Los Angeles Court Adds Audio Recording Requests
Los Angeles County Superior Court will allow litigants to request audio recordings of certain hearings where no court reporter is present.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Law
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Los Angeles County Superior Court will let litigants request audio recordings of certain family law, probate and civil hearings held without a court reporter. The policy follows an August California Supreme Court decision requiring trial courts to provide word-for-word recordings to indigent civil litigants.
Why it matters
Hiring a private court reporter can cost up to $3,300 per day, and the courts cite a years-long shortage of certified reporters. Without a hearing record, an appeal can be effectively lost, making recordings a practical safeguard for litigants who cannot afford a reporter.
More than 830,000 civil, family law and probate hearings since the start of 2023 had no word-for-word record, while hiring a private court reporter can cost up to $3,300 per day. The L.A. County Court Reporters Association disputes that a shortage exists.
The players
Los Angeles County Superior Court
The Los Angeles County Superior Court is the trial court system serving the county and is adopting the new audio recording request policy.
California Supreme Court
The California Supreme Court is the state's highest court, which issued the August decision requiring trial courts to provide recordings to indigent civil litigants.
The details
Litigants must file a form attesting under penalty of perjury that the hearing was not reported by a certified court reporter and that they could not afford a private one. Requests can be filed electronically through a court-approved provider or in person at any Clerk's Office, and the court verifies that no official reporter was present. Access to audio recordings carries a $40 fee.
Timeline
August 2026: California Supreme Court requires trial courts to provide word-for-word recordings to indigent civil litigants.
November 5, 2026: The new recording request policy takes effect.
Within two days of filing: Requesters can visit the electronic recordings website to obtain the recording.
Legal Context
The policy implements the California Supreme Court's August decision requiring trial courts to supply word-for-word recordings to indigent civil litigants. It also responds to the 2018 ruling recognizing that a missing hearing record will frequently be fatal to an appeal.
Litigants in family law, probate and civil cases without a court reporter can now request audio recordings of their hearings. Those who cannot afford a private reporter may use this route to build a record for a possible appeal, though audio access costs $40.
The takeaway
Litigants who cannot pay for a court reporter should know that a hearing record is often essential to appeal, and that requesting audio within two days of filing is the practical step. The policy shows how court access depends on documentation as much as on the rulings themselves.
What happens next
The new recording request policy takes effect on November 5, 2026.
Further reading
For more on court procedure, see Law coverage of how recording rules shape access to justice.
Source note: This article includes information reported by LAist.
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