by Ryan Murphy
Connecticut needs as many entrepreneurs as it can get. But for many would-be small businesspeople, Connecticut’s stringent occupational licensure laws stand in the way.
Connecticut licenses 241 occupations, from hairdressers to glaziers. Often sold in the name of public safety, more often licensure laws serve as artificial barriers to entry designed to limit supply and protect other occupations from unwanted competition. A study by the Institute for Justice considers Connecticut the 15th most broadly and onerously licensed of any state.
