Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a statute on this, and it covers every contract except a real-estate sale, services included. A sum set in advance for a broken agreement is void unless the actual loss would be impracticable or extremely difficult to measure, and the Oklahoma Supreme Court adds that the amount must be a reasonable estimate of the probable loss, made before any breach. In Sun Ridge Investors v. Parker, a late charge failed because the landlord offered no evidence of its actual costs. A clearly written policy, and a deposit sized to what a no-show really costs, put a shop on firmer ground.
Does a non-refundable deposit hold up in Oklahoma?
15 O.S. §§ 213 and 214 make a penalty, or damages set in advance, void except as § 215(A) allows: an agreed sum holds where it would be impracticable or extremely difficult to measure the actual damage. In Sun Ridge Investors v. Parker, the Oklahoma Supreme Court named 3 tests: the injury is hard or impossible to estimate, the parties meant to provide for damages and not a penalty, and the sum is a reasonable estimate of the probable loss made before any breach; a $5-a-day late charge with no evidence of cost behind it failed. In McQueen, Rains & Tresch v. CITGO, a lawyer’s fee case with a sophisticated corporate client, the court said those factors may be used, if necessary, on the liquidated-damages terms of a lawyer’s fee contract, and noted that other courts have upheld non-refundable fees where the amount is reasonable, the consequence is written out clearly, or the lawyer changed position or took on expenses to meet the client’s needs, and it noted one court that enforced such a fee where the client wanted a particular lawyer who had to commit at once, at the risk of losing other work.
“A stipulation or condition in a contract ... providing for the payment of an amount which shall be presumed to be the amount of damage sustained by a breach ... shall be held valid, when, from the nature of the case, it would be impracticable or extremely difficult to fix the actual damage.” 15 O.S. § 213 · 15 O.S. § 214 · 15 O.S. § 215 · Sun Ridge Investors, Ltd. v. Parker, 1998 OK 22, 956 P.2d 876 · McQueen, Rains & Tresch, LLP v. CITGO Petroleum Corp., 2008 OK 66, 195 P.3d 35
Showing your refund policy
No refund-policy disclosure statute was found. The section list of Title 15 of the Oklahoma Statutes (Contracts, which holds the Consumer Protection Act) and the full text of § 753 (Unlawful Practices) were read; nothing in them requires a business to post or disclose a refund policy.
Body-art rules and money
Nothing about deposits, refunds, prices, receipts or payment records in Okla. Admin. Code 310:233 (Body Piercing and Tattooing). The only money in it is license and certificate fees paid to the State Department of Health.
This page summarizes public law in plain language, with the source each point comes from, read at the source on 2026-09-23. It is not legal advice.