How to Become a Court Reporter in Utah

A court reporter, alternatively known as a court stenographer, real-time writer, or a certified shorthand reporter (CSR), holds the responsibility of transcribing every spoken word during legal proceedings.

This role positions court reporters as vital contributors within the justice system.

Individuals with an interest in pursuing a career as a court reporter in Utah must attain the necessary licensure.

Here, I will outline the essential pathway to licensure, so please continue reading.

Complete Your Court Reporting Education in Utah

Attaining licensure as a court reporter necessitates the successful completion of a structured training program.

Importantly, the chosen program must be sanctioned by the Utah Board of Court Reporting.

To embark on such a program, prospective candidates must meet the following prerequisites:

• Being over the age of 18
• Obtain a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a GED.

Training programs in court reporting encompass various specialized areas, including:

• CART/Captioning
• Judicial Reporting
• Scoping/Proofreading
• Professional Transcription
• Office Assistant
• Court and Realtime Reporting

Future students must confirm that the curriculum of their chosen program is endorsed by the Council on Approved Student Education (CASE).

This curriculum should cover subjects like:

• Applied Writing I
• Medical Terminology
• Legal Terminology
• Civil and Criminal Law Terminology
• Realtime Reporting I
• Realtime Reporting II

Typically offered at the postsecondary level, these programs provide an array of options, from certificates and diplomas to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

Below, I’ve provided information about a couple of schools in Utah where you can pursue court reporting education.

Salt Lake Community College

Salt Lake Community College offers a comprehensive course in court reporting, encompassing closed captioning and CART.

This flexible online class allows you to learn at your own pace. Notably, there are no prerequisites for enrollment in this course.

The course aims to enhance your skills to achieve a typing speed of up to 225 words per minute.

The program cost is $6,104 for students who don’t require a stenographic machine, while those needing the machine will incur a cost of $7,899.

Enrolled students gain access to the CAT (Computer-Aided Transcription) program, though it needs to be purchased for future career use.

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Attain Licensure as a Court Reporter in Utah

Upon successfully completing your court reporting education, the next step is to pass an examination to secure your license.

You have a time frame of 18 months from the culmination of your training to achieve this milestone.

During this period, it’s possible to obtain a temporary license. It’s important to note that this temporary license is non-renewable.

In Utah, you have the option to earn one of the following nationally recognized certifications:

• Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification offered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
• Certified Verbatim Reporter (CVR) certification offered by the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA)

Both these certifications hold nationwide recognition.

However, to secure your official license in Utah, you must also excel in a skills examination.

You can opt for a skills examination offered by any of these organizations:

• NCRA
• NVRA
• ACRA (Association of Court Reporters and Captioners)

This process involves:

• Payment of requisite fees, which typically encompass license fees and application fees (In Utah, it’s $200 for the license and $50 for the application).
• Providing evidence of graduation from an accredited training program.
• Completing the application form.

The ACRA test closely resembles the exams offered by both NCRA and NVRA.

The NCRA skills test can be taken online, while the other two tests are administered in person.

For individuals aiming to achieve the status of a registered professional reporter, the fee structure is as follows:

• $120 for non-NCRA members
• $95 for NCRA members
• $77 for student members of NCRA

The NVRA exam fee amounts to $125.

Should you aspire to become a certified verbatim reporter, a transfer fee of just $50 is applicable if you’re already a registered professional reporter.

The Certified Court Reporter (CCR) skills examination carries a fee of $75.

This examination comprises three separate sections, each lasting 5 minutes.

To qualify, you must meet the prescribed word count in these three segments:

• Literary at 180 words per minute
• Jury charge at 200 words per minute
• Testimony/Q&A at 225 words per minute

Candidates are granted 75 minutes to transcribe their notes, and the minimum passing score in Utah is set at 95% accuracy.

Moreover, there exists a knowledge-based written examination for registered professional reporters, which includes 120 questions spanning technology, professional practices, ethics, and reporting protocols.

The minimum passing score is 70.

The fees for this examination are:

• $220 for non-NCRA members
• $195 for NCRA members
• $160 for student members of NCRA

The NVRA examination carries a fee of $125.

License Renewal for Court Reporters in Utah

As with many professional licenses, court reporters in Utah are required to renew their licenses periodically.

The renewal has to take place every year.

The fees associated with license renewal are:

• $200 for on-time renewals
• $240 for renewals completed by September 31st
• $280 for renewals finalized by November 30th

To uphold their license, individuals must complete 5 hours of continuing education annually as part of the renewal procedure.

Court Reporter Salaries in Utah

If you’ve reached this juncture, it’s evident that you hold an interest in pursuing a career as a court reporter and are curious about potential earnings.

In the state of Utah, court reporters can anticipate a median annual salary of $58,496.

For a more comprehensive overview of salaries in various cities across Utah, please refer to the salary table below.

Average Annual Salary by State

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alabama, where the average salary is $0

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Court Reporter by State