A. Any person, firm, corporation, or other entity holding a valid abstract license or permit, or any abstract licensee affiliated with such person, firm, corporation, or other entity, shall:

1. Have free access to the instruments of record affecting real property filed in any city, county, or state office;

2. Be permitted to make such memoranda, notations, or copies of such instruments of record;

3. Occupy reasonable space with equipment for that purpose during the business hours of such office;

4. Make and prepare abstracts; and

5. Compile, post, copy, and maintain his or her books, records, and indexes.

B. The records in any city, county, or state office shall not be taken from the office to which they belong, for any reason, except that records may be taken from the office of the district court clerk by an abstractor who is doing business within that county and has an approved bond on file with the county clerk for a period of time not to exceed twenty-four (24) hours after first giving proper receipt to the appropriate clerk or deputy.

C. An abstractor shall have the right of access to any instrument filed of record in a county office, not later than the close of business of the first business day following the day of filing. There shall be no fee charged for providing access to the instrument.

D. For purposes of this section, "access" means possession of said instrument to mechanically reproduce it, either in the office or out of the office of filing, at the discretion of the county officer having custody of the instrument, which reproduction shall be completed not later than the close of business of the first business day following the day of receipt of the document. Provided if the abstractor fails to return the files within the twenty-four-hour period, the county officer in his or her discretion may refuse to allow the abstractor to remove said files at a later date. Any county officer making such refusal shall send written notice of such action to the Oklahoma Abstractors Board.

E. Access to instruments of record shall be for immediate and lawful abstracting purposes only. The sale of the instruments of record for profit to the public either on the internet or any other such forum by any company holding a permit to build an abstract plant is prohibited, and a violation of this subsection shall be considered a violation of the Oklahoma Abstractors Law.

F. All certificates of authority or permit holders and abstract licensees shall be subject to the same obligation to protect and preserve the public records to which they have access as do the public officers who have legal custody of such records. Holders of certificates of authority or permits and abstract licensees shall be subject to the same penalties for a violation of such duty as said officers.

G. Reliance on the county indexes in the preparation of an abstract of title shall not be a defense of liability for an error or omission in an abstract of title.

Added by Laws 1984, c. 163, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 1984. Amended by Laws 2007, c. 359, § 17, eff. Jan. 1, 2008. Renumbered from Title 74, § 227.23 by Laws 2007, c. 359, § 22, eff. Jan. 1, 2008. Amended by Laws 2008, c. 84, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2008.