Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Also called: Agent Licensing Clerk, Animal Control Licensing Worker, Appeals Clerk, Appellate Court Clerk, Basic Traffic Minute Clerk, Birth Certification Clerk, Calendar Clerk, Case Clerk
Perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus.
What court, municipal, and license clerks do
Typical 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks salary
The median annual wage for court, municipal, and license clerks is $48,700 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $36,300 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $73,820. The mean annual wage is $52,320.
The mean hourly wage of $25.00 is 3.4× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $48,700 → in 3 years $51,500 → in 5 years $53,400 → in 10 years $58,600 (10-year range $50,400–$68,000). The model assumes pay growth of +1.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Court, Municipal, and License Clerks? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Court, Municipal, and License Clerks
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become court, municipal, and license clerks
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as court, municipal, and license clerks
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.