Court Reporter Transcripts

Verbatim records of public court proceedings (transcripts) may be purchased directly from the court reporter who reported the hearing.

What is a transcript?

A transcript of court proceedings is a verbatim record of everything said by the judge, attorneys, witnesses and others during a court hearing or trial. If a hearing or trial was reported by a court reporter, that court reporter is responsible for preparing a transcript of the hearing as required by law or upon request. Except for those transcripts prepared for the court for certain criminal matters, all other parties requesting transcripts are required to pay reporters for the preparation of transcripts at the rate prescribed by law.

How can I order a transcript?

Send a written request to the reporter:

1. Complete Transcript Request Form (click here)
2. Email form to Court Reporter (see contact list below)
3. Wait for response from Court Reporter

Alternatively, you can verbally request by calling the Court Reporter (see contact list below) and leaving a voicemail stating the following:

1. Case Information:
   
   1. Case name
   2. Case number
2. Hearing Information:
   
   1. Date and time of hearing
   2. Name of Judicial Officer
3. Your contact details:
   
   1. Full name
   2. Mailing address
   3. Email address
   4. Daytime telephone number

Court Reporter Contact Information

If a case was reported by a court reporter on a particular day, the court reporter’s initials will be on the court docket. Before you contact a court reporter to request a transcript of a particular day’s proceedings, please check the docket sheet for the court reporter’s name.

All of the information requested on the Transcript Request Form is available in the court file. Please contact the appropriate Clerk’s Office to view the file or obtain the information. If you do not know the name of the court reporter, please contact the appropriate division of the Court to request that information.

 

Once the transcript request is received, the court reporter will contact you directly with a cost and time estimate for the preparation of the transcript.

Please keep in mind that:

• Court reporters work in court all day; response time may not be immediate
• You may be required to send in a deposit before a transcript will be produced
• Time required for delivery of the transcript varies depending on length of the transcript and Reporter workload

The following types of matters are not reported and an official transcript is NOT available:
family law (except termination of parental rights, contempt, and domestic violence); civil (except trials); unlawful detainers (landlord-tenant disputes), misdemeanor criminal and traffic. Also NOT available: Confidential or juvenile proceedings, which require a signed order of the Court.

The Court is not required to provide a court reporter in the above case types. However, a court reporter may have been present at one or more hearings in some of these case types. If a court reporter was present and you would like to request a transcript you will need to contact the court reporter or their agency directly.

Parties may, by stipulation, arrange for the appointment of a privately retained certified shorthand reporter to serve in the matter where an official court reporter is not normally available. You can obtain this form from the Clerk’s office, courtroom or click here.

RECORDINGS

The Court is now electronically recording certain court proceedings. For electronically recorded proceedings, you will see a + sign in the court file where you would normally see the initials of a court reporter. Requests for CDs of electronically recorded proceedings must be submitted in writing and will require two business days to process. Requests cannot be submitted over the phone. You may request copies by mail or by coming into the Records office during business hours.
The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The office and mailing address is:

Superior Court of California
County of Sonoma
600 Administration Drive, Room 110-J
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

You may fill out and print this form click here and send it to our office. There is a $25.00 fee for each CD which must accompany the order form. Checks should be made payable to Sonoma County Superior Court.