Illinois is one of the strictest states when it comes to locksmith licensing. That will be over in a few years. According to the legislation, the licensing requirements will expire in 2029. The end of the regulation is intended to allow easier access to this business.

The main current licensing requirements include an aptitude test, which many report is difficult to pass, a fee to take the test, a criminal background check, a licensing fee, and (if you want to be more than a one-man operation) an agency license and additional fees for employees.

Andy Streenz of Bill's Key and Lock Shop in Bloomington was ambivalent about the upcoming change. One reason for the current rule was to prevent fraud and excessive fees. Streenz said he was not sure the current rule had achieved that goal.

“I still hear horror stories from people who Google for a locksmith. They call the number that appears. Someone comes over. They drill the lock out of the door, charge $500 and are never seen again,” Streenz said. “This is not locksmithing. It seems that the groups that set up these phone numbers are very difficult to track down and I think people might be a little embarrassed to report them for something like this.”

And without strict enforcement, Streenz said, regulations are pointless. He said the state could take better action against dubious providers.

“There is a way to go online, fill out a form and tell them about your experience. But I have never seen the state step in and say, 'Hey, you guys are doing something wrong,' and shut them down and drive them out of town,” Streenz said.

The initiators of the law to relax the requirements said they wanted to lower the barriers to entry into the profession, especially for traditionally underrepresented groups of voters. They said the pandemic has highlighted the need to relax the rules because people looking for new work have been unable to enter the field. Streenz said the concern is legitimate and the hurdles were there before COVID highlighted the situation in several areas.

“We've certainly seen a lot less, if not none, new entrants into the locksmith profession, at least in our area. The barrier to entry is pretty high. And I think some people look at the exams and the fees and the background check and just say, 'Oh, I'll just do something else,'” Streenz said.

However, he also said he was not sure whether removing the hurdles would necessarily help.

“I don't think there are many people knocking on our door trying to become locksmiths. I guess we'll have to wait and see. If in a year or two, when they let the regulation expire, a lot of shops open again, then I think we've really shown that deregulation of the industry works. But I'm skeptical,” Streenz said.

He said a potentially more effective change to the regulations, which would maintain some professional standards, would be to create easier routes to independent business management that would arise from an informal apprenticeship approach to the trades.

“They could do better by grandfathering people who have worked as locksmiths. That might be a better way to keep those people in the industry and open new businesses,” Streenz said.

He said there is room in the Bloomington-Normal market for more locksmiths, although as a businessman he would rather not see them.

“We're busy and there's definitely room for competition in this city,” Streenz said. “Especially the growing field of auto locksmithing. Everyone carries a $100-$200 key in their pocket these days that fits their car, whether it's electronic or mechanical or anything in between. The need for those keys and people's desire for easy access to their vehicle, their home or their business, those things keep the industry alive.”

Lawmakers supporting the measure said locksmiths would continue to face some less stringent requirements, but they did not specify what those requirements would be or how they would be enforced.

The licensing requirement for undertakers, veterinarians, auditors and private security service providers such as private detectives and alarm installers will also expire in 2029.