Court Clerk job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

11

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Court, Municipal, and License Clerks

O*NET-SOC 43-4031.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$48,700

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (O*NET-SOC 43-4031.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Court Clerk” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Plan or direct the maintenance, filing, safekeeping, or computerization of all municipal documents. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees. importance 4.4 of 5
4. Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines. importance 4.4 of 5
5. Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Instruct parties about timing of court appearances. importance 4.2 of 5
8. Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Respond to requests for information from the public, other municipalities, state officials, or state and federal legislative offices. importance 4.1 of 5
10. Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Documenting/Recording Information, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Performing Administrative Activities, Getting Information and Working with Computers.

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.

• Prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings.
• Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
• Prepare ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations so that they can be executed, recorded, archived, or distributed.
• Issue various permits and licenses, such as marriage, fishing, hunting, and dog licenses, and collect appropriate fees.
• Issue public notification of all official activities or meetings.
• Code information on license applications for entry into computers.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, English Language, Law and Government and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Access. 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 long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• 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 court clerks surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (50%).

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Court Clerk to perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Plan or direct the maintenance, filing, safekeeping, or computerization of all municipal documents.
- Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
- Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees.
- Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines.
- Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments.
- Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.
- Instruct parties about timing of court appearances.
- Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.

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 active listening, speaking and reading comprehension
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Administrative
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [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 Court, Municipal, and License Clerks, the median annual wage was $48,700 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $23.41. BLS estimates about 179,750 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Court, Municipal, and License Clerks to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real court clerk posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Plan or direct the maintenance, filing, safekeeping, or…”, 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 court clerk work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.