Court Reporting FAQs

A transcript is a written and typed verbatim record of court proceedings.

A digital recording is an audio tape recording or a recording by any other electronic means, including but not limited to digital or other technology. Although most courtrooms/hearing rooms are equipped with audio recording technology, some courtrooms are not equipped for visual recording technology and therefore the Court Reporting Services Department cannot guarantee that video is available for all proceedings recorded by our office. Courtrooms/hearing rooms may have CCTV cameras, which are not related to nor connected to recordings maintained by the Court Reporting Services Department.

Please note that the digital recording audio is not the official record and will not be accepted as such unless transcribed by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. The digital recording audio may contain confidential information. Dissemination of information is strictly prohibited and may subject the offender to legal action for contempt of court. See AOSC11-22.

A digital download is a copy of the digital recording shared via "Cloud" by a secure link for downloading audio files, not on a physical item such as a CD/DVD. Filesshared by digital download method are only available for a pre-set amount of time for retrieval.

Due Process Proceedings that are statutorily required to be recorded at public expense in accordance with Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.535 and Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Administrative Order 2.504.

Digitally Recorded: Felony, Misdemeanor, Criminal Traffic, First Appearances, Juvenile Dependency and Delinquency, Magistrate hearings, Contempt and Commitment hearings, Probate involving mental health, Incapacity, and/or Guardianship hearings statutorily required to be recorded pursuant to Fla. Stat. 744.109, Baker and Marchman Act, and Family court hearings for DV (Domestic Violence)/RV (Repeat Violence).

Stenographer: Death Penalty cases, First Degree Murder trials, and other cases as needed.

For civil, family, and traffic infraction hearings, it is the responsibility of the litigant to hire a court reporter from a private court reporting agency. The Office of Court Reporting Services does not provide private court reporting services nor can we validate if a private court reporting agency was present at a hearing.

Felony proceedings are retained for ten (10) years pursuant to Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Rule 2.430(e)(2). All other non-felony proceedings are retained for five (5) years pursuant to Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Rule 2.430(e)(3).

If the record is no longer retained by our office, you can visit the Clerk's website to search for case information or transcripts that may have already been filed, or contact the Clerk's Office at (561) 355-2996 for additional information.

When the request is received and processed, our staff will check and you will be advised if the event was not recorded. Note: if a private court reporting agency was present for a hearing, our office does not have information as to the agency or private court reporter present. You can search the Clerk's Website for possible additional information.

Complete the Online Request Form via the Web in its entirety. Please note it is best to use Google Chrome as the web browser when submitting your request online. No orders can be taken by phone or in-person.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to obtain a transcript and/or digital recording you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway West Palm Beach, Florida 33401; telephone number (561) 355-4380; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call "711."

Yes, the cost is $25.00 per CD/DVD. One court event/date per CD/DVD only. Payment is required before a CD/DVD order is processed.

Yes, the cost is $20.00 per CD/DVD. One court event/date per download. Payment is required before your order is processed.

Due to the software used, only one (1) date can be burned to a disc at a time.

Yes. However, the above rate would still apply (cost per court event date).

If you are only looking for a specific witness' testimony or a portion of a selected hearing, you can select the individual testimony or note the specific portion you are seeking in the request notes (i.e., defendant's testimony, trial closing arguments). Note: Individual parties/witnesses auto populate based on the Clerk's docketing system for the case, NOT the hearing date itself. If you are unsure of when the portion you are looking for took place, please refer to the Clerk's website or call the Clerk's office at (561) 355-2996 for additional assistance.

The Court Reporting Services Department does not offer this service. If you would like to listen to a court hearing, you must request for a copy of the digital recording via our online request form.

If you are the party or attorney of record, standard turnaround time is within five (5) business days from the date payment is received. However, during unforeseen high volume periods, turnaround could take upwards of ten (10) business days from the date payment is received. If you are not the attorney or party of record, your request will be processed as a Public Record request, which will take additional time based on the length of the review.

An email will be sent to the email address[es] provided within the request when the order is available for pickup or available for digital download.

Orders are only held for thirty (30) days after we notify you via email that the CD(s)/DVD(s) are ready for pickup, or the digital file(s) are ready for download. If an order is not picked up by the date specified in our email and no other arrangements have been made with Court Reporting Office to hold the order for additional time, the disc item(s) will be purged, or the digital download(s) will be automatically deleted. Refunds will not be issued on orders that were not picked up or downloaded. If you failed to pick up your order within the allotted time and are still in need of the requested items, a new request will need to be submitted via our online request form along with any payment(s) that may be due.

When we notify you via email that your order is ready for pickup or download, we will attach a document for instructions on how to play the audio files. NOTE: All copies of digital recordings on CD/DVD are only available to be viewed on a computer or laptop. Discs are not compatible with CD players or car stereo systems.

