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How much do court records cost?
Getting copies of a court file is priced three ways: per page for the copies, a flat fee to certify them, and — online — PACER's $0.10 a page for federal records. The schedules below are the ones courts actually publish.
Federal courts: the clerk's counter prices
| Service (U.S. District Courts) | Fee |
|---|---|
| Paper copy of any record | $0.50 per page |
| Certification of any document | $12 |
| Exemplification of any document | $24 |
| Apostille | $50 |
| Search of the court records | $34 per name or item searched |
| Audio recording of a proceeding | $34 |
| Retrieval of a box of records from a Federal Records Center | $70 for the first box, $43 for each additional box |
U.S. Courts — District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, effective December 1, 2023. The courts of appeal publish the same $0.50 copy and $12 certification figures on their own schedule.
Federal records online: PACER
PACER access costs $0.10 per page, with the charge for any single document capped at $3.00 (the cap does not apply to transcripts or name searches). If your total for a calendar quarter is $30 or less, the fees are waived for that period — most occasional users pay nothing. Digital audio files of hearings are $2.40 each. Viewing the same records at a courthouse public terminal is free; printing from the terminal is $0.10 a page.
California: copies, certification, and searches
| Service (California Superior Courts) | Fee |
|---|---|
| Preparing a copy of any record (Gov. Code §70627(a)) | $0.50 per page |
| Certifying a copy (§70626(a)(4)) | $40 per document |
| Comparing your copy against the original (§70627(b)) | $1 per page |
| Searching records or files, per search over 10 minutes (§70627(c)) | $15 |
| Exemplification of a record (§70628) | $50 |
| Certified copy of a marriage or dissolution record (§70674) | $15 |
Oregon
Oregon prices exemplification at $10 plus $0.25 per page for paper copies (ORS 21.258, per the Oregon Judicial Department's circuit court fee schedule) — the structure differs from the federal and California flat-certification model, which is why a “certified copy” and an “exemplified copy” are not the same product or the same price.
Why your state may not be listed
In many states, copy and certification charges are set by each county clerk rather than statewide, so no single honest figure exists — the state guides link the clerk schedules to check. Expect the pattern, though: a per-page copy charge, a flat certification fee on top, and a search charge only when staff have to dig (short searches are usually free or included).
Which copy do you actually need?
Plain copy — for your own records; cheapest. Certified copy — the clerk stamps it as a true copy of the original; this is what agencies, employers, and other courts usually ask for (divorce decrees, name-change orders, adoption decrees). Exemplified copy — a triple-certified package used when another state or country must act on the document. Buying the wrong tier wastes the fee: ask the receiving office which one it wants before you order.
Sources: U.S. Courts — District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule · PACER — How much does it cost to access documents? · California Statewide Civil Fee Schedule (Judicial Council, effective January 1, 2026), rows 182–190 · Oregon Judicial Department Circuit Court Fee Schedule (ORS 21.258). Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.
State figures: see each state guide for its named official source.