1889 Institute: End locksmith licensing

1889 INSTITUTE CALLS FOR END TO MOST LOCKSMITH LICENSING

Only 15 states regulate locksmiths; only Oklahoma requires a locksmith to be 21

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (December 19, 2018) – The 1889 Institute, an Oklahoma state policy think tank, has published “Locksmith Licensure in Oklahoma”. It finds no public interest justification for the continued licensure of locksmiths. Only 15 states regulate locksmiths, with five of these requiring only registration. Of the 10 states that license locksmiths, only Oklahoma requires a locksmith to have reached the age of 21 in order to be licensed.

“One wonders if the Oklahoma legislature believes that this state is unique in harboring young hoodlums itching to use the cover of locksmithing as a way to commit crime,” said Michael R. Davis, attorney, Research Fellow for the 1889 Institute, and author of the report.

This latest short study, or Policy Prescription, from the 1889 Institute explains that neither of two conditions that must simultaneously exist to justify occupational licensing are present for locksmiths. These questions are, first, that there must be real, significant risk for patrons, and, second, there must be little or no market and legal incentives for service providers to take proper precautions.

The 1889 Institute has repeatedly found that when Oklahoma licenses an occupation, it imposes the most onerous conditions in the nation. For funeral directors and embalmers, it imposes high barriers for practitioners to move in from other states. Only Oklahoma requires electrologists to have a bachelor’s degree. Oklahoma does not accept training hours from out-of-state cosmetology schools. This state is one of only 15 that licenses pedorthists. The Institute has not found licensing to be warranted for any of these occupations.

The 1889 Institute has produced several publications regarding occupational licensing, including “The Need to Review and Reform Occupational Licensing in Oklahoma,” “Policy Maker’s Guide to Evaluating Proposed and Existing Occupational Licensing Laws,” and “A Win-Win for Consumers and Professionals Alike: An Alternative to Occupational Licensing.”

These reports lay out, in detail, the intellectual and policy justifications for eliminating many of the occupational licensing laws in Oklahoma and other states. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma legislature has yet to act on any of these recommendations.

About the 1889 Institute
The 1889 Institute is an Oklahoma think tank committed to independent, principled state policy fostering limited and responsible government, free enterprise and a robust civil society. The publication, “Locksmith Licensure in Oklahoma,” and other reports mentioned, can be found on the nonprofit’s website at http://www.1889institute.org/licensing.html.