About the Craig County Court Clerk
Debbie Mason serves as the Craig County Court Clerk. The Court Clerk is an elected county office in Oklahoma. The office runs the clerical side of the District Court and keeps its case files. Every petition, motion, order, and judgment filed in a Craig County case passes through this office. Staff stamp filings, build the docket, collect court costs, and issue certified copies on request. The counter sits in the county courthouse at 210 W. Delaware in Vinita.
Most public questions about a Craig County court case start here. The Court Clerk can pull a case by number, take payment for fines and costs, accept a probate or marriage filing, and certify a document for legal use. Phone and in-person service are the main channels. The office can be reached during regular county business hours, and a fax line is available for some requests.
Craig County Court Clerk
Clerk: Debbie Mason
210 W. Delaware
Vinita, OK 74301
(918) 256-6451
Fax: (918) 256-9001
Counter service: weekday county business hours
Note: Confirm current counter hours and any holiday closings with the Court Clerk by phone before driving to the courthouse.
Court Clerk vs County Clerk in Craig County
Craig County splits its clerk duties between two separate offices. The Court Clerk handles court cases. The County Clerk handles land and recorded instruments. The two are easy to confuse because both sit in the same downtown Vinita courthouse, yet they keep very different records. A court case file lives with the Court Clerk. A deed, mortgage, or lien lives with the Craig County County Clerk, where it can be searched as a recorded instrument.
The difference matters most for divorce and probate seekers. A divorce case file and a final decree are court records held by the Court Clerk. A divorce decree that someone later recorded against property may also appear in the County Clerk's land index, but that recorded copy is not the full court file. Send case and copy requests to the right office the first time.
| Task | Court Clerk | County Clerk |
|---|---|---|
| District Court case files | Yes | No |
| Certified court copies | Yes | No |
| Marriage licenses | Yes | No |
| Probate and guardianship filings | Yes | No |
| Court fines and costs | Yes | No |
| Deeds, mortgages, and liens | No | Yes |
Court Records the Craig County Court Clerk Keeps
The Court Clerk maintains the official record for District Court matters in the county. That covers a wide range of case types, from felony charges to small claims. The office files documents, keeps the docket current, issues process, and collects the fees set by law. Court documents are open to the public under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, 51 O.S. § 24A.5, unless a statute or court order makes a file confidential.
- Criminal felony and misdemeanor case files
- Civil suits, small claims, and protective orders
- Family and domestic cases, including divorce
- Probate, guardianship, and conservatorship matters
- Traffic citations filed in District Court
- Marriage license applications and records
Searching a case before you call saves time. Craig County District Court dockets are public online through two statewide systems. The fastest party-name and case-type search is On Demand Court Records (ODCR), which lets you pick Craig as the court and search by last name, case type, or full case number. The Oklahoma State Courts Network (OSCN) offers a case-number lookup and daily docket reports for the same county. Both show docket text for free, but scanned document images sit behind a paid subscription. For older files, sealed matters, or a paper document you cannot pull online, contact the Court Clerk directly. A broader walkthrough of these tools lives on the Craig County court records page.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is a court document stamped and signed by the Court Clerk to confirm it is a true copy of the file. Courts, agencies, lenders, and other states accept certified copies as official. A plain copy is fine for personal reference, but it carries no seal. Many legal uses, such as filing a decree in another case or proving a name change, require the certified version.
- Find the case number first. Look it up on ODCR or OSCN using the party name, or call the Court Clerk to confirm it.
- Identify the exact document you need. A full case file, a single order, or a final decree each carry a different page count and cost.
- Submit the request to the Court Clerk in person or by phone, and ask whether mail or fax delivery is available for your document.
- Pay the copy and certification fees, then pick up the certified copy at the counter or arrange delivery.
Important: An uncertified docket printout from ODCR or OSCN is not a certified court document. For anything that must hold up in court or before an agency, request a certified copy from the Court Clerk.
No Craig County online copy-order form was located in official county sources. Plan to handle certified-copy requests in person or by phone with the Court Clerk.
