Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus. May prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees.
Also called: Agent Licensing Clerk, Animal Control Licensing Worker, Appeals Clerk, Appellate Court Clerk, Basic Traffic Minute Clerk, Birth Certification Clerk
Median pay
$48,700
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$36,300 – $73,820
People employed
179,750
Holland code
CES
Conventional · Enterprising · Social
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you want a job with little physical risk?
- 2.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 3.Do you want the same hours every week?
- 4.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
- 5.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 6.Are you comfortable sitting at a desk most of the day?
- 7.Do you prefer working indoors?
- 8.Do you work well under tight deadlines?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks salary in every state →
What court, municipal, and license clerks do
- 01Prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings.
- 02Plan or direct the maintenance, filing, safekeeping, or computerization of all municipal documents.
- 03Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
- 04Prepare ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations so that they can be executed, recorded, archived, or distributed.
- 05Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
- 06Issue various permits and licenses, such as marriage, fishing, hunting, and dog licenses, and collect appropriate fees.
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administrative
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
Education and first steps
O*NET has no education survey data for this job.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.
- On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from court, municipal, and license clerks
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers91% · +20%
- Office Clerks, General91% · −8%
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive91% · −2%
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks90% · +1%
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants87% · +14%
Change into court, municipal, and license clerks
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants88% · $55,570
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive88% · $47,540
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers87% · $58,650
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks83% · $49,230
- Office Clerks, General81% · $45,010