Occupational Licensing in Washington

What is Occupational Licensing?

An occupational or professional license is a permit issued by the government that lets someone work in a particular field. In Washington, more than one out of five workers must now get an occupational license before they can legally do their jobs. But many licenses don’t even improve service quality or protect the public from actual harm.  

Licenses Create Barriers to Working in Washington

Occupational licenses often impose high barriers to entry. That makes it much harder for people to find work or to start a new business. According to the Institute for Justice’s report, License to Work, the average license for low- and moderate-income jobs in Washington takes 171 days of education and experience. Overall, the state has the eighth worst licensing laws in the nation. And those required classes can be very expensive.  

For instance, cosmetology is one of the state’s most popular licenses. In Washington, it takes at least 1,600 hours of classes to get a license in cosmetology. On average, a cosmetology program in the state costs $16,077, while the average student takes out $7,505 in federal student loans.  

Licensing Lawsuits by the Institute for Justice in Washington 

On behalf of Benta Diaw and Salamata Sylla, the Institute for Justice successfully sued the Washington Department of Licensing, which banned African-style natural hair braiders from working unless they became licensed cosmetologists. But after IJ filed suit, the Board backed down and enacted a legally binding rule that exempted braiders from licensure.  

Sunrise Review in Washington 

Under “sunrise review,” whenever a new job regulation is proposed, state regulators must determine whether the regulation is needed, its potential costs and burdens, and if there are any less restrictive alternatives. Between 1988 and 2016, Washington regulators conducted 49 sunrise reviews across 45 different occupations. Many proposed regulations were unfounded: Only 14% of sunrise reviews recommended creating new licenses. All told, the Institute for Justice found that “Washington consistently produces rigorous sunrise reports.”  

Can You Get a License to Work with a Criminal Record in Washington? 

Thanks to recent reforms, Washington State has some of the nation’s best laws for ex-offenders who want to work in a non-medical licensed field. Licensing boards can only disqualify applicants who have been convicted of crimes that “directly relate” to the license wanted and must consider whether an applicant has been rehabilitated. However, the state’s protections do not apply to health licenses. On the whole, Washington received a B+ for its laws in IJ’s Barred from Working report.  

How You Can Help

If you are an Washington resident and you want to help fight against these unfair and unnecessary licensing laws, there are a few ways you can get involved. You can donate to the Institute for Justice, sign up for our email updates, and share our message with your network. Together, we can make sure that all Washington workers have the economic liberty they deserve.