Licensing by state / South Carolina

Court reporter licensing in South Carolina

South Carolina 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 state licensing statute or board for court reporters was located; South Carolina does not appear in NCRA's state table. Official (court-employed) reporters are governed by the South Carolina Court Administration Court Reporter Manual (approved 2011, amended 2017, updated 2018, issued under Supreme Court order): applicants need a high school diploma and either an associate degree or certificate in court reporting from an accredited or approved program, or an RPR or CVR certificate; the method used to qualify (stenotype or steno mask) must be the method used in court unless proficiency in another method is shown to Court Administration; Department reporters are full-time and may not take outside court reporting work. Freelance reporters are not covered by the manual and no certification requirement for them was found, so confidence is low.

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.