Bailiff job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Bailiffs

O*NET-SOC 33-3011.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$56,600

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Bailiffs (O*NET-SOC 33-3011.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Bailiff” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: its O*NET occupation title, O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings. importance 4.6 of 5
3. Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees. importance 4.4 of 5
5. Guard lodging of sequestered jury. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Enforce courtroom rules of behavior and warn persons not to smoke or disturb court procedure. importance 4.4 of 5
7. Arrest persons in court when arrest warrants have been issued. importance 4.3 of 5
8. Report need for police or medical assistance to sheriff's office. importance 4.2 of 5
9. Check courtroom for security and cleanliness and assure availability of sundry supplies, such as notepads, for use by judge, jurors, and attorneys. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Stop people from entering courtroom while judge charges jury. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Screen, control, and handle evidence and exhibits during court proceedings. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Provide assistance to the public, such as directions to court offices. importance 4.0 of 5
13. Announce entrance of judge. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings and Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Provide jury escort to restaurant and other areas outside of courtroom to prevent jury contact with public.

Knowledge areas: Public Safety and Security, Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service and Psychology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Office software, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among bailiffs surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (40%).

Job title: Bailiff
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Bailiff to maintain order in courts of law.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray machines, and other devices to collect and retain unauthorized firearms and other contraband.
- Escort prisoners to and from courthouse and maintain custody of prisoners during court proceedings.
- Maintain order in courtroom during trial and guard jury from outside contact.
- Provide security by patrolling interior and exterior of courthouse and escorting judges and other court employees.
- Guard lodging of sequestered jury.
- Enforce courtroom rules of behavior and warn persons not to smoke or disturb court procedure.
- Arrest persons in court when arrest warrants have been issued.
- Report need for police or medical assistance to sheriff's office.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in social perceptiveness, speaking and monitoring
- Working knowledge of Public Safety and Security and Law and Government
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Office software or Adobe Acrobat]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Bailiffs, the median annual wage was $56,600 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $27.21. BLS estimates about 17,310 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Bailiffs to decline 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real bailiff posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Screen persons entering courthouse using magnetometers, x-ray…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only bailiff work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (social perceptiveness and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.