Craig County Court Clerk Request Fields
Because no standard Craig County request form was published online, the items below reflect the typical details a court clerk needs to pull and certify a file. Having them ready speeds up a counter or phone request. The more precise the case detail, the faster staff can locate the record and quote a fee.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Preferred | Format like CF-2013-00010; speeds the search and avoids name mix-ups. |
| Party Names | Yes | Last, first; used when the case number is unknown. |
| Document Type | Yes | Full file, a single order, decree, judgment, or marriage record. |
| Number of Copies | Yes | Each copy is priced per page. |
| Certified or Plain | Yes | Certified copies add a certification fee and a seal. |
| Requester Contact | Yes | Name, phone, and a return address if delivery is needed. |
Craig County Court Clerk Fees
Copy and certification charges are set by the Court Clerk and the state fee schedule. A specific Craig County price list for plain copies, certified copies, and per-document certification was not located in official county sources. Confirm the current amounts with the Court Clerk before you submit a request, since costs depend on page count and document type.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Confirm with Court Clerk |
| Certified copy per page | Confirm with Court Clerk |
| Certification fee | Confirm with Court Clerk |
| Case search fee | Confirm with Court Clerk |
| Civil filing fee | Confirm with Court Clerk |
Online document access carries its own pricing through ODCR, which is separate from the counter copy fees above. Docket viewing stays free. Scanned document images require a paid plan, and full Oklahoma District Court image access is limited to active state bar members. The ODCR pricing page lists the current tiers.
| ODCR Online Access | Amount |
|---|---|
| Docket search and viewing | Free |
| Advanced search tools | $5 per month |
| Single court image access | $25 per month |
| Oklahoma District Court image access (active bar members) | $55 per month |
Marriage Licenses Through the Craig County Court Clerk
In Oklahoma, the Court Clerk issues marriage licenses, not the county land-records office. A Craig County couple applies at the Court Clerk counter in Vinita. Both applicants generally appear in person and show identification. Once issued, the license must be signed and returned for recording so a certified copy can be produced later.
Statewide court-clerk practice sets the license fee at $50. The fee can drop to $5 when both applicants complete premarital counseling and present an acceptable certificate under Oklahoma law, 43 O.S. § 5.1. Counties reviewed report no waiting period for applicants 18 or older, while applicants under 18 face added consent and waiting rules. Craig-specific application steps were not published online, so confirm exact fees, identification, and any waiting period with the Court Clerk before you go.
Probate Filings at the Craig County District Court
Probate is not a separate court in Oklahoma. Estate, will, guardianship, and conservatorship cases are filed in the District Court, and the Court Clerk keeps the file. The Oklahoma probate code, Title 58, gives the District Court power to admit wills, grant letters testamentary, appoint personal representatives, and order distribution of an estate.
A probate file can hold the petition, the decedent and heir names, orders appointing a representative, notice to creditors, an inventory, accountings, and the final decree. To check for an existing case, search ODCR with Craig as the court and a probate case type, or use the OSCN case-number lookup. Older files and restricted guardianship details are best requested from the Court Clerk. A Craig County probate filing-fee schedule was not located in official sources, so confirm current filing costs with the Court Clerk. The Craig County probate records page covers the search steps in more detail.
Traffic Tickets and Fine Payments
The Court Clerk collects fines and court costs on cases filed in District Court, including many traffic citations. Some of these payments can be made online instead of at the counter. The OSCN e-payments system accepts a case number, citation number, or payment plan number for eligible Oklahoma district-court cases. Check eligibility for your specific case on the OSCN e-payments portal before you pay.
A court traffic record is not the same as a state driving record. The Court Clerk holds the case file with the charge, plea, fine, and disposition. A driving history comes from Service Oklahoma instead. The lead-in to that motor vehicle record request appears on the Service Oklahoma motor vehicle report link page.
That driving-record service runs through the state, so a clean court payment will not always erase points or a suspension on the separate license file. Pay the court case through the Court Clerk or OSCN, then request a motor vehicle record from the state if you need to confirm your driving history. Municipal tickets, such as those from a Vinita city citation, are paid at the city's municipal court rather than the Court Clerk.