Licensing Requirements
To protect the public from unskilled and/or dishonest workers, people involved in many (but not all) careers are required by law to obtain a government issued ‘License” before you can work in that occupation and advertise your services.
Examples of when a license is required include:
- Attorney
- Driver of any vehicle on a public road (note the vehicle itself must be ‘registered’ which is a form of government license)
- Electrician
- Engineer
- Exterminators – using chemicals to control / eliminate ‘pests’
- Insurance salesperson (aka ‘agent’)
- Investment salesperson
- Nurse
- Physician
- Plumber
- Real estate salesperson (aka ‘agent’)
Examples of when a license is not required for a career:
- Fashion industry – designing, manufacturing, and selling beautiful or ugly clothes cannot cause physical harm to the public (with certain exceptions such as when the material used must be non-flammable). There are civil law legal remedies available to a customer who buys clothing which doesn’t perform as advertised – for example, if ‘weatherproof’ turns out to be only ‘weather resistant.’ Reputable clothing manufacturers avoid being sued by accepting returns without question, to preserve customer goodwill.
- Landscaping – designing and installing gardens and lawns cannot cause physical harm to the public (with certain exceptions such as when toxic chemicals are used but then the law permits an injured customer to pursue a civil remedy for financial compensation to the extent of the harm caused.)
Editor’s note – This brief overview regarding licensing is not based on exhaustive legal research and is intended only to alert the reader to the possibility of licensing requirements, which may vary from state to state and from municipality to municipality. Readers need to undertake their own research to determine whether a license is required before performing a service or supplying a product to or for another person and if so, to learn the requirements to obtain such a license, plus the scope of the licensed activity and the length of time for which the license is valid.
