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 Bill Text - AB-1524 Courts: fees.

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 |Add To My Favorites |Track Bill | Version: 10/03/25 - Chaptered
 09/16/25 - Enrolled
 08/29/25 - Amended Senate
 06/19/25 - Amended Senate
 04/23/25 - Amended Assembly
 03/18/25 - Introduced

 AB-1524 Courts: fees.(2025-2026)

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 Date Published: 10/06/2025 02:00 PM

AB1524:v94#DOCUMENTBill Start

 Assembly Bill

 No. 1524

 CHAPTER 306

 An act to amend Sections 68150 and 70631 of the Government Code, relating to courts. 

 [
 Approved by

 Governor
 October 03, 2025.

 Filed with

 Secretary of State
 October 03, 2025.
 ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1524, Committee on Judiciary.
 Courts: fees.

Existing law, the Uniform Civil Fees and Standard Fee Schedule Act of 2005, establishes a set fee schedule for courts to implement for, among other things, filings, service, and changes of venue.

Existing law authorizes the court to charge a reasonable fee that does not exceed the costs of providing the service or product, if the Judicial Council approves the fee, as specified.

The bill would instead prohibit the court from charging a fee that exceeds the cost to the court of providing the service or product. The bill would require any fee not explicitly authorized by statute or rule to be approved by the Judicial Council. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, by December 1, 2027, to report to the Legislature, as specified, regarding each fee charged by a superior court in the 2026–27
 fiscal year for which the revenue collected by and distributed to the court as a result of the fee exceeds the court’s cost of providing the service or product. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, by December 1, 2028, and December 1, 2029, to report certain data to the Legislature, as specified, regarding the 2027–28 and 2028–29 fiscal years, respectively.

Existing law authorizes trial court records to be created, maintained, and preserved in any form of communication or representation, including paper, optical, electronic, magnetic, micrographic, or photographic media or other technology. Existing law requires those court records be made reasonably accessible to the public for viewing and duplication, with a reasonable provision controlling for the costs of duplication, as specified.

This bill would require court records maintained in electronic form to be viewable at the court and be available for
 duplication at a cost, as specified. The bill would allow a member of the public to request to view or duplicate accessible records, on the premises of the court and with the requester’s equipment in a manner that does not make physical contact with the record, without being charged any fees or costs to reproduce the record, unless reproduction would result in, among other things, damage to the record or unauthorized access to the court’s computer systems or networks, as specified. The bill would authorize the court to impose reasonable limits on the use of the requester’s equipment that are necessary to protect the safety of the records or prevent the copying of the records from being an unreasonable burden, as specified.

Digest Key

 Vote:
 MAJORITY 
 Appropriation:
 NO 
 Fiscal Committee:
 YES 
 Local Program:
 NO 

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 68150 of the Government Code is amended to read:

68150.

 (a) Trial court records may be created, maintained, and preserved in any form or forms of communication or representation, including paper, optical, electronic, magnetic, micrographic, or photographic media or other technology pursuant to the rules adopted by the Judicial Council pursuant to subdivision (c).

(b) (1) This section does not apply to court reporters’ transcripts or to specifications for electronic recordings made as the official record of oral proceedings. These records shall be governed by the California Rules of Court.

(2) This section does not apply to original wills and codicils delivered to
 the clerk of the court under Section 8200 of the Probate Code. Original wills and codicils shall be retained as provided in Section 26810.

(c) The Judicial Council shall adopt rules to establish the standards or guidelines for the creation, maintenance, reproduction, or preservation of court records, including records that must be preserved permanently. The standards or guidelines shall reflect industry standards for each me