To get a Maryland District Court audio recording, file Form DCA-119 with the clerk’s office at the courthouse where your case was heard. Electronic delivery by email costs $10 per case, and a physical CD costs $15 per case. Recordings are generally ready within 30 days, and cases heard more than three years ago may no longer be available, so don’t sit on the request.
What You Get and What It Costs
Every courtroom proceeding in the District Court is recorded electronically, and the clerk can release that audio to you in one of two formats. Electronic delivery sends the file through Citrix ShareFile to the email address on your request for $10 per case. A CD runs $15 per case and arrives as a data disc designed to play on a Windows-based computer.
The fee is per case, not per hearing day or per session. Payment is due up front, and all fees are non-refundable unless a statute says otherwise. If you overpay, you have to make a separate written, in-person, or telephone request to get the difference back.
Requests are processed first come, first served. There is no expedited option for audio recordings, no matter how urgent the reason.
Information to Have Ready
Incomplete requests get kicked back. Before you fill anything out, pull together:
- The case number, exactly as it appears on your court paperwork.
- The hearing date. If your case ran across more than one date, list each.
- The judge’s name, which helps the clerk find the right recording file.
- The District Court location where the hearing was held.
If any of this is missing from your records, call the clerk’s office at the courthouse where your hearing took place. One wrong detail can delay the request or produce the wrong audio.
Filing Form DCA-119
The form is titled “Request for CD Recording / Transcript / Electronic Recording” and designated DCA-119. Some older references call it DR-015 or DR-15; the current form is DCA-119. Download it from the Maryland Courts website or pick up a paper copy at any District Court clerk’s office for free.
Fill in your case number, hearing date, court location, and contact information, then check the box for the format you want: CD, electronic recording, or transcript. Write legibly if you’re completing it by hand. A plain letter containing the same information is also accepted, but the form is harder to leave something off of.
Submit the completed form to the clerk’s office at the District Court location where your case was heard. You can file in person or by mail. Payment has to accompany the form. For mail, send a check or money order; never send cash. In-person filings generally also take cash and credit cards, though accepted methods vary by location, so a quick call ahead is worth it.
How Long It Takes
Audio recordings are generally completed within 30 days of the request. The clerk will either mail the CD to the address on your form or hold it for pickup; electronic recordings go to your email. If the window passes with no word, call the clerk’s office to confirm your request is still in the queue.
The Three-Year Retention Limit
The District Court does not keep recordings indefinitely. Both Form DCA-119 and the court’s website warn that cases heard more than three years ago may not be available. Once a recording is gone, there’s no way to reconstruct it, and the court has no obligation to preserve it past that point. If there’s any chance you’ll want the audio later, request it now.
Playing Back a CD
The District Court’s recording system produces discs formatted for Windows-based computers, so you’ll need a Windows machine with a disc drive to play one. Mac users may need extra software or a Windows emulator. If your computer has no disc drive, the $10 electronic option is the easier route since the file comes by email and plays on any device that handles standard audio.
When You Need a Written Transcript Instead
Audio is what most people want for personal review or to prepare for another hearing. A written transcript is a different request, and the District Court only produces one in accordance with Maryland Rule 7-102(b), which governs the record on appeal. If you aren’t appealing, the court may not process a transcript request at all.
Transcripts cost a $75 deposit up front and $3.00 per page at standard turnaround (22 business days or more), with any balance billed after completion. A first copy is an additional $0.50 per page. Faster turnarounds are available at higher per-page rates set by an administrative order under Maryland Rule 16-505, ranging up to $8.00 per page for same-day delivery by 10 PM. If the transcriber delivers late, you’re charged the rate that matches the actual delivery time, not the expedited rate you ordered. Standard transcript production can take up to 60 days.
If you’re appealing a District Court decision, Maryland Rule 8-411 requires the appellant to order the transcript within ten days after the first notice of appeal is filed, unless the court orders otherwise. The request still goes through DCA-119 and the same clerk’s office.
If you can’t afford transcript fees for a District Court appeal, you can apply for a waiver of transcript preparation costs. The court decides based on your financial situation, and application forms are on the Maryland Courts website. This waiver covers District Court appeals only; it does not apply to transcript costs in cases originally heard in Circuit Court.