Copies of the recorded proceeding are available for purchase by completing the order form and including the correct fee. Portions of the proceeding can be transcribed to prepare findings or to prepare a motion, and the attorney or party shall select and arrange for the transcriptionist. A court-approved transcriber is required to prepare a verbatim report of proceedings on appeal but is not required in the preparation of any part of the record for a purpose other than an appeal.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING COPIES OF A RECORDED PROCEEDING
Please follow these steps to order copies of Superior Court digital recordings (Juvenile Court orders are processed by Juvenile Court staff, please contact them at 360.577.3100) :
Zoom dockets are still recorded using ForTheRecord (FTR) in the Courtroom and participants on Zoom do NOT appear in the recording.
Complete the Cowlitz County Superior Court >> Public CD Order Form<< and return it to the Cowlitz County Superior Court Clerk's office with payment. Please note that incomplete forms will not be accepted. Incorrect information will significantly delay the completion of the order. For records that are greater than 10-years old, contact Court Administration to verify that audio-visual records are available prior to submitting the order form and payment. Some older recordings are on VHS tapes and there will be an additional fee to have these transferred to CD.
The charge is: $15 for each case number requested and must fit on one thumb drive. Large requests may cost more. The Clerk’s office will only accept payments in the amount of $15 unless they have written verification of cost from Court Administration. Extremely large requests (more than 16 hours of recording) will require additional payment. Court Administration will notify you prior to proceeding regarding additional costs or you can contact Court Administration prior to submitting your request for a quote.
Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted. Do NOT mail cash.
Orders can generally be completed in 7 - 10 business days after they are received. If you have an urgent request and need your records within 7 days, please email SuperiorCourtAdministration@cowlitzwa.gov to make arrangements.
The computer program used to make the recordings is called For the Record (FTR). Windows and other media players cannot read or play FTR recordings. To view the recording(s) and for questions about FTR, visit www.fortherecord.com. FTR is incompatible with some operating systems. To play an FTR recording, your system must have: Internet capabilities, Windows 8 / 7 / XP SP3. If you do not have a compatible operating system, you can request an audio only .mp3 recording.
You can request to have your recordings emailed to you via Dropbox (once this link has been emailed, it will be available for 7 days), mailed to you via US Mail service or you can pick them up in the Superior Court Clerk's office.
Please do not hesitate to contact Court Administration at SuperiorCourtAdministration@cowlitzwa.gov or 360-577-3085 if you have any questions.
