Court Reporters and Transcripts

The court provides certified court reporters or reporters pro tem at no charge to the public in all felony, juvenile, Lanterman-Petris-Short Act conservatorships, and family law matters as required by law.

Judges may authorize the use of electronic reporting as permitted by Government Code § 69957(a) in limited jurisdictional proceedings, such as infractions, misdemeanors, and limited civil proceedings, when no certified court reporter is available.

In other proceedings, such as general jurisdiction civil and probate matters, parties are required to reimburse the court for use of the court’s reporter or may provide their own court reporters, at their own expense.  A party who wants to use one of the court's certified court reporters must file a written request on the Request for a Court Reporter, MMC-140 no less than 72 hours before the hearing date indicating that the presence of an official court reporter is requested.  The requesting party will be required to pay a $30.00 deposit towards court reporter fees in advance of the hearing.

A fee of $30.00 is charged for the cost of the services of an official court reporter for proceedings lasting less than one hour.  For each proceeding lasting one hour, a fee equal to the cost of providing that service will be charged at the half day or full day rate to the requesting party on the first and each succeeding day those services are provided.

If a party has requested the presence of an official court reporter and it appears that none will be available, the clerk will notify the requesting party as soon as possible that the court is unable to provide an official court reporter for the proceeding.  The requesting party may arrange for a certified court reporter to serve as the official pro tem reporter at the party's expense.

Transcript Requests

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, the court reporter is responsible for preparing a transcript of the hearing as required by law or upon request.  Transcripts of proceedings are obtained directly from the Certified Court Reporter who recorded the proceedings.  Parties requesting transcripts are required to pay court reporters for the preparation of transcripts at the rate prescribed by law.

Court Reporter Contact Information

If a hearing was reported by an official court reporter, the court reporter's last name will appear on the clerks’ minutes from the hearing.  Please check the Court Information Portal and view the minutes to obtain the court reporter’s name.

Please include the following information in your request to the court reporter:

1. Case name and number
2. Hearing date and time
3. Courtroom where proceeding was held
4. Your name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number.

Court Reporters:

The court reporter will contact you directly with a time estimate and cost for the preparation of the transcript.  The court reporter may not contact you immediately since they are generally working in the courtroom.  If you do not hear back from the court reporter within 48-hours, please contact the Administrative Services Coordinator at transcript.request@mendocino.courts.ca.gov or 707-467-6437 for assistance with obtaining transcripts from a court reporter.

Electronically Recorded Proceedings

Copies of electronically recorded proceedings can be obtained from the Court.  “Electra” will appear on the clerk’s minutes from the hearing.  Requests must be submitted in writing and will be completed within three (3) business days.  There is a $25.00 fee for each case, per day of the hearing that must accompany the written request.  Checks should be made payable to Mendocino County Superior Court.

Please complete the Electronic Recording Request form, MMC-990 along with a copy of the court minutes from the hearing, and submit in person or by mail to:

Superior Court of California, County of Mendocino
100 North State Street
Ukiah, CA  95482

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  The recording will be placed on a USB flash drive and mailed to the requestor.

Transcripts of Electronically Recorded Proceedings

Transcripts of electronically recorded proceedings can be obtained from the Court.  “Electra” will appear on the clerk’s minutes from the hearing.  Requests must be submitted to transcript.request@mendocino.courts.ca.gov on the Request for Transcript of Recorded Proceedings, MMC-995.  Please note that a copy of the court’s minutes from the hearing must be attached to the request.

Within three (3) to five (5) business days, the court will email you an ESTIMATE of the transcript cost, transcription timeframes, and instructions for payment.

All transcripts will be prepared and delivered electronically.  An email address must be provided on the request form.