Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-4-304

A. 1. Service of summons shall be made by personal delivery,

by mail, or by publication as provided for in civil actions pursuant

to Section 2004 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes or any

successor statute.

2. The court shall not hold the adjudication hearing until at

least forty-eight (48) hours after the service of summons.

3. If the parent or legal guardian is not served within the

state, the court shall not hold the hearing until at least five (5)

days after the date of mailing the summons.

4. The state shall conduct a distinct and meaningful search of

all reasonably available sources to locate and notify the parents

and legal guardians of proceedings being held pursuant to the

Oklahoma Children’s Code; provided, that a hearing shall not be

delayed if a parent or legal guardian cannot be located.

B. 1. Before service by publication is authorized, the state

shall file an affidavit with the court stating that after a distinct

and meaningful search of all reasonably available sources, the

parent or legal guardian of the child could not be identified or

located, as applicable, and describing the diligent efforts made to

identify, locate, and serve the party. The affidavit shall be

sufficient evidence of the diligence exercised by the state to

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identify or locate a party who is the subject of the publication

notice. An affidavit prepared by the Department describing a

distinct and meaningful search of all reasonably available sources

to locate a party may be adopted by the state as evidence of

additional efforts made to locate or identify the party.

2. Upon complying with this subsection, the state may obtain an

order from the court authorizing service to be made upon the party

by publication. A copy of the petition and summons shall also be

mailed by regular first-class mail to the party at his or her last-

known place of residence. Service by publication is complete on the

date of the last publication in accordance with paragraph 3 of this

subsection.

3. The publication notice may be directed to all persons known,

alleged, presumed, or claiming to be the father, mother, or legal

guardian of the child. If the name of a party is unknown, the

notice shall be directed to the unknown father, mother, or legal

guardian, as applicable, and such notice, when published pursuant to

this subsection, shall apply to and be binding upon those persons

whose names are unknown. The notice shall contain the name of the

court and the case number, the initials of the child who is the

subject of the proceedings, the date and location of the birth of

the child, the name of the mother and father of the child, if known,

the time and date of the hearing, and the purpose of the hearing.

The notice shall also contain, in type at least as large as the

balance of the document, the following or substantially similar

language:

“FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THIS HEARING CONSTITUTES CONSENT TO THE

ADJUDICATION OF THIS CHILD AS A DEPRIVED CHILD AND MAY ULTIMATELY

RESULT IN LOSS OF CUSTODY OF THIS CHILD OR THE TERMINATION OF

PARENTAL RIGHTS TO THIS CHILD.”

An affidavit showing publication of the notice shall be filed

with the court clerk. The publication of notice shall be deemed

equivalent to personal service upon all persons, known or unknown,

who have been designated in the notice.

4. Service by publication shall be made by publishing a notice

one time at least twenty-five (25) days prior to the date fixed for

the hearing. Service shall be made in a newspaper authorized by law

to publish legal notices which is published in the county where the

petition is filed. If no newspaper authorized by law to publish

legal notices is published in the county, the notice shall be

published in some such newspaper of general circulation which is

published in an adjoining county.

C. Notice by publication may proceed simultaneously with
all be made in a newspaper authorized by law

to publish legal notices which is published in the county where the

petition is filed. If no newspaper authorized by law to publish

legal notices is published in the county, the notice shall be

published in some such newspaper of general circulation which is

published in an adjoining county.

C. Notice by publication may proceed simultaneously with

efforts to serve notice by personal delivery or by mail upon a

determination by the court that there is reason to believe service

by personal delivery or by mail will not be successful.

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D. Costs of publication shall be paid by the court fund and

assessed as costs against the child’s parents and legal guardian as

applicable.