Please direct any certification-related questions to certification@tmcec.com.
To maintain certification, Level I and Level II certified clerks must complete 12 hours of approved continuing education each academic year. Level III certified clerks must complete 20 hours of approved continuing education each academic year.
For all certification levels, at least one-half (50%) of the required continuing education hours must be completed through Core Education offered by TMCEC, TCCA, or TMCA. The remaining hours may be completed through Approved External Education.
Approved External Education must be relevant to municipal court jurisdiction or court administration and must be live instruction, either in-person or live, synchronous online. See the Approved External Education page for additional information and a list of approved providers.
Up to eight (8) hours per academic year may be completed through approved on-demand Core Education, such as TMCEC archived webinars and virtual clinics. Live virtual (synchronous) programs are not considered on-demand and are treated as live instruction.
Participants must submit proof of their continuing education. Download a RENEWAL APPLICATION for more information. Clerks who do not meet the annual continuing education and renewal requirements may be placed on probation and ultimately lose active certification. See Certification Probationary Status for more information.
To appeal a loss of certification, please complete an appeal form and email it to certification@tmcec.com.
Automatic Certification Renewals
If you are a Level I or II certified court clerk in good standing, your annual hours of education will be automatically renewed if you properly complete & turn in a record of attendance on the final day of a TMCEC seminar that is at least 12 hours (e.g., Regional Judges or Clerks Seminar, Juvenile Case Manager Seminar, and/or Court Administrator Seminar).
If you are ANY level of certification, attended the TCCA Annual conference, and were on the final list of approved certificates, your certification will be automatically renewed.
If you complete the Record of Attendance after the seminar and send it to TMCEC on a subsequent day, you will be required to complete a paper renewal application and submit it to TMCEC.
If you are no longer employed by a municipal court or have attended education with another approved provider, you will be required to complete and submit a paper application to TMCEC. To verify that hours have been properly recorded, you must log into your personal profile 4 to 6 weeks after the event. Click the “Clerk Certification” tab to show the most current year renewed. Letters confirming renewals will no longer be sent as we encourage participants to verify their status online.
PLEASE NOTE: Clerks who acquire hours through TMCEC Archived Webinars or other approved providers must submit a renewal application. Applications including approved external education must include copies of training certificates. Applications including TMCEC webinars or clinics must include a copy of the applicant’s TMCEC transcript. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Submitting Your Renewal & Verifying Renewal Status Online: You can now verify your certification renewal through our Register site. After you have logged in, click the “Clerk Certification” tab and it will show your most current year renewed.
New Opt-Out Option
Certified clerks in good standing may request approval to opt out of the Core Education requirement once every two academic years.
In an approved opt-out year, a clerk may complete up to 100% of the required continuing education through Approved External Education, provided the education includes at least 8 hours of live instruction and is from an approved provider and relevant to court operations, administration, or the administration of justice.
The Opt-Out Option is intended to provide flexibility for clerks attending substantial or specialized programs, such as those offered by the National Association for Court Management (NACM) or the National Center for State Courts’ Institute for Court Management (ICM).
Clerks must submit an Intent to Opt Out request in advance of the academic year or before attending the applicable program. Approval is at the discretion of TMCEC.
Reactivation of Level III
Any clerk who has achieved Level III, CMCC status, but has become inactive, will be allowed to reinstate their certification by completing 40 hours of education. Six of those hours must come from TMCEC’s Legislative Update and all 40 hours of education must be from within the preceding three years. Certificates of attendance, along with a renewal application, must be submitted to TMCEC. Note: This rule only applies to Level III.