Spokane County Superior Court is the largest trial court in eastern Washington, with 13 judges and 8 commissioners all based at the Spokane County Courthouse at 1116 West Broadway Avenue. Vernon Court Reporters is on the Spokane County approved transcriptionist list and can begin work on your transcript as soon as you have the recording in hand.
Which Courtrooms Are Electronically Recorded
Every judge in Spokane County employs a full-time court reporter. If your hearing was in front of a judge, that reporter has the record — contact them directly to arrange a transcript. Vernon does not transcribe stenographic records.
Commissioner courtrooms are electronically recorded. Spokane County has eight commissioners: seven handle civil, domestic, juvenile, civil mental health, and adoption matters, and one Criminal Commissioner presides over the First Appearance docket for adult felony cases. All of those proceedings are recorded and eligible for transcription by an approved transcriptionist. If you had a Commissioner hearing — whether it was a custody motion, a protection order, a juvenile matter, or a felony first appearance — we can transcribe it.
Not sure which type of proceeding you had? You can look up your case on the Spokane County Court Viewer or call the Clerk’s Office directly.
How to Get Your Audio Recording
Spokane County records hearings using FTR Gold digital recording software. CDs are available through the Clerk’s Office at a cost of $25 per CD per case number. If your hearing spans multiple CDs, each disc is an additional $25. If a single case number had multiple hearings, those can be copied onto the same CD for the flat $25 fee.
To request a CD, visit the Clerk’s Office at the Spokane County Courthouse or contact them at spokanecounty.gov. Once you have the disc, ship it to us or upload the audio through our platform.
One practical note: the FTR Gold format requires a specific player to listen to the recordings. You do not need to worry about that — we handle it on our end.
Turn Your Recording Into a Certified Transcript
- Request your CD from the Spokane County Clerk’s Office at 1116 West Broadway Avenue. Cost is $25 per CD per case number.
- Ship the CD to our office or upload the audio through our platform.
- We transcribe the proceedings verbatim, certify the transcript, and deliver it ready for filing.
- Register an account on our platform.
- Upload your audio file or share the download link from the court.
- Get an instant quote with pricing and an estimated delivery time.
- Submit your request and we will take care of the rest.
Revision Motions and Transcript Deadlines
A large share of Commissioner transcript requests in Spokane County come from revision motions — when a party wants a judge to review a Commissioner’s ruling. Under Spokane County local rules, the moving party must file a transcript of the Commissioner’s oral ruling and the parties’ oral argument, and that transcript must be provided at least three days before the revision hearing. That is a tight window, especially if the recording request takes a few days to process. We know this timeline and can work within it.
Who We Help in Spokane County
We work with criminal defense attorneys pulling transcripts from First Appearance hearings and pretrial proceedings, family law attorneys seeking revision of Commissioner rulings on custody and support, civil litigants building an appellate record, and people representing themselves who need an accurate written account of what happened in their hearing. Spokane County’s court system also handles a high volume of behavioral health and therapeutic court proceedings — drug court, mental health court — and those transcripts come through us as well.
Why Choose Vernon Court Reporters
We have been serving Washington courts for over 40 years. Every transcript is verbatim and certified for official use.
Vernon is approved in courts across eastern Washington, including Benton and Franklin County, Chelan County, and Whitman County.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GR 35?
- GR 35 is Washington State General Rule 35, which requires every Superior Court to maintain a list of approved transcriptionists. Only transcriptionists on that list — like Vernon Court Reporters — can prepare official certified transcripts of electronically recorded court proceedings for use on appeal.
- Is Vernon Court Reporters approved for all case types in Spokane County?
- Yes. We can transcribe proceedings from any case type heard in Spokane County Superior Court that was electronically recorded — including criminal, civil, family law, probate, and juvenile matters.
- How long does transcription take?
- Most transcripts are returned within 3 to 5 business days. Rush and same-day options are available depending on recording length.
- Can I order a transcript if I am representing myself?
- Yes. We regularly work with self-represented litigants. The process is the same regardless of whether you have an attorney.
