State Statutes

A statute is a written law passed by a legislative body. In Oklahoma, statutes are grouped by categories, called “Titles,” followed by section numbers. Oklahoma state statutes can be broken down like this:

43 O.S. § 118 – Oklahoma State Statute

43: Title

O.S.: Oklahoma Statutes

118: Section Number 118

For example, if someone says a statute is in “Title 43,” that means it’s contained in a broad grouping of statutes all having to deal with that similar subject matter in Title 43 of Oklahoma’s state statutes. In this case, Title 43 has to do with marriage.  Section number 118 is about Child Support Guidelines.

Finding State Statutes

To find state statutes, go to the Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) website. Locate and hover your mouse over “Legal Research” at the top and center of the page, then move your mouse down to “Statutes” and click:

Scroll down to the “Title” you are searching for and click “Expand”.  In this case, we want Title 43:

Scroll down to search for the “Section” you need. In this case we want Section 118, once you find the “Section” you want, click the hyperlink for that line:

Section 118 has to do with Child Support Guidelines. When opened, it looks like this:

Agency Policies

Agency policy is referred to as the Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC). The OAC is codified by agencies, in contrast to State Statutes which are codified by legislature. Both Agency Policy and State Statutes have the full force and effect of law in Oklahoma. Agency Policies can be broken down like this:

OAC 340:25-5-200 – Agency Policy

340: Title

25: Chapter

5: Subchapter

200: Rule Number

Finding an Agency Rule

Our agency rules can be found on the State of Oklahoma website under Library: Policy.

Then you will select what “Title” of Policy you are interested in. In this case we will select OAC-340.

Now you will scroll down to navigate to the “Chapter” you need. For this example, you want Chapter 25, which contains Child Support Policies. Clicking here will dropdown “Subchapter” options:

For this example, you will click “Subchapter” 5 “Operational Policies”. Clicking this will dropdown your options for groupings of “Rule Numbers” by topic:

If you click topic number 20, Medical Support, you will see a dropdown with rules listed by their full OAC reference number:

Click on the rule number you wish to view. Here, you will click Rule 168 and be brought to this page:

After the rule content, you will find Instructions to Staff.

Citing Statutes and Rules

• Oklahoma State Statutes are cited like this: 43 O.S. § 118
• Agency Policies (Administrative Rules) are cited like this: OAC 340:25-5-200

Where to Find a Full, Searchable Copy of Agency Policy Rules (and more)

If you would like to see a document with all of the current rules, there is a CSQuest article with the most up-to-date resources for policy updates. In the article, you can:

• Access a full copy of the most recent Effective Policy
• Access a copy of Policy with marked changes
• Access a copy of the Policy Implementation and Training Needs Matrix
• Access a copy of the Policy Index
• Access a copy of the current year’s Policy update presentation
• Access current OKDHS internal regulations, Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) OAC, and an official copy of the OAC.

A summary of amendments is also provided. If you would like to search within a copy of the most recent effective policy, download the linked resource and search with the CTRL + F command to find keywords you are looking for. The article and resources are updated annually.