For security and confidentiality reasons, we are unable to send audio and/or video files via email. Instead, you can request a Digital Download copy, which provides a secured link to access the audio files.

No. Digital download orders are only released to the email address[es] provided on the initial online request. Furthermore, the digital recording audio may contain confidential information. Dissemination of information is strictly prohibited and may subject the offender to legal action for contempt of court. See AOSC11-22.

The cost of a transcript depends on (1) the length of the transcript ordered and (2) the type of technology used to record the court proceeding. The transcript per page rates are set forth in AO 2.503.

Once you have used the Online Request Form to place a transcript order, you will be contacted by a contracted vendor of the Circuit with an estimated cost, and a request for an 80% deposit. Once provided with an estimate from the vendor, you will have five (5) business days from when the vendor provided you the estimate to arrange a deposit. Production will not begin until the deposit has been paid.

If you have not received an estimate within seven (7) business days of your order being placed, please contact our office at (561) 355-6526.

Once your request is received, orders are typically assigned out to one of our contracted vendors within seven (7) business days from the date the request is received. If you are the party or attorney of record, the standard turnaround time for transcripts is four (4) to six (6) weeks from the date the deposit is received. However, during unforeseen high volume periods, turnaround could be longer. If you are not the attorney or party of record, your request will be processed as a Public Record request, which will take additional time based on the length of the review.

The Office of Court Reporting Services will need a signed court order directing Court Reporting Services to produce the specific hearing date(s) requested. Otherwise, you will be required to pay the aforementioned fees, even if the Clerk has determined that you are indigent.

No, we are unable to expedite services. Please note for appeals, our office must be served with the Designation to Court Reporter via email at CAD-CourtReportingOffice@pbcgov.org.

If you order a CD/DVD, you can take the disc to a private court reporting agency of your choosing that may be able to offer expedited services.

If you order a digital download, please note the private links are only accessible by the requestor email address[es] listed on the request, and cannot be shared to an outside party.

Yes, but only if you supply a pre-addressed, prepaid and insured mailing envelope or label from a mailing service of your choice (FedEx, UPS, USPS, other service agency, etc.). The pre-addressed label must be the requestors/requesting agency name as the addressee, the address as listed in your original request, and an account number, if applicable. It is recommended that the shipping address and origin/return address are the same in the event there is a delivery issue, the item will "return" to the requestor directly. It is also recommended that your label has a tracking number. Note: The State of Florida/Fifteenth Judicial Circuit/Court Reporting Services Department is not liable for any items that are lost or misplaced, insufficiently delivered, or damaged in transit. Thus, if this occurs with item(s) during the course of delivery, the Circuit is not responsible for replacing the item(s) and the requestor must then incur the cost(s) for production if the item(s) were to be requested again. Additionally, the Court Reporting Services Department is not responsible for any delays for items sent via mail, private courier service, and/or shipping carriers. It is preferred that CD/DVDs and transcripts from juvenile, mental health, and guardianship cases are picked up in person.

Only the requestor or another person from the same agency as the requestor may pick up the requested item(s). If a certified courier will be picking up an item on your behalf, we must be notified beforehand in writing and provided the first name and last name of the courier, as well as the courier service agency name.

Yes. You can order a partial copy of a digital recording or transcript. To do so, complete the Notes/Comments section of the Request Form and indicate that a "Partial Proceeding" is requested. Please be specific about the event (i.e. Voir Dire, Opening or Closing Arguments, Sentencing, Witness Testimony). If requesting the testimony of a witness, provide the name of the witness. If you do not indicate "Partial Proceeding" on the Request Form, the entire proceeding will be provided.

The cost of the CD/DVD and or digital download is the same, regardless of the length of the proceeding. However, if you are not a party or attorney of record and are requesting the CD/DVD and/or digital download as a public records request, there is an additional review fee (see questions 30 and 31, below), which will vary depending on the length of the proceeding requested. If you are ordering a transcript, the length of the proceeding will also affect the cost. An estimate of the requested portion will be e-mailed to you.

If you are not listed in the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's docketing system as an attorney or a party to an action, the request will be treated as a public record request in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420 and the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's Administrative Order 2.304. Accordingly, a review of the transcript and/or copy of the digital recording for must be undertaken by the Circuit's Office of General Counsel prior to its release pursuant to a public records request. An additional review fee will be charged for such requests as set forth in Question 30, below.

This procedure is in accordance with Florida Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-22 toensure that no exempt, confidential or non-public matter is released.

For criminal case types with co-defendants: If you are seeking a hearing in which the client you represent is not the case style or case number being requested, and the cases were not heard simultaneously, the request will be treated as a public record request in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420 and the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's Administrative Order 2.304.

