Title 9. Arbitration · Chapter 3. Conduct of Arbitration Proceedings · Enacted 2016 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1282.5 gives a party in arbitration the right to a certified shorthand reporter to transcribe depositions, proceedings, or hearings as the official record, generally at the requesting party's expense, requires that expense to shift to the nonconsumer party for an indigent consumer, and lets a party petition the court if the arbitrator refuses the request.
(1)A party to an arbitration has the right to have a certified shorthand reporter transcribe any deposition, proceeding, or hearing. The transcript shall be the official record of the deposition, proceeding, or hearing.
(2)A party requesting a certified shorthand reporter shall make his or her request in or at either of the following:
(A)A demand for arbitration, or a response, answer, or counterclaim to a demand for arbitration.
(B)A pre-hearing scheduling conference at which a deposition, proceeding, or hearing is being calendared.
(b)If an arbitration agreement does not provide for a certified shorthand reporter, the party requesting the transcript shall incur the expense of the certified shorthand reporter. However, in a consumer arbitration, a certified shorthand reporter shall be provided upon request of an indigent consumer, as defined in Section 1284.3, at the expense of the nonconsumer party.
(c)If an arbitrator refuses to allow a party to have a certified shorthand reporter transcribe any deposition, proceeding, or hearing pursuant to this section, the party may petition the court for an order to compel the arbitrator to grant the party's request. The petition may include a request for an order to stay any deposition, proceeding, or hearing related to the arbitration pending the court's determination of the petition.
(d)This section does not add grounds for vacating an arbitration award pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1286.2 or for correcting an arbitration award pursuant to Section 1286.6.
Plain-English Summary
A certified shorthand reporter's transcript becomes the official record of whatever it covers -- a deposition, a proceeding, or a hearing. To get one, a party has to ask for it either in the demand for arbitration (or a response, answer, or counterclaim to that demand) or at a pre-hearing scheduling conference where the relevant deposition, proceeding, or hearing is being calendared.
Who pays depends on the situation. If the arbitration agreement does not already provide for a reporter, the requesting party bears that cost. But in a consumer arbitration, an indigent consumer -- defined the same way Section 1284.3 defines it -- gets a reporter on request at the nonconsumer party's expense.
If the arbitrator refuses to allow a reporter, the requesting party is not stuck: it can petition the court for an order compelling the arbitrator to grant the request, and can ask the court to stay the arbitration in the meantime while it sorts the issue out. One thing this section does not do, though, is create a new way to attack the resulting award -- subdivision (d) makes clear that a dispute over a reporter does not add a ground for vacating an award under Section 1286.2 or correcting one under Section 1286.6.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must a party request a certified shorthand reporter?
In the demand for arbitration or a response, answer, or counterclaim to it, or at a pre-hearing scheduling conference where the relevant proceeding is being calendared.
Who pays for the reporter?
Generally the requesting party, unless the arbitration agreement says otherwise, or the case is a consumer arbitration and the consumer is indigent, in which case the nonconsumer party pays.
What can a party do if the arbitrator refuses to allow a reporter?
Petition the court for an order compelling the arbitrator to grant the request, including a request to stay the arbitration in the meantime.
Does an arbitrator's refusal to allow a reporter give a new basis to challenge the award later?
No -- subdivision (d) confirms this section adds no new ground for vacating or correcting the award.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:certified shorthand reporter arbitration californiaindigent consumer arbitration transcript