Court reporters in Alabama are required to be licensed as Certified Court Reporters (CCR) by the Alabama Board of Court Reporting (ABCR) which implements the testing, certification and disciplinary procedures for Alabama court reporters. ACRA worked diligently to pass legislation to require licensure for court reporters in Alabama. Licensure and certification of court reporters ensures that there are minimum standards for practicing court reporting.


In addition to licensure by the State of Alabama Board of Court Reporting, reporters may become voluntarily certified by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA).


ACRA, under the auspices of ABCR, administers the skills portion of the certification test in Alabama. The test is comparable to the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) exam administered by NCRA. In addition, candidates must pass the Written Knowledge Test administered by NCRA. Reciprocity for the RPR may be granted to a CCR applicant.


Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are required for court reporters to maintain a CCR license. The rules pertaining to CEUs can be found at the ABCR website.ACRA offers one conference each year (in January, concurrent with the Alabama Judges conference), with the opportunity to earn 15 hours (or .15 CEUs) at the conference. The association strives to offer interesting and informative seminars for the benefit of court reporters. Suggestions for seminars are always accepted. Visit our Board page to contact board members if you wish to submit seminar ideas.