(a) If the deposition testimony is stenographically recorded, the deposition officer shall send written notice to the deponent and to all parties attending the deposition when the original transcript of the testimony for each session of the deposition is available for reading, correcting, and signing, unless the deponent and the attending parties agree on the record that the reading, correcting, and signing of the transcript of the testimony will be waived or that the reading, correcting, and signing of a transcript of the testimony will take place after the entire deposition has been concluded or at some other specific time.
§ 2025.520.Notice of availability of stenographically recorded deposition
Title 4. Civil Discovery Act · Chapter 9. Oral Deposition Inside California · Article 5. Transcript or Recording · Enacted 2004 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2025.520 requires the deposition officer to notify the deponent and parties when a stenographic transcript is ready for review, gives the deponent 30 days to change answers and sign or refuse to sign it, treats an unsigned transcript as approved subject to timely changes, and allows a motion to suppress the deposition for good cause.
Full Text of § 2025.520
(b) For 30 days following each notice under subdivision (a), unless the attending parties and the deponent agree on the record or otherwise in writing to a longer or shorter time period, the deponent may change the form or the substance of the answer to a question, and may either approve the transcript of the deposition by signing it, or refuse to approve the transcript by not signing it.
(c) Alternatively, within this same period, the deponent may change the form or the substance of the answer to any question and may approve or refuse to approve the transcript by means of a letter to the deposition officer signed by the deponent which is mailed by certified or registered mail with return receipt requested. A copy of that letter shall be sent by first-class mail to all parties attending the deposition.
(d) For good cause shown, the court may shorten the 30-day period for making changes, approving, or refusing to approve the transcript.
(e) The deposition officer shall indicate on the original of the transcript, if the deponent has not already done so at the office of the deposition officer, any action taken by the deponent and indicate on the original of the transcript, the deponent's approval of, or failure or refusal to approve, the transcript. The deposition officer shall also notify in writing the parties attending the deposition of any changes which the deponent timely made in person.
(f) If the deponent fails or refuses to approve the transcript within the allotted period, the deposition shall be given the same effect as though it had been approved, subject to any changes timely made by the deponent.
WESTLAW © 2026 Thomson Reuters. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. 1 § 2025.520. Notice of availability of stenographically recorded deposition testimony for reading,..., CA CIV PRO § 2025.520
(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (f), on a seasonable motion to suppress the deposition, accompanied by a meet and confer declaration under Section 2016.040, the court may determine that the reasons given for the failure or refusal to approve the transcript require rejection of the deposition in whole or in part.
(h) The court shall impose a monetary sanction under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 2023.010) against any party, person, or attorney who unsuccessfully makes or opposes a motion to suppress a deposition under this section, unless the court finds that the one subject to the sanction acted with substantial justification or that other circumstances make the imposition of the sanction unjust.
Plain-English Summary
A deposition transcript is not final the moment the reporter finishes typing; the deponent gets a chance to look it over first, and this section spells out that process. Once the original transcript for each session is ready, the deposition officer has to notify the deponent and every attending party, unless everyone has agreed on the record to waive the review process or push it to a different point in the case.
From that notice, the deponent has 30 days, unless everyone agrees to a longer or shorter window, to change the form or substance of any answer and either sign the transcript to approve it or decline to sign. The deponent can also handle this by certified or registered mail instead of showing up in person, with a copy of that letter going out to every attending party. A court can shorten the 30-day period for good cause.
If the deponent never signs or refuses to approve within the deadline, the transcript is treated as approved anyway, subject to whatever changes the deponent did make in time. That default approval is not absolute: on a timely motion to suppress the deposition, backed by a meet and confer declaration, the court can decide that the deponent's stated reasons for refusing to sign justify throwing out all or part of the transcript, and as with other motions in this chapter, the losing side on that motion faces a mandatory sanction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the deponent have to review and sign the transcript?
30 days from the officer's notice, unless the parties and deponent agree to a different period or the court shortens it for good cause.
Can the deponent make changes to answers during that period?
Yes, changes to the form or substance of any answer, made in person or by certified or registered letter to the officer.
What happens if the deponent never signs?
The transcript is treated as approved, subject to any changes the deponent timely made.
Can a party challenge the transcript based on the deponent's refusal to sign?
Yes, through a timely motion to suppress the deposition, accompanied by a meet and confer declaration.
Amendment History
(Added by Stats.2004, c. 182 (A.B.3081), § 23, operative July 1, 2005.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: deposition transcript errata sheet california30 day deadline to sign deposition transcript