Licensing by state / Federal courts

Court reporter licensing in Federal courts

Federal courts does not require a state license to work as a court reporter.

State credential required

No

Credential

None. No state credential exists.

Issued by

Judicial Conference of the United States and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 6, Court Reporting)

How you qualify

There is no federal license or federal exam. 28 U.S.C. 753(a) requires each district court to appoint one or more court reporters, with the number and qualifications set by standards of the Judicial Conference. District court vacancy announcements uniformly require passing the NCRA Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) exam or an equivalent qualifying examination (for example the NVRA CVR), plus a stated amount of court reporting experience (one year in the D.V.I. 2024 posting, four years in the D.P.R. 2024 posting).

NCRA RPR accepted

Yes

Fees

None

Renewal

None

Continuing education

None required by the state

Official federal court reporters are court employees appointed by the district court under 28 U.S.C. 753 and serve at the pleasure of the court en banc; they are not licensed. 753(b) requires proceedings to be recorded verbatim by shorthand, mechanical means, electronic sound recording or any other method approved by the Judicial Conference. The Guide to Judiciary Policy Vol. 6, sec. 220.30 (last revised Transmittal 06-021, October 5, 2026) refers qualifications to Vol. 12 sec. 580.40.30(a)(3) (Equivalent Qualifying Examinations) and waivers to sec. 580.40.30(b); initial appointments are probationary, recommended not to exceed one year. Pay follows the court reporter base pay levels in Guide Vol. 12 sec. 630.40.10: Level 1 for minimum qualifications, Level 2 requires the NCRA Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), Level 3 requires the NCRA Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR) or equivalent, Level 4 requires both (2024 postings: $92,739 to $106,650 in D.V.I., $92,139 to $106,650 in D.P.R., plus locality COLA). Only reporters who have passed the NCRA CRR exam or an equivalent are recognized as federal certified realtime reporters permitted to sell realtime feeds (Guide Vol. 6 sec. 320.20.10). State licenses are not required for federal work; Washington's RCW 18.145.040 exempts federal employees performing federal duties, and other states have similar exemptions.

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.