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.
Door Repair Contractor (Residential) Occupational Licensing
License required in 29 states
46th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
Average Fee for License:$296
What They Do
Door repair contractors, also known as door installer contractors or garage door mechanics, contract with clients to install, service or repair the opening and closing mechanisms of automatic and hydraulic doors. Typically, only contractors require licenses, not the door mechanics who work for them. In some states, licensing requirements differ based on the setting. Those with a residential license may work only on residential properties, while those with a commercial license may work on commercial properties. Other states require the same license regardless of the setting, and this report records that license in both settings. Many states have contract minimums before the contractor’s license applies. See Appendix B for details.
Door Repair Contractor (Residential) Licensing Overview
Twenty-nine states (more than half of states) require a licence to work as a Door Repair Contractor (Residential). On average, these laws require $296 in fees, 318 days of education and about 1 exam. Door Repair Contractor (Residential) Licenses have the 46th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Fees for a license exceed $1000 in Nevada.
Where is a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) the most regulated?
Out of the 29 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) has the highest burden in Nevada. Nevada requires $1040 in fees, 2 exams, 4 years experience, and no education.
Where is a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) the least regulated?
Out of the 29 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) has the lowest burden in Nebraska. Nebraska requires $0 in fees, no exams, no experience, and no education.
Where is a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) license the most expensive?
An occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) costs the most in Nevada. Nevada requires $1040 in fees, 2 exams, 4 years experience, and no education.
Where is a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) license the least expensive?
An occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) costs the least in Nebraska. Nebraska requires $0 in fees, no exams, no experience, and no education.
Where does it take the longest to obtain a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) license?
An occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) takes the longest to obtain in Nevada, Arizona, California, Hawaii.It takes 1460 days (4 years).
Where is it fastest to obtain a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) license?
An occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) takes the least time to obtain in North Carolina, Tennessee, North Dakota, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Connecticut, Washington, New Jersey, Iowa, Arkansas, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Nebraska (0 days).
What states require exams for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) license?
To obtain an occupational license for a Door Repair Contractor (Residential) there is at least one exam required in: Nevada, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, New Mexico, Mississippi, Michigan, Oregon, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia. Nevada, Arizona, California, Mississippi require 2 exams.
Twenty-nine states license door repair contractors working on residential properties. On average, states require 343 days of education and experience, $320 in fees, and about one exam. All in all, 16 states require at least one exam—10 states require one exam and six (Arizona, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah) require two. These requirements rank as the 47th most burdensome.
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 | Nevada | 75 | $1,040 | 1460 | None | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | Arizona | 68 | $596 | 1460 | None | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | California | 75 | $579 | 1460 | None | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Hawaii | 64 | $619 | 1460 | None | 4 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 50 | $500 | 1095 | None | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Maryland | 58 | $433 | 730 | None | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 7 | Virginia | 72 | $320 | 731 | 8 clock hours | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 8 | New Mexico | 66 | $255 | 730 | None | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 9 | Mississippi | 65 | $290 | 67 | None | 3 jobs, contractors | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Michigan | 48 | $294 | 14 | 60 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 11 | Oregon | 69 | $310 | 3 | 16 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 66 | $154 | 0 | None | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 70 | $200 | 0.8 | 5 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 69 | $307 | 0 | None | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | North Dakota | 65 | $100 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 16 | West Virginia | 67 | $142 | 0 | None | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | 61 | $442 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Utah | 64 | $405 | 4 | 25 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Alabama | 63 | $350 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Alaska | 64 | $350 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Louisiana | 77 | $255 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Connecticut | 65 | $220 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Washington | 76 | $118 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | New Jersey | 54 | $110 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Iowa | 71 | $50 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Arkansas | 72 | $50 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Idaho | 66 | $50 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 50 | $50 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | Nebraska | 61 | $0 | 0 | None | 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