About the McCurtain County Court Clerk
The Court Clerk is Kathy Gray. She was born and raised in Idabel. Before this role she worked as a legal assistant for almost 20 years, and she joined the McCurtain County Treasurer's office in 2018. She took office as Court Clerk in January 2021. The official Court Clerk page lists her duties, staff, address, and hours.
The office records, files, and keeps the permanent records of District Court proceedings. It is the public point of contact for court case files in the county, and it is held accountable to the Oklahoma Court Administrator's Office and the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The staff also collect the fees, fines, and court costs that flow through the District Court.
Several deputy clerks staff the front counter and process filings. Knowing who works the desk can help when you call ahead about a record or a pending case.
- Kristie Brittain
- Shaunda Graham
- Brittany Fegett
- Rachel Bryant
- Kaitlin Wilson
- Kyla Roberts
- Denise Segura
McCurtain County Court Clerk
Court Clerk: Kathy Gray
108 N. Central Avenue
Idabel, OK 74745
Mailing: P.O. Box 1378, Idabel, OK 74745
580-286-3693 (alt 580-286-4950)
kathy.gray@oscn.net
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., open through lunch
What the McCurtain County Court Clerk Handles
The office touches almost every type of case the District Court hears. It works with the civil, probate, juvenile, domestic-relations, and small-claims divisions, and it keeps the dockets that track each case from filing through final order. It also stores the word-for-word transcripts that court reporters file. The general information page spells out the full scope.
Most of the daily work falls into a handful of clear duties. These are the tasks the front counter performs again and again.
- Record, file, and keep permanent District Court case files
- Maintain appearance, plaintiff and defendant, and journal dockets
- Store filed transcripts of court proceedings from court reporters
- Collect license fees, fines, and court costs
- Issue marriage licenses and accept new filings
- Send jury summons and manage juror records
One split is worth flagging early. The Court Clerk holds court case files, while land deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and UCC filings belong to a separate office. Those documents are recorded by the McCurtain County Clerk, not the Court Clerk, so a deed or a tax warrant search starts there instead.
McCurtain County Court Clerk Record Requests
Court files in McCurtain County reach back to the early 1900s. The office holds paper and electronic records, but the recommended self-search online runs from 1998 to the present through On Demand Court Records. The record-search page sets out the local rules for both paths.
All public court records are open for inspection, with three clear exceptions. Juvenile, adoption, and mental health files are closed and are not handed out at the counter. For everything else, copies can be requested in person, by mail, or by email. A mailed request needs a self-addressed stamped envelope, the names tied to the case, the years to search, and as much detail as you can give.
A local search costs $5. In-person copies are usually ready right away. Records older than 10 years may take longer, because the staff may need to pull hard-copy files from storage. For cases from 1998 forward, the free ODCR portal often answers the question before a formal request is even needed.
Note: Online dockets help you locate a case, but a certified copy from the Court Clerk is the version courts and agencies accept as official.
McCurtain County Court Clerk Fees
Charges for copies and common filings are set by statute and posted by the office. The Court Clerk also references a current fee schedule effective November 1, 2025 for updated court costs. The figures below cover the requests record seekers and filers ask about most.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Record search (in person, mail, or email) | $5.00 |
| Copy, first page | $1.00 |
| Copy, each page after | $0.50 |
| Certification of a record | $0.50 |
| Marriage license | $50.00 cash ($5 with counseling verification) |
| Divorce with minor children | $262.14 |
| Divorce without minor children | $262.14 |
| Divorce pro se | $252.14 |
| Adult name change | $164.14 |
| Protective order (may be assessed after hearing) | $204.25 |
| Summons | $10.00 |
| Sheriff service of process | $50.00 |
There is no fee to fill out a protective order application. The full county fee list, including the separate County Clerk recording charges, is posted on the county fee page.
