To request a transcript in NYC Civil Court, submit a transcript request form with your case details and payment to the Audio Records Department at 111 Centre Street if your proceeding was audio-recorded, or to the Court Reporter’s Office in the borough where your case was heard if a stenographer was present. Most Civil Court proceedings, including small claims and landlord-tenant hearings, fall into the first category, which means an approved outside vendor will produce the written transcript from the court’s audio file.
Make Sure You’re Asking for the Right Document
Civil Court uses the word “transcript” for two unrelated documents, and ordering the wrong one wastes time.
A Transcript of Judgment is a one-page certified paper with the essential details of a judgment. Its purpose is enforcement: filed with a county clerk, it creates a lien on real property in that county.1New York Courts. NYC Civil Court Transcript of Judgment You get it from the clerk’s office with a simple request.
A trial transcript, sometimes called the “minutes,” is the word-for-word record of what was said in a courtroom. That is the document the rest of this article covers.
What to Have Ready Before You File the Request
A single missing detail can push your request back several days. Have all of the following in hand:
- The case name and index number assigned by the clerk.
- The exact date or dates of the proceeding you want transcribed.
- The courtroom and Part number, printed on your notice of hearing or scheduling order.
- The presiding judge’s name. The clerk can look this up from the date and courtroom if you don’t remember.
- How the proceeding was recorded. If a stenographer was present, their name helps speed the search. If not, the Audio Records Department handles it.
Where to Send the Request
Which office receives your request depends on how the proceeding was taken down.
Audio-Recorded Proceedings
For audio-recorded cases, the request goes to the court’s Audio Records Department at 111 Centre Street in Manhattan. You can deliver the form in person or mail it in. Once received, the department forwards the recording to a transcription company on the court’s approved vendor list. These vendors are independent contractors that set their own rates and timelines, so you should hear from the assigned company within a few business days after submitting.
Stenographically Reported Proceedings
If a court reporter took the proceeding down live, the request goes to the Court Reporter’s Office in the borough where the case was heard. The reporter who covered the proceeding, or a colleague if that reporter is unavailable, produces the transcript directly. If you aren’t sure which method was used in your case, call the clerk’s office in the relevant borough and ask.
Either way, the court will check its archives first to confirm the recording or stenographic notes are still accessible before work begins.
What It Costs
For proceedings handled by court reporters, Part 108 of the Rules of the Chief Administrator sets per-page rate ranges tied to how fast you need the work. For a private party paying out of pocket, the ranges are:
- Regular delivery: $3.30 to $4.30 per page for the original, plus $1.00 per page for each additional copy.
- Expedited delivery, within five business days per day of proceedings: $4.40 to $5.40 per page for the original, plus $1.10 per page for copies.
- Daily delivery, by the morning of the next business day: $5.50 to $6.50 per page for the original, plus $1.25 per page for copies.
The exact rate within each range is negotiated between you and the reporter. If you can’t reach agreement, the reporter isn’t required to produce the transcript unless you’ve ordered regular delivery, in which case the rate defaults to the low end.2New York Courts. Part 108 Format of Court Transcripts and Rates of Payment Therefor
Audio-recorded proceedings transcribed by outside vendors aren’t governed by Part 108. Those companies set their own prices, so get a written quote before authorizing the work.
If You’re Ordering for an Appeal
An appeal makes transcript ordering mandatory and time-sensitive. Under CPLR 5525, you must request the transcript and deposit enough to cover the full cost within the time allowed for taking the appeal. The reporter prepares two copies: a ribbon (original) and one additional copy.3FindLaw. New York Consolidated Laws, Civil Practice Law and Rules – CPLR Rule 5525
Once you receive the transcript, you have 15 days to review it and propose corrections, which you serve along with a copy on the other side. The opposing party then has 15 days to respond with their own amendments or objections. If you can’t agree, either party can submit the dispute to the judge who presided over the original proceeding for settlement.3FindLaw. New York Consolidated Laws, Civil Practice Law and Rules – CPLR Rule 5525
One cost-saver worth knowing: both sides can stipulate that only a portion of the proceedings be transcribed. For a narrow legal issue on appeal, a partial transcript costs significantly less than every word of a multi-day trial.
Fee Waivers if You Can’t Pay
If transcript costs are out of reach, you can ask the court to waive them. Under CPLR 1101, any party with insufficient means can file a motion asking the court to waive costs, fees, and expenses, and a granted waiver covers trial transcript costs.4New York State Senate. New York Civil Practice Law and Rules – CPLR 1101
The motion consists of a Notice of Motion and a sworn affidavit. The affidavit must explain that you lack the funds to proceed, describe the nature and merits of your case, detail your income and property, and disclose whether anyone else stands to benefit from the outcome. NYC Civil Court provides form CIV-GP-15 at the clerk’s office for this purpose.5New York Courts. Fee Waivers (Poor Persons Relief) The form can’t be filed electronically; print it and submit it in person or by mail.
If a legal aid society or nonprofit legal services organization represents you, fees are waived automatically without a motion. Your attorney files a certification that you’ve been determined unable to pay.4New York State Senate. New York Civil Practice Law and Rules – CPLR 1101
How Long the Court Keeps the Recording
The source material isn’t kept forever. Under the Unified Court System’s retention schedule, stenographic tapes, pads, audio recordings, and other machine-readable records of court proceedings are kept for 50 years and then destroyed.6New York State Unified Court System. Records Retention and Disposition Schedule – Criminal Records of the Supreme and County Courts Fifty years is a generous window, but for an older case or one you might need to revisit, ordering the transcript while the source still exists is the only way to guarantee a permanent copy.
Redacting the Transcript Before You File It
If you plan to file the transcript with the court, as part of an appeal or motion, you’re responsible for redacting certain personal information under 22 NYCRR 202.5(e). The categories are:
- Tax identification numbers (Social Security numbers, employer identification numbers): only the last four digits may appear.
- Dates of birth: only the year may be shown.
- Names of minors: use initials only.
- Financial account numbers (bank, credit card, investment): only the last four digits or letters may appear.
The rule applies to electronic and paper filings alike.7Cornell Law Institute. New York Codes, Rules, and Regulations Title 22 Section 202.5 Matrimonial actions, Surrogate’s Court proceedings, and Mental Hygiene Law Article 81 proceedings are exempt.8New York Courts. Redaction Cover Page The responsibility sits with the filer, not the court reporter or transcription vendor, so if a Social Security number was read aloud in testimony and shows up verbatim in your transcript, it is on you to black it out before the document goes into the court file.