Licensing by state / Alabama

Court reporter licensing in Alabama

Alabama requires a state credential to work as a court reporter.

State credential required

Yes

Credential

Alabama Certified Court Reporter (ACCR); the statute uses the term Certified Court Reporter (C.C.R.)

Issued by

Alabama Board of Court Reporting (ABCR)

How you qualify

Code of Ala. 34-8B-10 requires passing a Written Knowledge Examination (administered by the board, ACRA, NCRA or NVRA) and either passing an Alabama skills examination or documenting passage of the NCRA Registered Professional Reporter exam or the NVRA CVR exam. Board rule 257-X-3-.03 implements this as the NCRA Written Knowledge Test plus the RPR, the NVRA exam, or the Alabama Skills Examination administered by the Alabama Court Reporters Association; rule 257-X-3-.02 also requires proof of graduation from a court reporting program or its equivalent, and a current RPR or CVR counts as equivalency.

NCRA RPR accepted

Yes

Fees

Board fee schedule, rule 257-X-7-A (chapter revised 4/14/25): License Fee $200; Application Fee $50; Renewal Fee $200; Late Renewal Fee 20% of license fee per month; Temporary License Fee $300; Reinstatement Fee $300; Reciprocal Licensure Fee $200; Non-resident Licensure Fee $200; Change of Information Fee $25. The 2026-2027 renewal notice lists renewal at $200 in August-September, $240 in October and $280 in November.

Renewal

Annual. Every license lapses September 30 each year (rule 257-X-3-.04); renew in the 60 days before September 30; late renewal allowed up to 60 days after lapse with a late fee, after which the license expires and the exam must be retaken.

Continuing education

5 hours of continuing education per renewal period (the 12 months preceding September 30), rule 257-X-6-.01; extra hours may roll over for up to 36 months.

The license requirement (34-8B-3) covers anyone who practices court reporting or holds out as a court reporter, and the statutory definition of court reporting includes depositions, so it applies to both official and freelance reporters. Court reporting is defined to include manual shorthand, machine shorthand and closed microphone voice dictation silencer, and the NVRA CVR is accepted, so voice writing is licensable. Graduates of a court reporting program may hold an 18-month non-renewable temporary license while working under a supervising licensed reporter (34-8B-15; rule 257-X-3-.01). Nonresident reporters must obtain an annual nonresident license (34-8B-11). Practicing for pay without a license is a Class C misdemeanor and unlicensed reporters cannot sue to collect fees (34-8B-8). The board is subject to sunset review every four years (34-8B-18). Licensing began under Act 2006-200.

Exam speeds and legs for the national credentials are on the certifications page; the path from school to the exam is in how to become a court reporter.