All other case types: If you are not listed in the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's docketing system as an attorney or a party to a case, but you represent a party in a related action, a notice of appearance will need to be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for the case number you are requesting. A copy of the notice of appearance will need to be provided to the Court Reporting Services Department in order for us to process the request without undergoing a public recordsreview. If you do not intend to file a notice of appearance, the request will be treated as a public record request in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420 and the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit's Administrative order 2.304.

In addition to the electronic recording disc fee and/or the cost of creating a transcript, public records requests are subject to a separate review fee. The review fee is $12.50 per 15-minute increment of review time with a minimum of $12.50. Based on the length of the record requested, you will receive an email notifying you of the estimated review fee, which must be paid as a deposit before production begins on the request. This amount must be in a cashier's check or money order made payable to The Board of County Commissioners.

If payment(s) for your public record request is not received within thirty (30) days from the original request date, your request will be cancelled.

If payment was made online for copy of the digital recording and we have do not have the review deposit within seven (7) business days from the date the request was received, the order will be cancelled and refunded for item(s) payment at that time; if you are still in need of the requested item(s), a new request may need to be submitted along with any payments due.

Please note, we are unable to issue refunds for review deposit payments. All payments are final once processing has begun on an order.

The minimum deposit for a public record review is $12.50 per product (CD/DVD, Digital Download, or Transcript) for up to 15 minutes of review time. The deposit is based on the length of the hearing(s) and/or the estimated number of transcript pages. The total cost for the review could exceed the deposit amount; final payment of balance will be required before the public record can be released. However, in an effort to reduce a final balance, the review deposit is calculated as close to the actual review cost as possible so that should a remaining balance be due, it is minimal for the requestor.

Please note, all payments for public record requests are final once payment is received by our office and production has begun on an order. We are unable to issue refunds for review deposit payments once production has begun on an order. Therefore, if an order was placed for more than one item type (e.g., CD/DVD or Digital Download, and transcripts of a proceeding) and you are no longer in need of a specific item type, it is recommended that you read the deposit email details thoroughly before remitting payment(s). If the deposit has already been received by our office and production of multiple request item types has already begun, no refund will be issued on the item(s) that are no longer being requested.

We cannot accept cash or payment over the phone for any orders. Production will not begin on any request items until payment has been made.

For CD(s)/DVD(s) and/or Digital Downloads: Payments can be paid via our online payment system if not submitted as a public records request. After the request is submitted from our Online Request Form, a link is provided to redirect you to make payment online. The payment link is only available via the confirmation webpage once your order has been submitted. Please note online payment is collected through a third-party agency and will incur a service charge, which is not regulated nor determined by the Court Reporting Services Department, and may be nonrefundable through the vendor agency. Alternatively, to make a payment by cashier's check or money order payable to The State of Florida, you may mail or drop off payment to our office. If payment is not received within thirty (30) days from the request being submitted, the order will be cancelled. If payment is required to move forward with processing your request, you will receive an email with instructions on how to remit payment.

For Transcripts: Payment for transcripts is arranged with the contracted vendor assigned to your order. An email will be sent to you with an estimate along with instructions on how to make payment. If a deposit is not received within thirty (30) days of the estimate being sent to you, the order will be cancelled.

For Public Records Request Review Fees: Payment for public records review fees must be must be in a cashier's check or money order made payable to The Board of County Commissioners. If payment(s) for a public record request is not received within thirty (30) days from the original request date, the request will be cancelled.

Fifteenth Judicial Circuit
Court Reporting Services
205 North Dixie Highway, Room 5.1400
West Palm Beach, FL 33401

You will receive an email from our office with instructions on when and where payment(s) can be dropped off.

Timely cancellation requests must be emailed to CAD-CRSRequestForm@pbcgov.org providing the confirmation number and notifying us that you want to cancel your order. Please note, if you are seeking refund and payment(s) have already been made, you may not be eligible for a refund; please refer to #37.

Payments are non-refundable once production has begun on an order, or an order has already been completed. If an order was already completed and was not picked up or downloaded within the given timeframe, no refund will be issued (refer to #17).

1. Production has not yet began on an order, AND
2. A timely notice of cancellation was received by our office.

If a payment was made online by credit card, debit card, or e-check, the refund will be issued back to the original method of payment within three (3) to five (5) business days after a refund receipt has been e-mailed to you from our office

If a payment has been mailed to or dropped off at our office, it must be picked up in person by the requestor within one (1) week of the timely notice of cancellation. If payment is not picked up by this time, payment(s) will be voided and destroyed, and will no longer be available for pickup. Alternatively, the item can be mailed back at the requestor's expense (refer to #25).

Please call Court Reporting Services at (561) 355-6526 during the hours of 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Have your case information and the last four digits of your confirmation number readily available. If you are required to leave a voicemail, please indicate that you are inquiring about your request and be sure to provide your case number, as well as the last four digits of the order confirmation number if you have already submitted an online request.