Here they go again, again.
It appears the legislature may consider expanding occupational licensing again. Licenses for occupations like medicine and law may protect public health and consumers, licensing for many other occupations just raise consumer costs, limit job opportunities and turn away young entrepreneurs. North Carolina already licenses barbers, auctioneers, librarians, and manicurists. It appears landscapers want to get into the act now. Senate Bill 447, Rewrite Landscape Contractor Laws was moved to the House Commerce Committee this week and speculation is it may be considered before the short session ends later this week. Bad idea.
Why would someone who installs, plants, repairs or manages gardens and lawns need a license? Why would someone who draws out a planting design for your yard need a license? Or puts in a drainage system? Or low voltage lighting system? Or a walkway or patio?
The legislation would require anyone making over $3,500 a year doing yard work to get a license. Professional landscape architects, engineers, plumbers, building contractors would be exempt since they already have their own licensing regs to deal with.
The bill would set up a nine-member board to regulate the “landscape contractors”. Six of the members seem to have an interest in protecting their interests and stifling competition; one member would be a practicing nurseryman, four would be licensed landscape contractors, one would be a registered landscape architect.
Lawn mowers and maintainers interested in being licensed would have to be 18 years old, “of good moral character as determined by the Board,” have 3 years experience or 6 years of educational training, have a $10,000 surety bond or line of credit, and pass an exam which the Board draws up and makes available twice a year at a location they determine.
Then they have to pay fees – $225.00 to get set up, add in whatever the costs of taking the exam might be and then a $75.00 annual renewal fee.
All licensees would be required to take 7 hours of continuing education every year in order to keep their license. And the Board could revoke a license for a variety of reasons including fraudulent misrepresentation. (We’re talking mowing the grass, laying a patio and planting bushes – fraudulent misrepresentation? really??) If you get caught practicing without a license or something else the Board doesn’t like – you could get slapped with a $2,000 civil penalty.
Do we seriously need to add landscape contractors to the 107 occupations that already require a license? Last year cosmetologists tried to require licensing for hair braiders. Now we have landscapers trying the same thing. Sounds like a bad case of license envy to me. And bad public policy.
