Taxation of Costs

(a) Time to File. Within 30 days of the entry of a judgment, the prevailing party shall file a bill of costs with the clerk and serve a copy of the bill on each adverse party. If the bill of costs is not filed within 30 days, costs other than those of the clerk, taxable pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1920, shall be deemed waived. The court may, on motion filed within the time provided for the filing of the bill of costs, extend the time for filing the bill.

(b) Transcript Costs. Subject to the provisions of Fed.R.Civ.P. 54(d), the expense of any prevailing party in necessarily obtaining all or any part of a transcript for use in a case, for purposes of a new trial, or amended findings, or for appeal shall be taxable as costs against the adverse party. If in taxing costs the clerk finds that a transcript or deposition was necessarily obtained, the costs of the transcript or deposition shall not exceed the regular copy rate as established by the Judicial Conference of the United States and in effect at the time the transcript or deposition was filed unless some other rate was previously provided for by order of court. Court reporter appearance fees may be awarded in addition to the per page limit, but the fees shall not exceed the published rates on the Court website unless another rate was previously provided by order of court. Except as otherwise ordered by the court, only the cost of the original of such transcript or deposition together with the cost of one copy each where needed by counsel and, for depositions, the copy provided to the court shall be allowed.

(c) Bond Premiums. If costs shall be awarded by the court to either or any party then the reasonable premiums or expenses paid on all bonds or stipulations or other security given by the party in that suit shall be taxed as part of the costs of that party.

(d) Fee of Special Master. After a master’s compensation and disbursements have been allowed by the court, the prevailing party may pay such compensation and disbursements, and on payment the amount thereof shall be a taxable cost against the unsuccessful party or parties. Where, however, the court directs by order the parties against whom, or the proportion in which such compensation and disbursements shall be charged, or the fund or subject matter out of which they shall be paid, the party making the payment to the master shall be entitled to tax such compensation and disbursements only against such parties and in such proportions as the court has directed, and to payment of such taxable cost only out of such fund or subject matter as the court has directed.

Committee Comment

This Rule has been amended in response to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Harney v. City of Chicago, ___ F.3d ___, 2012 WL 6097336 *10 (7th Cir. Dec. 10, 2012), in which the Court of Appeals recommended adoption of "an amendment of that rule [LR 54.1] clarifying the availability of court reporter appearance fees over and above the allowable per page amount."

Amended May 24, 2013 and February 26, 2026