Hiring Court, Municipal, and License Clerks

What do court, municipal, and license clerks do?

• Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
• Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.
• Verify the authenticity of documents, such as foreign identification or immigration documents.
• Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
• Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.
• Issue public notification of all official activities or meetings.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 43-4031.00.

What does it take to become one?

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

O*NET Job Zone 2, SVP (4.0 to < 6.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat for this role.

What do court, municipal, and license clerks get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for court, municipal, and license clerks in 91 of the metro areas we publish data for. The median ranges from $35,510 to $83,490 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $49,030. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 43-4031.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest median any metro we publish data for pays court, municipal, and license clerks is $83,490 a year, place of work (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $16,698 to $25,047 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a court clerk search fill?

Typically 23 to 35 days, and typically 2 to 3x faster than a contingency search, per our recruiting partner's published figures. Both are typical rather than guaranteed.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.