§ 2404 Expenses

If you ask a judge or court staff to travel somewhere outside the courthouse, like to take testimony from a witness or gather records, you have to pay for their travel costs. This covers real expenses they actually spend on the trip, such as transportation, meals, or lodging if needed.

The rule makes sense because court staff normally work inside the courthouse. If your case needs them to go somewhere else, that creates extra costs the court wouldn't otherwise have. Since you're the one asking for this special trip, you're responsible for covering what it actually costs, not the court or other parties in the case.