Licensing by state / District of Columbia

Court reporter licensing in District of Columbia

District of Columbia does not require a state license to work as a court reporter. Our source for this page is a secondary summary; treat it as a lead, not the rule.

State credential required

No

Credential

None. No state credential exists.

Issued by

No state board; courts and agencies set their own hiring standards (see notes).

How you qualify

No state exam. Employers commonly ask for an NCRA or NVRA credential.

NCRA RPR accepted

Not applicable

Fees

None

Renewal

None

Continuing education

None required by the state

No District of Columbia license or certification requirement for court reporters was found, and the NCRA state table has no DC entry. Official court reporters in D.C. Superior Court are employees of or contractors to the court's Court Reporting Division; under Superior Court rules only an Official Court Reporter who is a court employee or under contract may record proceedings, and when none is present the court's contracted transcription vendor prepares the transcript from the recording. A 2026 DC Courts Official Court Reporter posting (closed 10/13/2026) required a high school diploma or GED plus seven years (Grade 11) or eight years (Grade 12) of court reporting experience and the ability to report at a minimum of 225 wpm; the NCRA RPR was preferred, not required, and Certified Realtime Reporters were paid on a higher scale (Grade 11 $87,036 to $111,868, realtime $91,301 to $116,135). Freelance reporters taking depositions in DC face no credential requirement.

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.