Occupational Licensing

Stephen Slivinski | 10.7.2025 11:55 AM

Occupational licensing laws—those mandates that workers in hundreds of professions obtain a license before earning a living—lock people out of jobs while failing to make services any better. The problem isn't just the laws, though; it's the cartels running them. Industry-controlled licensing boards operate less like neutral public watchdogs and more like gatekeepers protecting their turf.

More than 75 percent of licensing boards in the U.S. have rulemaking authority, allowing them to interpret licensing statutes, set fees, design and grade licensing exams, and investigate or penalize practitioners, sometimes imposing civil or criminal charges. Of the roughly 1,700 boards nationwide, about 85 percent reserve most seats........

© Reason.com