Program History

TCCA and TMCEC began discussing development of a certification program in the fall of 1994.  On April 26, 1995, members of the TCCA Education Committee and representatives from TMCEC met to take the initial step in creating the Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program.

The Education Committee considered obtaining certification through an undergraduate or graduate college, but found this option was too expensive.

TCCA also attempted to have legislation introduced and enacted requiring mandatory training for municipal court clerks which was unsuccessful.

The Committee and representatives from TMCEC then began to review certification models from other associations such as the Texas Society Association of Executives, the Texas City Secretary Association, and the Human Resources Certification Program before considering creating their own Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program.

In 1995, the program was developed and an outline finalized. This new program needed initial funding; therefore, the organizations applied for the State Justice Institute (SJI) grant funding. Committee members contacted members of Congress who served on the Appropriations Committee for federal funding asking for their support of the grant request. The program gained support from Texas Municipal League (TML) and Texas State University in San Marcos.

The SJI grant was awarded to TCCA to implement the Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program. TCCA and TMCEC partnered to develop study guides and exams. In 1997, at the close of the grant period TCCA and TMCEC assumed all responsibility for continuing the certification program.

The Municipal Court Clerk Certification Program is known nationally and is used as a model for other organizations. The program provides court staff with the necessary knowledge and tools needed to succeed in the court profession. Completion of the program includes attending prep sessions using study guides to prepare for testing, online learning, regional trainings, mentoring and more.

As of August 2023, there are 649 clerks certified at Level I (CCC1), 667 clerks certified at Level II (CCCII), and 138 clerks at Level III (CMCC).