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.
Landscape Contractor (Commercial)
License required in 47 states
62nd most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
20th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Landscape contractors contract with clients to landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Work may involve any of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, and installing sprinklers or mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units. Typically, only contractors require licenses, not the landscapers 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.Licensing
Forty-seven states license landscape contractors working on commercial properties. Eight states require between two and five years of experience working under a licensed contractor, while Alabama and Mississippi require completion of three contracted jobs. Mississippi also requires two years of college. Thirty-seven require no education or experience. On average, states require 228 days of education and experience, $235 in fees, and about one exam—the 62nd most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied.
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 | Arkansas | 47 | $330 | 1825 | 5 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Nevada | 47 | $1,253 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 3 | California | 47 | $579 | 1460 | 4 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 4 | Hawaii | 47 | $615 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 5 | Arizona | 47 | $586 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 6 | Mississippi | 47 | $640 | 797 | 2 years | 3 jobs, contractors | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Virginia | 47 | $320 | 731 | 8 clock hours | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 8 | Oregon | 47 | $730 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Utah | 47 | $589 | 733 | 20 clock hours | 2 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Alabama | 47 | $721 | 67 | 3 jobs, contractors | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Louisiana | 47 | $674 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 12 | North Carolina | 47 | $75 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 13 | North Dakota | 47 | $175 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 14 | Tennessee | 47 | $505 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Georgia | 47 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 16 | D C | 47 | $655 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | West Virginia | 47 | $192 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | Alaska | 47 | $300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | Washington | 47 | $176 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | Minnesota | 47 | $150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Idaho | 47 | $130 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Ohio | 47 | $125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | South Dakota | 47 | $125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Nebraska | 47 | $115 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Maryland | 47 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | New York | 47 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Oklahoma | 47 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Colorado | 47 | $90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Kansas | 47 | $85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Iowa | 47 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | New Jersey | 47 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | New Mexico | 47 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Texas | 47 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | Illinois | 47 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | Indiana | 47 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | Missouri | 47 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 37 | Kentucky | 47 | $40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 47 | $40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 39 | Michigan | 47 | $35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 40 | Wisconsin | 47 | $30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Florida | 47 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Maine | 47 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Montana | 47 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | New Hampshire | 47 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Wyoming | 47 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | Vermont | 47 | $20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 47 | Delaware | 47 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |