The new ceramic superconducting materials, which have transition temperatures above that of liquid nitrogen, have great potential. However, most fabrication schemes produce consolidated forms with relatively low critical currents; successful application of these materials requires a means of measuring their critical parameters (such as critical current) that can be used to monitor and control fabrication processes. This paper describes a technique for measuring the onset of dissipation in a superconducting coating in a local and noncontacting manner. This work begins the process of developing noncontacting techniques for the measurement of critical currents on a local scale with the capability of providing spatial information.