Oklahoma surplus funds claim kit
A free, step-by-step guide to claiming money left over after an Oklahoma property was sold at a county tax resale. You don't need to hire anyone to do this. Read how surplus funds work in Oklahoma for the background.
The most important thing: you have one year from the resale to claim. After that, the county keeps the money.
Who can claim
- The record owner: the owner shown in the county's records on the date the resale began.
- A guardian of a living owner: with an original or certified copy of the court order naming the guardian.
- The family of an owner who has died: counties need a court order before they pay. Ask the treasurer exactly what order they need, and start right away.
Steps
- Call the county treasurer (contacts below). Ask whether excess funds are being held from the resale, how much, the resale date, and exactly what they need from you.
- Gather what they ask for, such as a claim form, identification, and any court order.
- Deliver it to the treasurer well before the one-year mark, and keep copies.
- Expect deductions first. Any tax the former owner owes the Oklahoma Tax Commission is paid from the excess before the rest comes to you.
Counties such as Texas County mail a notice to the record owner saying the funds can be claimed without any charges or fees. Some counties post their excess list online; others, like Texas County, keep it at the office, where you can look at the files.
Watch out: an assignment of your right to the excess made on or after the date the resale began isn't valid. Nobody can buy your claim from you, and you never need to pay anyone up front.
If it was a mortgage foreclosure
Ask the court clerk in the county where the foreclosure case was filed whether surplus funds from the sheriff's sale were paid into the case, and how to ask the court to release them.
Free legal help
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma gives free civil legal help to people with low incomes.
County treasurer contacts
| County | Treasurer's office |
|---|---|
| Adair County | 918-696-7551 |
| Alfalfa County | 580-596-3148 |
| Atoka County | 580-889-5283 |
| Beaver County | 580-625-3161 |
| Beckham County | 580-928-2589 |
| Blaine County | 580-623-5007 |
| Bryan County | 580-924-0748 |
| Caddo County | 405-247-5151 |
| Canadian County | 405-295-6330 |
| Carter County | 580-223-9467 |
| Cherokee County | 918-456-3321 |
| Choctaw County | 580-326-6142 |
| Cimarron County | 580-544-2261 |
| Cleveland County | 405-366-0217 |
| Coal County | 580-927-3121 |
| Comanche County | 580-355-5763 |
| Cotton County | 580-875-3264 |
| Craig County | 918-256-2286 |
| Creek County | 918-224-4501 |
| Custer County | 580-323-2292 |
| Delaware County | 918-253-4533 |
| Dewey County | 580-328-5501 |
| Ellis County | 580-885-7670 |
| Garfield County | 580-237-0246 |
| Garvin County | 405-238-7301 |
| Grady County | 405-224-5337 |
| Grant County | 580-395-2284 |
| Greer County | 580-782-5515 |
| Harmon County | 580-688-3566 |
| Harper County | 580-735-2442 |
| Haskell County | 918-967-2441 |
| Hughes County | 405-379-5371 |
| Jackson County | 580-482-4371 |
| Jefferson County | 580-228-2967 |
| Johnston County | 580-371-3082 |
| Kay County | 580-362-2523 |
| Kingfisher County | 405-375-3827 |
| Kiowa County | 580-726-2362 |
| Latimer County | 918-465-3450 |
| Le Flore County | 918-647-3525 |
| Lincoln County | 405-258-1491 |
| Logan County | 405-282-3154 |
| Love County | 580-276-3260 |
| Major County | 580-227-4782 |
| Marshall County | 580-795-2463 |
| Mayes County | 918-825-0160 |
| McClain County | 405-527-3261 |
| McCurtain County | 580-286-5128 |
| McIntosh County | 918-689-2491 |
| Murray County | 580-622-5622 |
| Muskogee County | 918-682-0811 |
| Noble County | 580-336-2026 |
| Nowata County | 918-273-3562 |
| Okfuskee County | 918-623-1494 |
| Oklahoma County | 405-713-1300 |
| Okmulgee County | 918-756-3848 |
| Osage County | 918-287-3101 |
| Ottawa County | 918-542-8232 |
| Pawnee County | 918-762-2418 |
| Payne County | 405-624-9411 |
| Pittsburg County | 918-423-6895 |
| Pontotoc County | 580-332-0183 |
| Pottawatomie County | 405-273-0213 |
| Pushmataha County | 580-298-2580 |
| Roger Mills County | 580-303-6043 |
| Rogers County | 918-923-4797 |
| Seminole County | 405-257-6262 |
| Sequoyah County | 918-775-9321 |
| Stephens County | 580-255-0728 |
| Texas County | 580-338-7050 |
| Tillman County | 580-335-3425 |
| Tulsa County | 918-596-5071 |
| Wagoner County | 918-485-2149 |
| Washington County | 918-337-2810 |
| Washita County | 580-832-2667 |
| Woods County | 580-327-0308 |
| Woodward County | 580-256-7404 |
Phone numbers from each county treasurer's page on oktaxrolls.com, and from the Cleveland County and Oklahoma County websites, checked November 2, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Want help?
If you'd rather not do this alone, call us at 9-SURPLUS-24 and we'll explain where things stand.