Business Licenses and Permits:: Published by Corporation Service Company » Blog Archive

A woman working part-time as a hair braider was told that she needs a business license to run her service. She’s taken her appeal to court.

Jestina Clayton is suing the state of Utah after she was instructed to obtain a license in cosmetology.

Under Utah law, any person working with hair must have the license, which costs between $9,000 and $19,000 and requires 2,000 hours of coursework, the Associated Press reported.

However, Ms. Clayton earns just $4,800 a year from her side business, supporting her family while her husband finishes school.

She has argued that the law threatens her livelihood and infringes on her right to earn a living.

“I can understand if the state required us to take some health and sanitation courses, but taking cosmetology classes that don’t even involve hair braiding doesn’t make any sense,” she told the news agency.

However, Brad Masterson, spokesman for the Professional Beauty Association in Scottsdale, Arizona, suggested that without a business license, “anyone can say they are a hair braider.”