(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 2025.320, unless the court issues an order to the contrary, a copy of the transcript of the deposition testimony made by, or at the direction of, any party, or an audio or video recording of the deposition testimony, if still in the possession of the deposition officer, shall be made available by the deposition officer to any person requesting a copy, on payment of a reasonable charge set by the deposition officer.
§ 2025.570.Request and payment for copy of transcript or audio or video recording;
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 2025.570 lets anyone request a copy of a deposition transcript or recording from the deposition officer for a reasonable charge, requires the officer to notify the deponent and all parties of the request and their right to seek a protective order, and releases the copy only if no protective order arrives within 30 days.
Full Text of § 2025.570
(b) If a copy is requested from the deposition officer, the deposition officer shall mail a notice to all parties attending the deposition and to the deponent at the deponent's last known address advising them of all of the following:
(1) The copy is being sought.
(2) The name of the person requesting the copy.
(3) The right to seek a protective order under Section 2025.420.
(c) If a protective order is not served on the deposition officer within 30 days of the mailing of the notice, the deposition officer shall make the copy available to the person requesting the copy.
(d) This section shall apply only to recorded testimony taken at depositions occurring on or after January 1, 1998.
Plain-English Summary
Depositions sometimes attract interest from people well outside the original case, and this section governs how anyone, whether a party or a stranger to the litigation, can get a copy of a transcript or recording still in the deposition officer's possession. Absent a contrary court order, the officer has to make a copy available to whoever asks, for a reasonable charge the officer sets.
Before handing anything over, though, the officer has to mail notice to every party who attended the deposition and to the deponent, telling them that a copy has been requested, naming the requester, and reminding them of their right to seek a protective order under Section 2025.420. If no one serves a protective order on the officer within 30 days of that notice, the officer releases the copy to whoever asked for it.
The section carries a temporal limit worth flagging: it applies only to recorded testimony from depositions that took place on or after January 1, 1998, so older depositions fall outside its reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who wasn't a party to the case get a copy of a deposition?
Yes, from the deposition officer, for a reasonable charge, absent a contrary court order.
What must the officer do before releasing a copy?
Notify all attending parties and the deponent of the request, the requester's identity, and the right to seek a protective order.
How long do parties have to block the release?
30 days from the officer's notice; if no protective order is served by then, the officer releases the copy.
Does this section apply to older depositions?
No, it applies only to depositions taken on or after January 1, 1998.
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: requesting copy of deposition transcript californiathird party access deposition recording