsequent copy, all payable by card or check. A convenience fee of $12.95 is required for non-Oklahoma residents. To request records by mail, complete the Birth Certificate Request Form and mail it to:

Vital Records
Oklahoma State Department of Health
P.O. Box 248964
Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8964.

Beckham County Death Records

Beckham County death records document important information about death events, such as a deceased person's name, date of death, cause of death, and the county where they died. The state's health department's division of vital records is responsible for the recording, preservation, and issuance of these records (or death certificates) to requesting parties.

A deceased person's death certificate may only be issued to their surviving spouse, child, parent, grandparent, sibling, legal guardian, or their estate's legal representative. Records can be ordered online, by phone, or by mail to the Vital Records Division. A $15.00 fee (plus applicable convenience fees) is required for this service.

Beckham County Probate Court Records

Probate cases are filed at the Beckham County District Court. They include cases related to guardianship and conservatorship, estate administration, will disputes, and trusts. Interested persons should visit the district court clerk's office to request records or use the court's record search website.

Beckham County Property Records

Beckham County Clerk serves as the county's recorder of deeds and may help people find a variety of land-related documents, including plat maps, deeds, easements, liens, affidavits, and covenants. An individual looking to retrieve any property record is required to possess the name of the property owner (individual's first and last name or business name). Property record searches may be done online or by contacting the county clerk's office.

P.O. Box 428,
Sayre, OK 73662
Phone: (580) 928-3383
Fax: (580) 928-5220
E-mail: landrecords@beckhamcoclerk.org.

Beckham County Court Records Online

Online record lookup tools facilitate remote and instant access to court records. Beckham County court records are available online through a statewide court record database. Additionally, many third-party websites like Oklahomacourtrecords.us also serve this function.

Official online resources and third-party websites have similar functionalities and are usually searchable by a case party's first and last name. Some advanced sources offer additional search parameters and filters like filing dates and case numbers. It is important to note that third-party online resources only exist for informational purposes and records obtained through this means are less suitable for official purposes.