102 Lower-income Occupations
For its 2017 report License to Work, the Institute for Justice documented the requirements to get a license for 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about the research methods.
State Profiles
For its 2017 report License to Work, the Institute for Justice documented the requirements to get a license for 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about the research methods.
Select A State
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.
Fire Alarm Installer
License required in 39 states
10th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
18th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Fire alarm installers install, program, maintain or repair fire alarm wiring and equipment, and ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. This report looks at what is required to run one’s own fire alarm installation business at the commercial level.Licensing
Thirty-nine states require a license to work as a fire alarm installer. On average, these laws require $557 in fees, about two and a half years (915 days) of education and experience, and around two exams—the 10th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. The occupation is the 18th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary widely across states. For example, Connecticut and Tennessee each require six years (2,190 days) of education or experience, but five states require no education or experience. Similarly, five states require four exams, but two require none. Fees also vary, from $0 in Kansas to $1,665 in Louisiana.
License to Work
The data and information here come from IJ’s License to Work report, released in November 2017.
States Ranked by Average Licensing Burden for 102 Lower-Income Occupations
More Burdensome Less Burdensom
Based on data released in November 2017| Burden Rank | State | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | 39 | $435 | 2190 | 6 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 2 | Tennessee | 39 | $985 | 2190 | 2 years | 4 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Louisiana | 39 | $1,665 | 1827 | 11 clock hours | 5 years | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 4 | Arkansas | 39 | $1,443 | 1825 | 5 years | 4 | 0 | 18 | |
| 5 | Iowa | 39 | $1,208 | 1825 | 5 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Nevada | 39 | $1,545 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 7 | Washington | 39 | $676 | 1471 | 48 clock hours | 4 years | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 8 | Arizona | 39 | $956 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 9 | California | 39 | $579 | 1460 | 4 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 10 | Hawaii | 39 | $615 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 39 | $469 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 12 | Idaho | 39 | $335 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 16 | |
| 13 | Oregon | 39 | $425 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 14 | Florida | 39 | $684 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 15 | Illinois | 39 | $328 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 21 | |
| 16 | North Carolina | 39 | $175 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 17 | Minnesota | 39 | $261 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 39 | $330 | 800 | 300 clock hours | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 19 | Maine | 39 | $196 | 996 | 270 clock hours | 4000 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Michigan | 39 | $1,045 | 730 | 2 years | 4 | 0 | 20 | |
| 21 | West Virginia | 39 | $259 | 730 | 2 years | 4 | 0 | 18 | |
| 22 | Delaware | 39 | $566 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 23 | New Mexico | 39 | $462 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 24 | New Jersey | 39 | $555 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 25 | Alaska | 39 | $300 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 26 | Virginia | 39 | $320 | 731 | 8 clock hours | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 27 | Montana | 39 | $605 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 28 | Vermont | 39 | $180 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 29 | Nebraska | 39 | $85 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 30 | Wyoming | 39 | $240 | 548 | 1.5 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 31 | Georgia | 39 | $237 | 365 | 1 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 32 | Mississippi | 39 | $1,090 | 72 | 28 clock hours | 3 jobs, contractors | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | South Carolina | 39 | $345 | 4 | 22 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 34 | New York | 39 | $285 | 19 | 81 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 35 | Texas | 39 | $700 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 36 | Rhode Island | 39 | $462 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 37 | Alabama | 39 | $425 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 38 | D C | 39 | $266 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 39 | Kansas | 39 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |