Court Reporter Transcripts

Transcripts are the written, verbatim record of what was said in a court hearing or trial as transcribed from the court reporter’s stenographic notes. The law requires that the court reporter who took the notes be given the first opportunity to make the transcription, unless the reporter cannot be located, refuses to transcribe the notes, or is found to be incompetent to transcribe the notes. (Cal. Gov. Code, § 69955(h).) The law also provides that the reporter shall be paid to prepare the transcript based on the rate schedule set forth in Cal. Gov. Code, §§ 69950 & 69951. All arrangements for preparation, delivery, and payment are between the requesting party and the individual court reporter.

Court reporters are required to retain their shorthand notes for a period of 10 years in criminal proceedings, except cases where the death penalty was imposed, and for 5 years in all other proceedings, including civil, family law, and probate. (Cal. Gov. Code, § 69955(e).) A transcript may not be available after these time periods.

The court is not obligated to provide court reporter transcripts free of charge to a party who has been granted a waiver of court fees and costs. (Jameson v. Desta (2018) 5 Cal.5th 594, 623-625.) Financial assistance in civil cases may be available through the Transcript Reimbursement Fund of the Court Reporters Board of California. For more information, visit the board’s website.

In most cases, the first step to order a transcript is to obtain an estimate from the court reporter. However, be aware that orders for appellate transcripts and transcripts of proceedings in juvenile court require additional filings before the estimate stage.

How do I determine who the court reporter was for a hearing?

The minute order for your hearing should indicate the court reporter’s name or certified shorthand reporter license number. You can also identify the reporter assigned to the department for a specific day by reviewing the Court’s assignment logs. If the log indicates electronic recording, please contact the Criminal Records Unit at (916) 874-8881 for further assistance.

Assignment Logs

Minutes and other case information are available on the court’s website under Online Services or by visiting the Records Unit at the court facility for the specific case type.

You may also search for reporters by their name or license number on the Court Reporters Board of California website.

Transcript Request: Court’s Official Reporters

Requests for transcripts from the court’s official reporters may be submitted via our online Order a Transcript form. In order to process your request, you will need to provide the following information:

Your name, phone number, and email address.
Case name
Case number
Date of proceedings
Courtroom/department number
Name of court reporter

You may also contact an official reporter directly with this information. For a list of current and retired official reporters, reference the Official Court Reporters List.

If your transcript request is urgent, please provide the reporter with the desired delivery date and reason for expedited service. Expedited service may not always be possible.

Please allow two weeks for the reporter to contact you with an estimate. If you have not been contacted in two weeks regarding your request for a transcript, you may contact the court reporter supervisor in the appropriate court division at:

Civil & Criminal
(916) 874-5781
CSRmgmt@saccourt.ca.gov

Juvenile Justice & Dependency
(916) 875-5686
JuvenileCourtAdmin@saccourt.ca.gov

Family Law & Probate
(916) 875-2017
patterr@saccourt.ca.gov

Transcript Request: Reporters Pro Tempore

Transcript Request: Juvenile Proceeding

Juvenile case files, including transcripts, are confidential. (California Rules of Court, rule 5.552). Any person or agency seeking a transcript of a juvenile hearing must be authorized to inspect the transcript by statute or court order. Therefore, before the reporter can provide an estimate, the requesting party must file the appropriate documents with the Juvenile Court.

If you are a party to the case, submit a completed and signed Juvenile Proceedings: Request for Court Reporter’s Transcript (local form JC-E-010) and Declaration for Access to Juvenile Case File in Possession of Juvenile Court (local form JC-E-667). The completed forms may be mailed to Juvenile Division, Court Administration, 9605 Kiefer Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95827, or emailed to JuvenileCourtAdmin@saccourt.ca.gov.

If you are statutorily authorized to obtain the transcript, the court will notify the reporter and provide you with an estimate.

If your parental rights have been terminated, or if you are not a party to the case, submit a Petition for Access to Juvenile Case File (form JV-570), Notice of Petition for Access to Juvenile Case File (form JV-571), and Proof of Service – Petition for Access to Juvenile Case File (form JV-569) to the Juvenile Court in which the proceedings were held. If your request for records is granted by the judicial officer, the court reporter will contact you with an estimate of the cost and preparation time for the transcript.

All transcript fees must be paid to the court reporter in full before transcripts will be prepared.

For questions or requests for Juvenile Justice or Juvenile Dependency transcripts, please contact Juvenile Court Administration at 916-875-5686 or JuvenileCourtAdmin@saccourt.ca.gov.

Transcript Request: Electronic Recording