§ 6-1405.Recording of court proceedings; request for transcription; request for copy of digital recording.
Article 14: Uniform County Court Rules of Practice and Procedure · Last amended September 13, 2023 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceSection 6-1405 requires county court proceedings to be recorded and preserved, sets out how anyone can request a transcript or a copy of the digital audio recording, restricts copies of closed “restricted hearings,” and fixes the fees for providing an emailed or downloaded audio copy.
(A)All proceedings in county court shall be recorded, and such proceedings shall be preserved as set forth in the County Court Records Retention Schedule. Requests for a transcription of such recording shall be made and paid for as in § 6-1452.
(B)Except for "restricted hearings," as defined herein, in cases where the county court proceedings have been digitally recorded by the court, any person may request a copy of the audio record of a court proceeding. The request shall be made on a form approved by the State Court Administrator as set out at Appendix 6 and shall contain:
(1)The case number, case name, date, time and location, and judge of the hearing for which the copy of the recording is sought;
(2)That portion of the hearing requested;
(3)Acknowledgment that the recording is not the official court record; and
(4)Requesting party's agreement that it will comply with all laws regarding privacy of information; and agreement not to publish or disseminate any content that may be protected, including, but not limited to, the information described in §§ 6-1521, 6-1464, and 6-1701.
(C)A request to limit public access to information in a court recording may be made by any party to a case, an individual identified in the court record, or on the court's own motion. For good cause, the court may limit the manner or extent of public access. In limiting the manner or extent of access, the court will use the least restrictive means that achieves the purposes of these access rules in light of the stated needs of the requestor.
(D)"Restricted hearings" shall mean any court proceeding that is closed to the public for any reason or any proceeding subject to an order pursuant to § 6-1405(C). Parties, counsel of record, and individuals present and participating in "restricted hearings" may request a copy of the audio record of such restricted hearings. The requesting party shall be required to give notice of the request to all interested parties and advise them of their right to file, with the court within 10 days, an objection to the requested copy. If an objection is filed, the court shall set a hearing giving the objector an opportunity to show cause why the copy should not be provided, or why it should be redacted in some manner.
(E)Before providing a digital copy of the hearing, court staff shall review the court file of the proceeding subject to the request to determine if any access limitation under § 6-1405(C) has been ordered or is pending. Court staff shall also notify the judge presiding at the hearing which is the subject of the request(s), or the presiding judge of the jurisdiction, of the request for a digital copy.
(F)The cost of the digital copy shall be paid prior to preparation of the copy. There shall be a $5 charge for each hearing requested if the audio file is directly emailed to the requestor. If the requestor asks to have the court audio downloaded onto a digital storage device, there will be an additional charge of $5 for each digital storage device, which will be provided by the county court.
Amendment History
Rule 5 amended November 10, 2004. Renumbered and codified as § 6-1405, effective July 18, 2008; § 6-1405 amended June 8, 2011; § 6-1405(A) - (F) amended November 23, 2011; § 6-1405(C), (E), and (F) amended June 9, 2021, effective January 1, 2022; § 6-1405(F) amended September 13, 2023.
Plain-English Summary
Every proceeding in Nebraska county court gets recorded, and the recording is kept under the County Court Records Retention Schedule. If you need a written transcript of a hearing, § 6-1452 tells you how to request and pay for it. Section 6-1405 itself addresses a separate request: getting a copy of the digital audio recording.
Anyone can ask for a copy of an audio recording, using a form the State Court Administrator approves, and the request has to identify the case, the hearing, and the portion wanted, along with an acknowledgment that the recording is not the official court record and a promise to follow privacy law and not spread around protected information. Before handing over a copy, court staff check whether any order limits public access to that hearing and let the presiding judge know a request came in. A party, an individual named in the case, or the court on its own can ask the court to limit access to a recording for good cause, and the court is supposed to use the narrowest restriction that gets the job done.
Some hearings are closed to the public altogether, or covered by an access-limiting order — the rule calls these “restricted hearings.” People who were present and participating in one can still request a copy of the recording, but they have to notify everyone else involved and give them ten days to object. If someone objects, the court holds a hearing to decide whether the copy should be withheld or redacted.
Cost is set out plainly: payment happens before the copy gets made. Emailing an audio file costs five dollars per hearing requested, and downloading it onto a storage device adds another five dollars per device, with the county court supplying the device.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a transcript of a Nebraska county court hearing?
Transcription requests are made and paid for under § 6-1452, separate from the digital audio copy process described in this section.
Can any member of the public request a copy of the audio recording of a hearing?
Yes, for hearings that are not “restricted hearings,” using the form the State Court Administrator approves, and identifying the case and the portion of the hearing wanted.
What is a “restricted hearing” under this rule?
A proceeding closed to the public for any reason, or one covered by an order limiting access under subsection (C).
Can I get a copy of the recording from a closed hearing I attended?
Parties, counsel of record, and people who were present and participating can request a copy, but must notify other interested parties, who then have ten days to object.
What happens if someone objects to a request for a copy of a restricted hearing’s recording?
The court holds a hearing so the objector can show cause why the copy should be withheld or redacted.
How much does it cost to get a copy of a hearing recording?
Five dollars per hearing if the audio file is emailed, plus an additional five dollars for each digital storage device if the recording is downloaded onto one, payable before the copy is made.
Can a court limit public access to a recording even without a restricted hearing?
Yes. Any party, an individual identified in the record, or the court on its own motion can ask the court to limit access for good cause, using the least restrictive means available.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Judicial Branch, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Nebraska. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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