What is Occupational Licensing?
An “occupational license” is, put simply, government permission to work in a particular field. To earn the license, an aspiring worker must clear various hurdles, such as earning a certain amount of education or training or passing an exam. In the 1950s, only one in 20 U.S. workers needed the government’s permission to pursue their chosen occupation. Today, that figure stands at almost one in four.
Coach, Head (High School Sports) Occupational Licensing
License required in 47 states
50th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
Average Fee for License:$91
What They Do
Head coaches instruct or coach groups or individual high school students in the fundamentals of sports, demonstrate techniques and methods of participation, and may evaluate athletes’ strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits or to improve the athletes’ technique to prepare them for competition.
Coach, Head (High School Sports) Licensing Overview
Forty-seven states (more than half of states) require a licence to work as a Coach, Head (High School Sports). On average, these laws require $91 in fees, 272 days of education and no exams. Coach, Head (High School Sports) Licenses have the 50th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied.
Where is a Coach, Head (High School Sports) the most regulated?
Out of the 47 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) has the highest burden in Georgia. Georgia requires $281 in fees, 3 exams, 3 years experience, and 4 years education.
Where is a Coach, Head (High School Sports) the least regulated?
Out of the 47 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) has the lowest burden in Delaware. Delaware requires $0 in fees, no exams, no experience, and 1 clock hours education.
Where is a Coach, Head (High School Sports) license the most expensive?
An occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) costs the most in New Jersey. New Jersey requires $712 in fees, 3 exams, 2 years experience, and 4 years & 14 clock hours education.
Where is a Coach, Head (High School Sports) license the least expensive?
An occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) costs the least in Missouri, Maryland, Washington, Maine, Illinois, Michigan, Vermont, District of Columbia, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Idaho, Nevada, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Delaware where the license costs $0.
Where does it take the longest to obtain a Coach, Head (High School Sports) license?
An occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) takes the longest to obtain in Georgia. It takes 2555 days (7 years). Georgia requires $281 in fees, 3 exams, 3 years experience, and 4 years education.
Where is it fastest to obtain a Coach, Head (High School Sports) license?
An occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) takes the least time to obtain in Delaware. It takes 0.2 days. Delaware requires $0 in fees, no exams, no experience, and 1 clock hours education.
What states require exams for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) license?
To obtain an occupational license for a Coach, Head (High School Sports) there is at least one exam required in: Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, District of Columbia. Georgia, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia require 3 exams.
Forty-eight states require a license for head coaches of high school sports. On average, licensing laws for head coaches require $79 in fees and over a year (367 days) of education and experience—the 46th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Because head coaches are licensed by almost every state, the occupation ranks as the 14th most widely and onerously licensed.
The most burdensome states are those that require all head coaches to be licensed teachers: Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and Virginia. (See Appendix B under “Public School Teacher” for details on teacher licensing.) Of the remaining states, New York is the most burdensome, requiring $290 in fees and about 1,125 days of education and experience (three years as a temporary coach and 130 hours of coursework). In contrast, 30 states require only about seven hours or less of education. Also, 28 states impose no fees.
States Ranked by Average Licensing Burden for 102 Lower-Income Occupations
More Burdensome Less Burdensome
Based on data released in November 2022| Burden Rank | State | Occupations Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 41 | $281 | 2555 | 4 years | 3 years | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | New Jersey | 54 | $712 | 2192 | 4 years & 14 clock hours | 2 years | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | Virginia | 72 | $320 | 1461 | 4 years & 6 clock hours | None | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 72 | $363 | 1464 | 4 years & 22.5 clock hours | None | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 42 | $328 | 1460 | 4 years | None | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Missouri | 33 | $0 | 1462 | 13 clock hours & 4 years | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | New York | 41 | $302 | 1112 | 75 clock hours | 3 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Maryland | 58 | $0 | 735 | 30 clock hours | 2 years | 0 | 12 | 23 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 67 | $250 | 2 | 14.5 clock hours | None | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 65 | $375 | 11 | 45 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 11 | Kentucky | 38 | $25 | 4 | 26.33 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 12 | Iowa | 71 | $160 | 13 | 56 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 13 | Wyoming | 26 | $100 | 19 | 12 clock hours & 84 contact hours | None | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 14 | Washington | 76 | $0 | 1 | 7 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 21 |
| 15 | Arizona | 68 | $127 | 165 | 15 credit hours & 12 clock hours | 250 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | New Mexico | 66 | $79 | 3 | 17 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 17 | Maine | 46 | $0 | 1 | 7 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| 18 | Florida | 55 | $75 | 63 | 9 credit hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Illinois | 41 | $0 | 0.7 | 4 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 20 | Michigan | 48 | $0 | 1 | 7 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 21 | Vermont | 31 | $0 | 0.8 | 5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 22 | Colorado | 34 | $100 | 0.8 | 5 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | 61 | $0 | 0.3 | 2 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Louisiana | 77 | $140 | 3 | 15 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Alaska | 64 | $85 | 3 | 15 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Mississippi | 65 | $75 | 2 | 14 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Tennessee | 69 | $75 | 2 | 12 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 35 | $0 | 14 | 60 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Nebraska | 61 | $55 | 2 | 12 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | California | 75 | $59 | 0.9 | 5.5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Oregon | 69 | $50 | 3 | 15 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Alabama | 63 | $40 | 2 | 11 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | North Dakota | 65 | $35 | 2 | 13 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Texas | 38 | $35 | 2 | 13 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | 37 | $25 | 2 | 14 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | Utah | 64 | $20 | 3 | 17 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Montana | 32 | $0 | 2 | 14 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 66 | $0 | 2 | 14 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Ohio | 40 | $0 | 2 | 13.5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 32 | $0 | 2 | 13 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Massachusetts | 50 | $0 | 2 | 12 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | Idaho | 66 | $0 | 1 | 8.5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | Nevada | 75 | $0 | 0.8 | 5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Kansas | 35 | $0 | 0.7 | 4 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | 42 | $0 | 0.7 | 4 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | Indiana | 37 | $0 | 0.5 | 3 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Delaware | 42 | $0 | 0.2 | 1 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
License to Work
The data and information here come from IJ’s License to Work report, released in November 2022.
View Report