How to become Court, Municipal, and License Clerk in 2024

Court, Municipal, and License Clerk 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.

Court, Municipal, and License Clerk is Also Know as

In different settings, Court, Municipal, and License Clerk is titled as

  • City Clerk
  • City Recorder
  • Court Clerk
  • License Clerk
  • License Specialist
  • Motor Vehicle Field Representative (MVFR)
  • Motor Vehicle Licensing Clerk
  • Municipal Clerk
  • Permits Specialist
  • Town Clerk

Education and Training of Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

Court, Municipal, and License Clerk is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

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

Education Required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

Training Required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

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.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Court, Municipal, and License Clerk in different industries are

What Do Court, Municipal, and License Clerk do?

  • Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
  • 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.
  • Record and maintain all vital and fiscal records and accounts.
  • Answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations.
  • Prepare meeting agendas or packets of related information.
  • Prepare and issue orders of the court, such as probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, or summonses.
  • Prepare ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations so that they can be executed, recorded, archived, or distributed.
  • Code information on license applications for entry into computers.
  • Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees.
  • Perform budgeting duties, such as assisting in budget preparation, expenditure review, or budget administration.
  • Perform record checks on past or current licensees, as required by investigations.
  • Prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings.
  • Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
  • Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments.
  • 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.
  • Search files and contact witnesses, attorneys, or litigants to obtain information for the court.
  • Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions.
  • Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines.
  • Train other workers or coordinate their work, as necessary.
  • Instruct parties about timing of court appearances.
  • Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens.
  • Perform contract administration duties, assisting with bid openings or the awarding of contracts.
  • Participate in the administration of municipal elections, such as preparation or distribution of ballots, appointment or training of election officers, or tabulation or certification of results.
  • Issue various permits and licenses, such as marriage, fishing, hunting, and dog licenses, and collect appropriate fees.
  • Plan or direct the maintenance, filing, safekeeping, or computerization of all municipal documents.
  • Prepare dockets or calendars of cases to be called.

Qualities of Good Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

  • 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).
  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • 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).
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • 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.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.

Tools Used by Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

  • Audio recording equipment
  • Ballot marking devices
  • Ballot marking systems
  • Cash drawers
  • Computer data input scanners
  • Computer inkjet printers
  • Computer laser printers
  • Computer touch screens
  • Copy machines
  • Credit card processing machines
  • Desktop calculators
  • Dictating equipment
  • Digital audio recorders
  • Digital data input scanners
  • Digital still cameras
  • Document mailing equipment
  • Document shredders
  • Electric typewriters
  • Laser facsimile machines
  • License photo printers
  • Mechanical lever voting machines
  • Microfilm viewing equipment
  • Mobile radios
  • Multiline telephone systems
  • Notary public seal presses
  • Notary public stamps
  • Optical scan equipment
  • Personal computers
  • Printing calculators
  • Punch card voting systems
  • Steno writers
  • Touchscreen vote recording equipment
  • Vision testing machines

Technology Skills required for Court, Municipal, and License Clerk

  • Abilis CORIS Offender Management System
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Data Technologies Summit
  • Email software
  • IBM Judicial Enforcement Management System JEMS
  • IBM Notes
  • LexisNexis
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Spreadsheet applications
  • Syscon Court Clerk
  • Thomson Reuters Westlaw
  • Work scheduling software
  • Zoom