How to Get Federal Court Transcripts: Form AO 435, Fees, and Deadlines

To get a federal court transcript, you submit Administrative Office Form AO 435 to the court reporter or clerk’s office for the district where the case was heard, choose a delivery speed, and pay the court reporter directly before production begins. The Judicial Conference of the United States caps per-page rates nationwide: a 30-day “ordinary” transcript runs up to $4.40 per page, and the fastest two-hour turnaround runs up to $8.70 per page.¹

Fill Out Form AO 435

Every federal transcript order uses the same document: Administrative Office Form 435, downloadable from the federal judiciary’s website.² One case number per form. If you need transcripts from more than one case, file a separate AO 435 for each.

Before you fill it out, pull together the details the court reporter needs to locate the right proceeding:

The full case name, with all parties as they appear on the docket.
The case number assigned by the clerk’s office, including any district or division code.³
The presiding judge for the proceeding you want.
The exact date, and if possible the approximate time, of the hearing or trial segment.

The form has checkboxes for which portions of the record you want and which delivery speed you’re requesting. There’s also a checkbox to indicate the transcript is for an appeal, and a place to note if the Criminal Justice Act is paying.³

Where to Send It

Local court rules decide whether AO 435 goes directly to the court reporter, to a designated transcription service, or through the Clerk’s Office first. Check the website of the district court where the case was heard. Court reporters and transcription services are usually independent contractors rather than court employees, so payment is arranged with them directly, and production doesn’t start until you’ve settled it.

Pick a Delivery Speed

The delivery category you choose drives the price. The Judicial Conference recognizes seven tiers, defined by how quickly the reporter must deliver the finished document after receiving your order:

Ordinary: 30 calendar days. The default and cheapest option.
14-day.
Expedited: 7 calendar days.
3-day.
Daily: delivered before the clerk’s office opens the next calendar day, weekends and holidays included.
Hourly: delivered within two hours of the order.
Realtime: a draft, unedited feed streamed to a laptop during the proceeding itself. This is a working copy, not a certified final transcript.

Per-Page Fee Caps

Under 28 U.S.C. § 753, each federal court sets its own transcript fee schedule, but the rates can’t exceed the Judicial Conference maximums.⁴ The current caps took effect October 1, 2024.¹

There are three rate columns. The first person to order a transcript pays the “original” rate, which covers producing the document from scratch. Anyone who orders afterward pays a lower “first copy” rate, and additional copies to the same party cost less again.

Ordinary (30-day): $4.40 original / $1.10 first copy / $0.75 additional copy
14-day: $5.10 / $1.10 / $0.75
Expedited (7-day): $5.85 / $1.10 / $0.75
3-day: $6.55 / $1.30 / $0.90
Daily (next-day): $7.30 / $1.45 / $1.10
Hourly (2-hour): $8.70 / $1.45 / $1.10

Realtime feeds are priced separately based on how many attorneys or parties get the live stream. One feed runs up to $3.70 per page, two to four feeds up to $2.55, and five or more feeds up to $1.80.¹

What This Adds Up To

These are per-page rates, and pages accumulate fast. A full day of trial testimony can run 200 to 300 pages, so at the ordinary rate that’s $880 to $1,320 for a single day. A week-long trial can produce more than 1,000 pages, pushing an ordinary original past $4,400. Expedited or daily delivery multiplies that further.

This is why it pays to narrow your request. If you only need one witness’s testimony, or the closing arguments, or the ruling on a specific motion, say so on the form. You’ll pay for those pages instead of the whole day.

Appeals Have a 14-Day Deadline

If you’re appealing, the transcript isn’t optional and the clock is short. The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure give you 14 days after filing your notice of appeal to order the transcript from the court reporter. Your order must be in writing, and a copy has to be filed with the district clerk within that same 14-day window. If the Criminal Justice Act is covering the cost, state that on the order. If you don’t need any transcript at all, file a certificate to that effect within the same 14 days.⁵

Missing the deadline can delay or damage your appeal. The appellate court builds the record from what gets filed, and without the transcript you may have no evidence to support your arguments. Use AO 435 and check the “Appeal” box.

If You Can’t Afford the Cost

Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, a court can direct the United States to pay for transcript preparation if you’re proceeding in forma pauperis. The provision applies specifically to transcripts of proceedings before a magistrate judge that the district court requires under certain referral or consent procedures.⁶ In criminal cases, defendants who qualify under the Criminal Justice Act may have transcript costs covered by the government; AO 435 has a field to indicate CJA is paying.⁵

Neither waiver is automatic. You need an approved IFP application or a CJA appointment in place before ordering.

Getting a Transcript Someone Else Already Ordered

If a party has already paid to have a transcript produced, you may not need to order one at all. Once the reporter delivers the completed transcript to the clerk, though, it isn’t immediately public. The Judicial Conference imposes a 90-day restriction: during that period, electronic access through CM/ECF is limited to court staff, people using courthouse public terminals, attorneys of record who purchased the transcript, and others the court specifically authorizes.¹

After the 90 days, the transcript can be downloaded through PACER at $0.10 per page. The 30-page fee cap that applies to most PACER documents does not apply to transcripts, so a 250-page transcript costs $25.00.⁷ Accounts that stay under $30.00 total in a quarterly billing cycle owe nothing, but one long transcript can push you past that.

During the 90-day window, you can still go to the clerk’s office in person and read the transcript on a public computer terminal. You just can’t download it remotely.

Redactions and Sealed Records

Parties have 7 calendar days from the date the transcript is delivered to the clerk to file a Notice of Intent to Redact under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2. That rule limits personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, birthdates, minors’ names, and financial account numbers to partial forms.⁸ If a redaction is requested, the reporter revises the transcript and the redacted version is what becomes public.

Some transcripts never become public regardless of the 90-day timeline. Cases involving grand jury proceedings, national security matters, and certain juvenile records are sealed, and if a case is under seal you generally cannot obtain the transcript unless you are a party or the court authorizes access.⁹

1
United States Courts. Federal Court Reporting Program
2
United States Courts. Transcript Order
3
United States Courts. Administrative Office of the United States Courts Form AO 435 – Transcript Order
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 28 – 753
5
Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 10 – The Record on Appeal
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 28 – 1915
7
United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule
8
Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court
9
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Appellate Procedure Guide – Sealed and Confidential Materials