Tennessee’s licensing laws for lower-income occupations rank as the 39th most burdensome. On average, they require $327 in fees, 226 days of education and experience, and approximately one exam. Because Tennessee licenses more lower-income occupations than most states—71 of the 102 studied here—it ranks as the 13th most broadly and onerously licensed.

Tennessee licenses several occupations rarely licensed elsewhere. For example, few other states license dental assistants (eight others), bartenders (12) or locksmiths (13). The state also imposes more onerous requirements than average for some occupations, such as auctioneers. Tennessee forces auctioneers to demonstrate about 756 days of education and experience (110 hours of education and two years of experience), pay $750 in fees, and pass two exams. But the licensed-state average burdens are just 94 days of education and experience, $278 in fees, and one exam. Making Tennessee’s burdens even more heavy-handed, 21 states do not deem it necessary to license auctioneers at all.

Tennessee also imposes burdens on some occupations that seem disproportionate compared to those for others that may pose greater risks to the public. Its burdens for fire and security alarm installers—some of the steepest of their type—are steeper than its burdens for all but one other occupation. Opening an alarm installation business requires four years of experience and two years of education (2,190 days total), nearly $1,000 in fees, and one exam. But EMTs need complete just 110 hours (roughly 26 days) of education, pay $205 in fees and pass two exams. Tennessee could improve its rankings by reducing or repealing many of its licensing burdens for lower-income occupations, or—if government regulation is necessary—by replacing them with less restrictive regulatory alternatives.