In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Arranging for Payment
You have 14 days after the final judgment to make arrangements to pay for the record or transcript preparation fees, unless you have been declared indigent.
- If you cannot afford the record fee, you may ask for a fee waiver or deferral.
- The court that previously heard your case will have a recording on either CD or audio tape. These are accepted from most Superior Courts for the Record on Appeal. To get an audio recording, you contact the lower court clerk and pay for it at that time. You will receive a copy an they will send a copy to the Superior Court and appellee.
- If the proceeding was longer than one hour some Superior Courts will require a written transcription. If this is the case you will need to pay a court-approved transcriber to transcribe the record. Contact the court to learn if they can provide a transcriber for you or if you will have to hire your own transcriber. The costs vary on location and transcriber.
- CD's and audio tapes can cost $12.00-$20.00. Transcripts can be billed by either the page or the hour. Prices range from $3.00-$4.00 per page and around $150.00 per hour.
- Keep receipts of transactions for your records