You can obtain either electronic recordings or written transcripts for many court proceedings.
Transcripts
A court reporter’s transcript is considered the official record of the court proceeding. When there is no court reporter at a court hearing or trial, such as in misdemeanors, limited jurisdiction civil, unlawful detainer cases, small claims and traffic calendars, the audio recording of the proceeding is considered the official court record. There is a 'per page' fee charged for all transcripts plus mailing when applicable.
CD (Audio Recording)
If the hearing was electronically recorded (no court reporter), the audio recording of a proceeding can be purchased for your use. There is a flat fee for a CD of electronically reported proceedings plus mailing (see order form ER-001 ).
Notice of Availability of Court Reporters
Information about availability of Court Reporter services can be found at http://www.cc-courts.org/civil/court-reporting-services.aspx. For further information, please refer to Local Rule 2.51.
How to Get a Record of your Court Hearing
The first step in obtaining a record of your prior hearing is to find out if the matter was electronically recorded or taken down by a court reporter.
How do I know if my hearing was electronically recorded or if a court reporter was present?
You must know the exact date of the hearing, which you can find out by looking in the court file or on the minute order from that court hearing.
- If your matter was heard in Martinez, please contact Court Records to arrange to view your file at 1111 Ward Street, Martinez, CA.
- If your matter was heard in a branch court, contact the branch court directly.
- If you are outside the area, you can also send a letter to the court via fax 925-608-2649, or mail it to the Court Reporter Unit at P.O. Box 911, Martinez, CA 94553.
Be sure to provide the name of the case, case number, the exact date of the hearing and department or judge where the hearing was held.
Court Reporter Transcripts
Can I order a transcript directly from the court reporter?
If you need to order a transcript of a hearing where a court reporter was present and you know the name of the court reporter, you should contact that reporter directly.
Please click the following link for contact information for each court reporter:
Contra Costa County Court Reporter Contact Information
* You will need to provide the court reporter with the case name, case number, department number and exact date of the hearing, along with your contact information.
How do I find out who the court reporter was?
If you do not know the name of the court reporter, you can find the reporter’s name in the court file or on the minute order from the court hearing.
Please note that there may be different reporters at each hearing, so be sure that you are looking at the minute order for the correct date.
When you have determined which court reporter was present at the hearing, you should contact that reporter directly to request the transcript.
Please click the following link for contact information for each court reporter:
Contra Costa County Court Reporter Contact Information
* You will need to provide the court reporter with the case name, case number, department number and exact date of the hearing, along with your contact information.
What if I cannot find out who the court reporter was?
If you cannot find who the court reporter was for a particular hearing, you can submit your request via the online request form (click the link below), or by sending a written letter to the Court Reporter Unit. Your letter can be faxed to (925) 608-2649 or mailed to P.O. Box 911, Martinez, CA 94553. You will need to provide the case name, case number, department number and exact date of the hearing, along with your contact information.
How long does it take for a court reporter to prepare a transcript?
The time it takes to prepare a written transcript of a court proceeding varies. Court reporters must prepare mandated transcripts (such as those for appeals or from preliminary hearings) before they can respond to private requests. The court reporter will give you an estimate of how long it will take to prepare based on their workload.
Is there a fee for court reporters transcripts? If so, can I get it waived (cancelled)?
Parties will pay a “per page” fee directly to the court reporter. Mailing costs may apply if applicable. The court reporter will provide you with an estimated cost of the transcript you are requesting.
Fees for court reporter transcripts cannot be waived even if you have an approved fee waiver from the court (except in very limited circumstances related to an appeal).
You can apply for a reimbursement of your transcript fees through the California Court Reporters Board Transcript Reimbursement Fund. Use the following link to research this reimbursement option.
Electronic Recordings
Is there a fee for electronic recordings? If so, can I get it waived (cancelled)?
Parties must pay a fee for an electronic recording. The Court may waive this fee if it grants an application for an initial fee waiver.
How do I get a transcript from an electronic recording or CD?
The Court will provide a CD of the proceedings to the requestor. You can then contact reporting companies and they will prepare the paper transcript(s). Pursuant to Government Code section 69957 and California Rule of Court 2.952, a Certificate of Monitoring will be included with the CD.
For cases in the branch court, contact the court where the hearing took place and submit the ER-001 and tell them you would like a CD of your hearing. For location(s) addresses, please see below.
How do I get a CD (electronic copy) of a proceeding that used electronic recording?
You may contact the court directly for an electronic recording:
For Martinez
Visit: Court Records, 1111 Ward Street, Martinez, CA 94553
Mail form to: P.O. Box 911, Martinez, CA 94553
Electronic Recording Purchase Request ER-001 - Submit this form for the request.
* Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing.
For cases in a Branch Court
Contact the court where the hearing was held and tell them you would like an electronic recording of your hearing. If there was no court reporter at your hearing, bring this form: Electronic Recording Purchase Request ER-001 to the court where your case was heard to order a CD of your hearing.
| Pittsburg Courthouse | Richmond Courthouse | Walnut Creek Courthouse |
| 1000 Center Drive | 100 37th Street | 640 Ygnacio Valley Road |
| Pittsburg, CA 94565 | Richmond, CA 94805 | Walnut Creek, CA 94596 |