McCurtain County Court Clerk Request Form
The office does not post a fill-in PDF for court-record requests. Instead, a written or emailed request should carry a few key pieces of information so the staff can find the file fast. The table below shows what to include and why each item matters.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Names | Yes | The party or person connected to the record. |
| Years | Yes | A year or range; files older than 10 years may need storage research. |
| Record type or identifying facts | Strongly requested | As much information as you can provide narrows the search. |
| Self-addressed stamped envelope | For mail | Needed so the office can mail the copies back. |
| Search fee | Yes | $5 per search. |
| Copy fee | As applicable | $1 first page, $0.50 each page after, $0.50 to certify. |
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the Court Clerk's stamp and proves the document is a true copy of the filed record. Courts, banks, schools, and agencies often ask for one. Plain printouts from an online docket do not carry that certification. The steps below walk through a request from start to finish.
- Identify the case. Gather the party names, the year, and the case number if you have it. For records from 1998 forward, look the case up first on ODCR to confirm the number.
- Pick a channel. Decide whether to request in person at the courthouse, by mail to P.O. Box 1378, or by email to the office.
- Send the details. Provide names, years, the document you need, and how many certified copies you want. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the copies mailed back.
- Pay the fees. Include the $5 search fee, the per-page copy fee, and $0.50 for each certification.
- Receive the copy. In-person certified copies are usually ready right away. Files older than 10 years may take extra time while staff pull them from storage.
Paying the McCurtain County Court Clerk
The office accepts several payment types, and the right one depends on how you reach the counter. The payment options page lists each channel. In person, the staff take the widest range, while mail and the drop box have tighter rules.
- In person: cash, cashier's check, personal check, money order, and debit or credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
- By mail: cashier's check, personal check, or money order only. Do not mail cash.
- Online: through ODCR for participating case and citation payments.
- By phone: call 580-286-3693 to pay with a debit or credit card.
- Drop box: a box sits under the awning at the front steps of the courthouse. Never leave cash in it.
For court-record copies, plan to settle the search and copy fees when you submit the request rather than after pickup. Mailed requests should include payment by check or money order in the same envelope as the request and the return envelope.
McCurtain County Court Clerk Marriage Licenses
Marriage licenses are issued by the McCurtain County Court Clerk, not the County Clerk. Both applicants apply in person, and the office asks that you arrive by 3:00 p.m. because the license takes about 30 minutes to prepare. The fee is $50 in cash, and it drops to $5 with proof of qualifying premarital counseling.
A license is valid for 30 days, and the completed license must be returned to the office that issued it. Divorce cases are District Court family files handled by the same Court Clerk, and they show up in the same online search. Full requirements, fees, and copy steps live on the McCurtain County marriage and divorce records page.
Jury Service in McCurtain County
The Court Clerk also runs jury administration for the District Court. The office issues 500 jury summons each year, drawing names at random from Oklahoma driver license records. The county's jury service page explains who can be excused and how to respond to a summons.
People age 70 or older, and those who served within the past five years, cannot be forced to serve. Anyone with a medical reason or other significant hardship should call the office at 580-286-3693 before the report date. Responding early keeps a missed summons from turning into a court problem.
The Remodeled Court Clerk Office
The office looks different than it did a few years ago. On April 15, 2024 the Court Clerk began a new era from a newly remodeled downstairs office in the courthouse, with major upgrades and more room to serve the public. The county's office remodel announcement describes the move.
The downstairs location is easier to reach for visitors who travel in from Broken Bow, Hochatown, Valliant, Wright City, and other parts of this large rural county. The office stays open through lunch, which helps people who make a long drive to the courthouse for a single filing or copy.
Court Clerk Versus County Clerk
McCurtain County splits clerk duties between two separate offices, and confusing them wastes a trip. The Court Clerk keeps court case files: civil, criminal, probate, family, small claims, traffic, and protective orders. The County Clerk keeps county recording instruments instead.
Land deeds, mortgages, mechanic's and materialmen's liens, Oklahoma tax warrants and releases, plats, powers of attorney, and UCC lien searches all route to the County Clerk. If you need a property record or a lien search, start at the McCurtain County Clerk page rather than the court counter. Both offices sit in the same courthouse, so the building is the same even though the records are not.