The Superior Court is open to the public to provide critical access to justice to the people of Monterey County.Effective February 16, 2022, only unvaccinated persons are required to mask in all Indoor Public Settings. Fully vaccinated individuals are recommended to continue indoor masking when the risk may be high.

The Superior Court is conducting business in accordance with Monterey County, CalOSHA and California Department of Health guidelines.

For more information please see the following links.
Monterey County COVID-19 information page
CALOSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Standards FAQ
California Department of Health Guidelines (effective Feb 7, 2022)

The public has many options for accessing court services remotely. Please see this link for more information: https://www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/covid-information.

1. Death penalty proceedings under Penal Code §190.9;
2. Juvenile proceedings not before a referee or commissioner under Welfare & Institutions Code §347 and §677;
3. Felony cases under Code of Civil Procedure §269; and
4. "Withdrawal of consent to adopt" proceedings under Family Code §9005.

For all other, non-statutorily-mandated cases, litigants who need court reporter services, and who are not entitled to a court-provided reporter due to indigency*, will need to arrange for such services.

*A party who has been granted a waiver of court fees and costs may request the services of an official court reporter, free of charge, for a proceeding for which a reporter is not normally available and for which electronic recording is not provided. The request should be made using the Request for Court Reporter by Party with Fee Waiver, FW-020 and must be filed with the clerk at least 10 days before the proceeding. Failure to comply with this request procedure may result in the court being unable to provide a court reporter.

Note: Unless otherwise required by law, the court is generally not obligated to provide court reporter transcripts free of charge to a party who has been granted a waiver of court fees and costs. (see Rohnert Park v. Superior Court (1983) 146 Cal.App.3d 420; Mehdi v. Superior Court (1989) 213 Cal.App.3d 1198). Assistance may be available through the Transcript Reimbursement Fund. Further information is available on the California Court Reporters Board's website.