How do I get a recording or transcript of my Santa Barbara County criminal hearing?

First find out whether the hearing had a court reporter or an electronic recording. Check the minute order or ask the clerk if you are unsure. Use SC-1044 to request a reporter’s transcript; use SC-1006 to request an existing electronic audio recording. They are different records, and a recording is not a court-certified transcript. (Santa Barbara form SC-1044; form SC-1006.)

If a reporter covered the hearing

Use SC-1044 and send it to the transcript address printed on the form. Include the case name and number, hearing date and time, judge, courtroom, and reporter’s name if known. If the form information is incomplete, check the minute order or ask the clerk how to identify the reporter. (Santa Barbara form SC-1044.)

If the court electronically recorded it

Use SC-1006. The form directs Santa Maria and Lompoc requests to eguzman@sbcourts.org and Santa Barbara requests to ccruz@sbcourts.org. It lists a fee of $10 per hearing day and says to allow up to five business days for processing and a secure-download link. The form is revised September 2026; check the current version and instructions when submitting. (Santa Barbara form SC-1006.)

The court does not generally prepare a transcript from an electronic recording. Its form identifies an exception when the Appeals Clerk submits a recording for a pending appeal. Otherwise, if you need written words, arrange transcription independently and ask counsel which transcription is appropriate for the intended use. An audio request does not start or extend an appeal deadline. (SC-1006.)

Not every criminal hearing has a recording

Government Code section 69957 authorizes electronic recording only in specified circumstances. It does not establish that every criminal hearing—or every felony hearing—was recorded. The minute order, hearing type, reporter availability, and clerk’s record determine what exists. If there is no reporter transcript or electronic recording, ask the clerk what other record was made rather than assuming audio is available. (Government Code § 69957.)

Before requesting a record, collect the case number, hearing date and time, judge, courtroom, reporter name if known, and your contact details. Preserve any download promptly for counsel or a potential appeal, and get advice about deadlines separately. The Law Offices of David S. Chesley can help identify which record request fits a Santa Barbara County hearing. Call (800) 755-5174, or see the Santa Maria criminal defense page.