Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs new law increasing penalties for disrupting worship services statewide

New statute raises criminal penalties and defines conduct around religious gatherings

Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed Senate Bill 743 into law, changing Oklahoma’s criminal statutes on disturbing religious meetings and increasing penalties for repeat offenses. The measure was approved by the governor on Feb. 6, 2026, after advancing through the Legislature in a process that began in the 2025 session and carried into early 2026.

The law amends two provisions in Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes—Sections 915 and 916—governing conduct that “willfully disturbs, interrupts, or disquiets” an assembly gathered for religious worship. It also contains an emergency clause, meaning it takes effect immediately upon passage and approval.

What the law changes

Under the updated penalty structure, a first conviction remains a misdemeanor but is explicitly tied to a sentencing range of up to a $500 fine, up to one year in county jail, or both. A second or subsequent conviction becomes a felony punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to two years in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, or both.

The bill also includes legislative findings stating that the right to assemble for worship is “imperative” and that protest activity at places of worship must be balanced against worshippers’ ability to meet “in an unobstructed manner.” The findings further declare a statewide interest in preventing the willful obstruction of access to places of religious worship.

Conduct covered by the statute

The amended law lists actions that can constitute disturbance of a religious meeting. The statute’s language addresses both behavior inside or near a place of worship and conduct occurring within defined distances from the meeting location.

• Uttering profane discourse, committing rude or indecent acts, or making unnecessary noise within the meeting place or near enough to disturb the service.
• Knowingly obstructing or blocking another person’s entry to or exit from a place where the meeting is held.
• Knowingly approaching within eight feet of another person—without consent—to hand out leaflets, display a sign, or engage in oral protest, education, or counseling on a public way or sidewalk within 100 feet of an entrance door to the meeting place.
• Obstructing, without authority of law, the free passage along any highway to the place of the meeting within one mile.

How the bill moved through the Legislature

SB 743 was authored by Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, with Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, serving as the principal House author. The House passed the measure on May 6, 2025, and the Senate approved it on Feb. 4, 2026, sending it to the governor the next day.

The measure pairs enhanced penalties with legislative findings emphasizing access to worship services as a statewide concern.

The new law takes effect immediately and will be applied through criminal enforcement in cases that meet the statute’s elements, including the requirement that the disturbance be willful.