A License to Unlock. Locksmithing License
Published by Locksmith Ledger International on 17th Jul 2024
Illinois, a state that currently has some of the most stringent locksmith licensing requirements in the country, will end locksmith licensing in 2029. Currently, Illinois requires licensing and agency fees, a background check and passing a proficiency exam.
Nationally, only 13 states have licensing requirements: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Virginia. New York City; Nassau County, New York; Miami; and Hillsborough County, Florida; have their own licensing laws. Nebraska and Tennessee repealed their locksmith licensing requirements in 2021.
Retail lock shops do typically need business licenses from their city or county.
In contrast, most other skilled trades are widely licensed. Almost all states have licensing requirements for plumbers and electricians, for example. Even barbers and hair and nail salon technicians typically must be licensed.
Read our licensing update article for state-by-state details.
Some locksmiths favor licensing, hoping it will cut down on disreputable “scammer” locksmiths or prevent unqualified persons from opening up locksmith businesses. Others want to skip the fees and consider it to be unnecessary government regulation. Both sides have some legitimate points.
I live in the Atlanta suburbs. Georgia is one of the states with no licensing requirements. A Google search for “locksmiths near me” brought up the legit local shop plus a couple of unknown names without physical addresses and a business with a mail center listed as its address.
Would licensing make a difference here? Only the legitimate folks would likely complete the legal requirements. The pro would be that local authorities might be able to crack down on the illegitimate businesses posing as local locksmiths. The con would be that licensing might make it harder to start a new locksmithing business.
Our goal at Locksmith Ledger is to objectively outline the legal requirements so locksmiths can stay on the right side of the law.
The two articles linked below include interviews with some Illinois locksmiths.