Court Reporter and Interpreter Services

The Court Reporter rules were amended by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on December 12, 2019. See Pa.R.J.A. No. 4001 et seq. Philadelphia County's local court reporter rules are available at Phila.R.J.A. No. *4007 et seq. The rates applicable to Philadelphia County were set forth by the Supreme Court in an order dated April 25, 2017 and Philadelphia County's Fee Schedule can be found at the following link.

The new court reporter rules require requestors to use the official Request for Transcript form which contains data fields necessary to identify the transcript requested. Court Reporting staff will estimate the number of pages to be transcribed and a cost estimate will be provided to the requestor who will be asked to pay 95% of the estimated cost, as a deposit, before transcription begins. Once the deposit has been received as directed by the Office of Court Reporter Administration, transcription will begin and the transcript will be delivered within the time requested, in the medium requested (electronic or paper format). The per page cost of the transcript will vary depending on the delivery time requested. See the referenced local rules and Fee Schedule.

The new court reporter rules also contain provisions for the waiver or 50% reduction of the cost of the transcripts to parties who need the transcripts to advance litigation and whose income meets certain guidelines. Waiver and reduction requests must be accompanied by required documentation.

The First Judicial District is working on a Transcript Ordering System ("TOS") which will allow requestors to electronically transmit their requests through the District's website similar to the Electronic Filing Systems implemented by the District. Until the TOS is implemented, all requestors must submit the request by email (transcripts@courts.phila.gov) as proved below.

A completed Request for Transcript form requesting notes of testimony of a hearing or trial must be emailed to the following email address: transcripts@courts.phila.gov. If you do not have access to electronic mail, you may FAX the Request for Transcript form to 215-683-8005. Include on the form the exact date of the hearing, the name of the presiding judge, the name of the case and/or defendant's name, and your phone number. We cannot assist you without the above information.

The Office of Court Reporter Administration will contact you and will provide the deposit amount that you must pay before the Court Reporter will be directed to commence transcribing the proceedings you have requested. Please note that as required by the Court Reporter Rules, you will be asked to pay, as a deposit, 95% of the estimated cost of the transcript. After you have paid the required deposit and the Court Reporter has completed the transcript, you will be asked to pay the balance due before the transcript is delivered to you. Unless otherwise requested, we will provide electronic delivery of the transcript upon receipt of full payment.

• Click here to download the Transcript Order Form

The Court Reporter and Interpreter Division instituted the Digital Recording Program in 2003 in response to a general shortage of highly-qualified stenographic court reporters. As of March of 2008, the Digital Recording Program employed three administrative staff members, (Supervisor, Transcript Coordinator & Digital Technology Specialist) as well as a staff of 11 full-time and 13 part-time Digital Recording Technicians (DRTs). The DRTs monitor the recording of court proceedings through the use of FTR Gold Recording software. Additionally, Digital Recording Technicians create detailed log notes that are utilized by the digital recording transcriptionists to ensure accurate transcription of audio files.

To order a transcript, complete a Request for Transcript form and check the "Check if Digital Recording" box on the Request for Transcript form. Until the Transcript Ordering System has been implemented, fax the form to 215-683-8005. The Office of Court Reporter Administration will contact you and will provide the deposit amount that you must pay before the Court Reporter will be directed to commence transcribing the proceedings you have requested. Please note that as required by the Court Reporter Rules, you will be asked to pay, as a deposit, 95% of the estimated cost of the transcript. After you have paid the required deposit and the Court Reporter has completed the transcript, you will be asked to pay the balance due before the transcript is delivered to you. Unless otherwise requested, we will provide electronic delivery of the transcript upon receipt of full payment.

The Record Reproduction Center provides varied services to the Court Reporter Administration as well as all other divisions of the FJD court system. As it relates to Court Reporter Administration, the Center's primary function is to ensure the efficient reproduction of all transcripts produced by court reporters and digital recording transcribers. The Record Reproduction Center also prints notes of testimony for court-appointed counsel and other private parties who do not have access to the CRS system.

As a Court of Record, proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court criminal division hearings must be transcribed. The Court's 120 Official Court Reporters are assigned to courtrooms to record testimony, arguments or other spoken presentations heard by all judges throughout the First Judicial District.

Investing in their personal computerized stenotype machines, the Official Court Reporters utilize Computer-Aided Transcription (CAT), the standard of accuracy for a record on appeal, to create transcripts. The verbatim testimony of the court proceeding is recorded by the official reporter in court.

A number of Official Court Reporters have been additionally certified in producing "real time" transcription, which is the immediate transcription of the verbatim testimony being taken in the courtroom. The simultaneous transcription can be viewed during a trial on courtroom computer monitors or the judge's or court reporter's laptop computer. RealTime is used to assist deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in the courtroom by immediately providing testimony on a computer screen.

All transcripts produced by the court reporters are electronically archived on the Court Reporter E-Archiving System. The CRS database stores all transcripts electronically has provides access through a password provided to judges, judicial staff, District Attorneys and Defenders. This has eliminated time-consuming copying, and "lost" transcripts, and the attendant paper costs. Notes of Testimony can also be printed or emailed for Appellate Court transmission. Transcripts are sent via email to court-appointed attorneys as well.

The FJD Project Team developing the First Judicial District's E-Archiving Court Reporter System worked hard to succeed in creating a reliable archive that is easily accessed, safe, and responsive, in terms of transcript delivery AND management reporting and analysis. The major advantages to an electronically-stored archiving system for transcripts is reliability, easy access, less paper, less need for printing equipment, better accountability and monitoring.

The Court Reporting System (CRS) provides electronic archival and retrieval services for transcripts produced by court reporters. ASCII disks that contain completed transcripts are brought to the Record Reproduction Center, date stamped by the staff, and given to the CRS Technicians. The CRS Technicians place the notes of testimony on the CRS system, which is a central transcript storage server. This server is accessible by judges, assistant district attorneys and public defenders who can easily retrieve and print completed transcripts from their own offices. They or their staff may also save copies to utilize for drafting opinions.

The Court Reporter and Interpreter Division instituted the Digital Recording Program in 2003 in response to a general shortage of highly-qualified stenographic court reporters. As of March of 2008, the Digital Recording Program employed three administrative staff members, (Supervisor, Transcript Coordinator & Digital Technology Specialist) as well as a staff of 11 full-time and 13 part-time Digital Recording Technicians (DRTs). The DRTs monitor the recording of court proceedings through the use of FTR Gold Recording software. Additionally, Digital Recording Technicians create detailed log notes that are utilized by the digital recording transcriptionists to ensure accurate transcription of audio files.

Please complete a separate Transcript Order Form and fax the attached form to order a transcript produced by digital recording.

The Record Reproduction Center provides varied services to the Court Reporter Administration as well as all other divisions of the FJD court system. As it relates to Court Reporter Administration, the Center's primary function is to ensure the efficient reproduction of all transcripts produced by court reporters and digital recording transcribers. The Record Reproduction Center also prints notes of testimony for court-appointed counsel and other private parties who do not have access to the CRS system.