Any judge of the superior court may have any opinion given or rendered by the judge in the trial of a felony case or an unlimited civil case, pending in that court, or any necessary order, petition, citation, commitment or judgment in any probate proceeding, proceeding concerning new or additional bonds of county officials or juvenile court proceeding, or the testimony or judgment relating to the custody or support of minor children in any proceeding in which the custody or support of minor children is involved, taken down in shorthand and transcribed together with such copies as the court may deem necessary by the official reporter or an official reporter pro tempore of the court.
§ 274a.Matters to be transcribed in superior court
Title 4. Ministerial Officers of Courts of Justice · Chapter 3. Phonographic Reporters · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 274a authorizes a superior court judge to have an official reporter transcribe opinions, orders, and judgments from felony trials, unlimited civil cases, probate and juvenile proceedings, and testimony bearing on child custody or support.
Full Text of § 274a
Plain-English Summary
§ 274a identifies what an official court reporter, or a reporter pro tempore, may transcribe at a superior court judge’s direction. The list runs across several kinds of proceedings: opinions rendered in felony trials, orders and judgments in unlimited civil cases, necessary orders and judgments in probate matters, proceedings on new or additional bonds for county officials, juvenile court proceedings, and testimony or judgments touching on the custody or support of minor children.
The judge has discretion over how many copies the transcription includes, beyond the transcript itself. The section works alongside §§ 271 and 273, which govern the form the transcript takes and its evidentiary weight once it exists.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
1998 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 274a is amended to accommodate unification of the municipal and superior courts in a county. Cal Const Art IV § 5(e). See Section 85 (limited civil cases) & Comment.
2002 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 274a is amended to reflect enactment of the Trial Court Funding Act. See Gov C §§ 77003 (“court operations” defined), 77009 (Trial Court Operations Fund), 77200 (state funding of trial court operations). See also Gov C §§ 69941 (appointment of official reporters), 70311 (responsibility for court operations and facilities). The section is also amended to delete the reference to insanity proceedings or proceedings for the feebleminded. That provision is superseded by Government Code Section 69952(a)(4) (verbatim record in proceedings under Lanterman–Petris–Short Act). The section is also amended to replace “civil case other than a limited civil case” with a reference to “unlimited civil case.” See Section 88 (civil action or proceeding other than limited civil case may be referred to as unlimited civil case).
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of proceedings can a judge have transcribed under § 274a?
§ 274a covers felony trial opinions, unlimited civil case orders and judgments, probate proceedings, bond proceedings for county officials, juvenile court proceedings, and custody or support testimony.
Does § 274a apply to limited civil cases?
No. The section is limited to unlimited civil cases, reflecting the 1998 amendment accounting for the unification of municipal and superior courts.
Who decides how many transcript copies get made under § 274a?
The court. § 274a lets the reporter prepare the copies the court deems necessary, in addition to the underlying transcription.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1907 ch 22 § 1. Amended Stats 1911 ch 308 § 1; Stats 1929 ch 720 § 1; Stats 1933 ch 740 § 2; Stats 1947 ch 152 § 1; Stats 1963 ch 298 § 1; Stats 1998 ch 931 § 58 (SB 2139), effective September 28, 1998; Stats 2002 ch 784 § 51 (SB 1316).
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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