Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
43-4031.00
Updated 2026

The occupation code you requested, 43-4031.03 (License Clerks), is no longer in use. In the future, please use 43-4031.00 (Court, Municipal, and License Clerks) instead.

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.

Sample of reported job titles: City Clerk, City Recorder, City Secretary, Court Clerk, License Clerk, License Specialist, Motor Vehicle Licensing Clerk, Municipal Clerk, Permit Service Representative (Permit Service Rep), Town Clerk

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • 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.
  • Respond to requests for information from the public, other municipalities, state officials, or state and federal legislative offices.
  • Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions.
  • Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens.
  • 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.
  • Record and maintain all vital and fiscal records and accounts.
  • Prepare dockets or calendars of cases to be called.
  • Prepare and issue orders of the court, such as probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, or summonses.
  • Prepare meeting agendas or packets of related information.
  • Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
  • Train other workers or coordinate their work, as necessary.
  • Answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations.
  • Perform contract administration duties, assisting with bid openings or the awarding of contracts.
  • Perform record checks on past or current licensees, as required by investigations.
  • Perform budgeting duties, such as assisting in budget preparation, expenditure review, or budget administration.
  • Verify the authenticity of documents, such as foreign identification or immigration documents.
  • Search files and contact witnesses, attorneys, or litigants to obtain information for the court.
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Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Detailed Work Activities

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Work Context

  • E-Mail — 91% responded “Every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 84% responded “Every day.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 82% responded “Every day.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 82% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 76% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 78% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Contact With Others — 82% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Spend Time Sitting — 62% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Written Letters and Memos — 71% responded “Every day.”
  • Time Pressure — 60% responded “Every day.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 64% responded “Very important results.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 82% responded “Every day.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 62% responded “Every day.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 56% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 41% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 30% responded “Limited freedom.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 41% responded “Important.”
  • Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People — 29% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Physical Proximity — 40% responded “Slightly close (e.g., shared office).”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 38% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Conflict Situations — 28% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Related Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Job Training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards.
SVP Range
(Below 6.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
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State licenses

Apprenticeship Opportunities

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Worker Requirements

Software Skills

Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Essential Skills

  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Transferable Skills

  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

  • Administrative — Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 50%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required
  • 20%
     
    Associate’s degree or other 2-year degree required
  • 10%
     
    Some college, no degree required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Interests

Interest code: CES
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  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
    • Office Work — Work involves clerical and administrative tasks for an organization such as answering phones, bookkeeping, updating records, scheduling appointments or meetings, and editing of documents and files.
    • Accounting — Work involves examining, analyzing, and interpreting accounting records for financial statements, or maintaining, auditing, or evaluating records and accounts.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
  • Social — Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Work Styles

  • Cautiousness — A tendency to be careful, deliberate, and risk-avoidant when making work-related decisions or doing work.
  • Integrity — A tendency to be honest and ethical at work.
  • Attention to Detail — A tendency to be detail-oriented, organized, and thorough in completing work.
  • Dependability — A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2025)
$23.41 hourly, $48,700 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
180,400 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Average (3% to 4%)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
18,500
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data and 2024-2034 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

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National Associations
Regional Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions