California court reporter fees fall into two buckets: an attendance fee for the reporter’s time in the courtroom, and a transcript fee for the written record afterward. In a civil case, attendance costs $30 flat for a proceeding of one hour or less, and the actual cost per half-day for anything longer, split pro rata among the parties. Transcripts are billed by statute at $1.13 per 100 words for the original, with cheaper rates for copies and a 50 percent surcharge available for rush delivery.
Attendance Fees for Civil Proceedings
Government Code section 68086 sets what parties pay for an official court reporter in a civil case. The structure turns on how long the proceeding runs.
For a proceeding of one hour or less, a single flat fee of $30 covers the reporter’s services. If several matters are heard within that same hour, the $30 is charged only once. The fee is owed by the party (or parties filing jointly) whose filing caused the proceeding to be scheduled.
Once a proceeding runs longer than an hour, the fee shifts to the actual cost of providing the reporter, billed per half-day. A half-day is any block longer than an hour but no more than four hours in either the morning or afternoon session. All parties split that actual cost on a pro-rata basis, and each party must deposit its share with the clerk by the end of each day’s session.1California Legislative Information. California Government Code 68086
If a reporter isn’t actually provided, the court refunds the fee. Collected fees go into the Trial Court Trust Fund and are distributed back to the court that collected them.
Transcript Rates
Transcript fees are separate from attendance and kick in when someone orders the written record. Government Code section 69950 prices transcripts by the word, not by the page:
- Original copy: $1.13 per 100 words.
- Additional copy purchased at the same time as the original: $0.20 per 100 words.
- First copy purchased separately from the original: $0.26 per 100 words.
- Each additional copy purchased at the same time as a separate first copy: $0.20 per 100 words.
These rates are statutory and apply uniformly.2California Legislative Information. California Government Code 69950 A standard transcript page runs about 250 words, so the original-copy rate works out to roughly $2.83 per page.
When you need a transcript on a compressed timeline, Government Code section 69951 lets the reporter charge an additional 50 percent above the standard rate for special daily copy service in civil cases.3Judicial Council of California. Transcript Rate Uniformity Report to the Legislature Whoever orders the transcript pays the reporter directly, at either the standard or rush rate.
Who Actually Pays
The threshold question is whether your case is one the government pays for or one you pay for.
Cases Where the Public Pays
Government Code section 69952 authorizes the court to order a verbatim record at public expense in criminal cases, juvenile proceedings, proceedings to declare a minor free from parental custody, and proceedings under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act covering involuntary mental health commitments.4California Legislative Information. California Government Code 69952 In those matters the county treasury pays the reporter and parties generally owe nothing for attendance or transcript costs.
Civil Cases
In civil litigation, the parties bear the cost. Under Government Code section 69953, when a verbatim record isn’t made at public expense, the parties split the cost equally, though either side can elect to pay it all. Transcript charges go to whoever orders the transcript. And there’s a rule that surprises many first-time litigants: a reporter isn’t required to perform any service in a civil case, other than preparing transcripts already ordered, until the fee has been deposited with the clerk or the reporter.5Court Reporters Board of California. Official and Official Pro Tempore Court Reporters Prepayment is the default.
Section 68086 refines the assignment for court-provided reporters. The party whose filing prompted the hearing pays the initial $30. If a different party later asks for a reporter, that requesting party picks up the fee. For longer proceedings, everyone splits the actual cost pro rata and must deposit each day.1California Legislative Information. California Government Code 68086
Fee Waivers for Low-Income Litigants
If the court has granted you a fee waiver under Government Code section 68631, the reporter attendance fees under section 68086 are automatically waived as well.1California Legislative Information. California Government Code 68086 The court must provide a reporter at no cost for your hearing or trial when one is available.
You request the waiver on Form FW-001, with eligibility based on receiving public benefits, being a low-income person, or lacking enough income to cover household necessities along with court fees. If you specifically need a court reporter, submit Form FW-020 with the waiver request.6Judicial Branch of California. Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees
The waiver has a real limit worth understanding. It covers the reporter’s attendance at your hearing, but if you want a written transcript afterward, you pay for it separately or make other arrangements. The waiver does extend to transcript costs on appeal, including the deposit held in trust under Rule 8.130, but not to discretionary transcripts you order at the trial-court level.
Recovering Reporter Fees If You Win
Code of Civil Procedure section 1033.5 lets the prevailing party claim court reporter fees established by statute as taxable costs, along with transcripts of proceedings ordered by the court.7California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 1033.5
Transcripts you ordered on your own, without a court order, are generally not recoverable as costs unless a specific statute authorizes it. That distinction has strategic weight. If you anticipate needing a transcript for post-trial motions, asking the court to order it, rather than ordering it privately, preserves recoverability. Section 68086 separately confirms that the costs for official court reporter services are recoverable as taxable costs by the prevailing party.1California Legislative Information. California Government Code 68086
Deposits for Appellate Transcripts
Ordering a reporter’s transcript for an appeal triggers a separate deposit regime under the California Rules of Court. When you file the notice designating the proceedings you want transcribed, you deposit either the reporter’s written estimate or a default calculated amount, plus a $50 trust-holding fee, with the superior court clerk.
- For proceedings not previously transcribed: $325 for any portion of a day lasting three hours or less, or $650 for any day or portion exceeding three hours.
- For proceedings previously transcribed: $80 for any portion lasting three hours or less, or $160 for any day or portion exceeding three hours.
The deposit sits in trust and is reconciled against the actual transcription charges once the transcript is prepared.8Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court – Rule 8.130
Hiring a Pro Tempore Reporter
Official reporters are increasingly unavailable in California civil courtrooms. Between April 2023 and June 2025, roughly 72 percent of family law, probate, and unlimited civil hearings had no verbatim record; that figure rose to 74 percent in the April-to-June 2025 quarter.9Judicial Branch of California. Shortage of Court Reporters in California Electronic recording is authorized as a substitute only in limited civil, misdemeanor, and infraction proceedings, not in family law, probate, or unlimited civil matters.
California Rules of Court, Rule 2.956 allows a party to arrange a certified shorthand reporter to serve as an official pro tempore reporter, and the court must appoint your chosen reporter unless there’s good cause to refuse.10Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court – Rule 2.956
You pay the pro tempore reporter’s attendance fee directly, typically at market rates that run higher than the section 68086 statutory amounts. That expense is recoverable as part of your taxable costs if you prevail. Given how often civil hearings now proceed without any reporter, arranging a private one is often the only way to secure a record you can rely on for appeal.
Add-On Charges to Expect
Beyond the base attendance and transcript rates, several services carry additional costs, particularly in complex civil litigation and depositions.
- Expedited transcripts: a 50 percent surcharge above the standard rate under Government Code section 69951 for daily copy service.
- Real-time reporting, where the transcript feeds live to counsel’s screen during testimony, requires specialized certification and software; fees are negotiated with the reporter rather than set by statute.
- Video deposition recording typically runs $250 to $600 depending on equipment, with an additional $150 to $300 to synchronize video to text.
- Remote deposition platforms carry provider-specific fees that aren’t standardized.
- Travel charges may apply when a reporter works outside their usual area, negotiated between the reporter and the party requesting service.
None of these add-on charges are governed by the statutory fee schedule, which is why itemized quotes matter before you book the service.