Court Reporter Services

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.

Local Rule 19.11

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Court Transcript

What is a court transcript?

A court transcript is a verbatim record prepared by a court reporter of every word said in the courtroom by the judge, attorneys, witnesses and others while on the record. A reporter's transcript is only available if a court reporter was present during the trial court proceedings and made a record of what was said in those proceedings. The court reporter is responsible for preparing transcripts of hearings as required by law or upon request. Requirements for the format of transcripts are set forth in California Rule of Court 8.144.

Transcripts are the property of the court reporter.

How much will my transcript cost?

Once the court reporter contacts you, they will tell you the cost of the transcript prescribed by law. The rates that reporters may charge for transcripts, as well as other information about reporter transcripts, are contained in the Government Code, starting at section 69950. They will also discuss how to pay for the transcript, the length of time it will take to complete, and where to pick it up. At this time, you can ask the court reporter any other questions you may have.

If you cannot afford to pay for a transcript, you will need to submit a fee waiver form to the Court Reporters Board, using the Transcript Reimbursement Fund Application. That form is available at the Court Reporter Board's website, under the heading Transcript Reimbursement Fund (TRF). There are limited funds available for fee waivers under the program.

What if I need my transcript ASAP?

If your request is urgent, please comment "RUSH" in the additional comment box on the online form. It usually takes a few days to process a request, but the reporters may expedite rush requests. There may be an additional fee for expedited transcript requests; if so, the court reporter will tell you when he or she contacts you.

In some cases, it may not be possible for a court reporter to provide a transcript on a rush basis, but every effort will be made to meet the request.

How far back in time can I request a transcript?

According to state law Government Code Section 68152 the court reporters' notes for criminal cases are destroyed after ten years, and notes for civil cases are destroyed after five years. The notes for death penalty cases are never destroyed unless the Supreme Court on request of the court clerk authorizes destruction.

Can I request a transcript from a Juvenile case?

Juvenile Court transcripts are confidential. Parties and entities authorized to receive case information pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code §827 must file a Request for Disclosure of Juvenile Case File (JV-570) with the Juvenile Court when requesting Juvenile Court transcripts. If you are not a party or an entity authorized to receive copies of Juvenile Court records, you must also file a Request for Disclosure of Juvenile Case File with the Juvenile Court for an order of the court authorizing disclosure of the Juvenile case file.

Need Assistance?

Juvenile Court Operations - General Information
(831) 775-5400

How can I request a transcript?

Use the Request for Transcripts (SCR-203). Please use a separate form for each request.

Please mail or drop off to:
Superior Court of California, County of Monterey
Attention: Court Reporter Coordinator
240 Church Street
Salinas, CA 93901

For electronic recording requests click here.

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More Information

How can I contact the Court if I have a question?

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact the court by calling (831) 775-5400, extension 3018.

Case information can be looked up through our online case search, including the name of the court reporter. If you know the name of the court reporter you may contact them directly via the information in the list below:

Court reporters may be in court from 8:00 a.M. To 5:00 p.M. And may not be able to return your call until after 5:00 P.M. Please leave a message with a call back number where you can be reached.

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