Regulation of the Day 79: Auctioneers in Alabama

by Ryan Young on December 7, 2009 · 1 comment

in Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Nanny State, Personal Liberty, Regulation, Regulation of the Day

It is illegal to conduct an auction without a license in Alabama. Unlicensed auctioneers can be punished with fines of up to $500.

Applicants must pay nearly a thousand dollars for 85 hours of coursework. 8 additional hours are required every two years to keep the license.

It’s worth asking: Does this benefit anyone besides the people teaching the courses and the auctioneers who get to limit the amount of competition they have to face?

Tagged as: Alabama, auctioneer, auctioneering license, competition, occupational licensing, public choice

Matt December 7, 2009 at 6:36 pm: Absolutely. It benefits the state, who gets to reap the licensing fees to help fund whatever activities or functions they’ve determined are important.
Do I really need to add sarcasm tags to this?
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Merlin