LICENSE TO TILL: Illinois ‘license to landscape’ bill is a pure protection racket.

Senate Bill 1899 says that anyone working in the field of landscape architecture must obtain a special license from the state. That means passing an exam, and you’ll need to jump through some high hoops just to take it.

You can either 1) complete a course of study and graduate from an accredited landscape architecture school and gather two years of experience under the supervision of a licensed landscape architect; or 2) get a bachelor’s degree in surveying, urban planning, architecture or engineering and work for six years under a licensed landscape architect.

It’s an expensive, yearslong slog.

But what counts as landscape architecture? And how has the field been functioning without state licensure for so long?

The bill is maddeningly broad, making it unclear what Illinoisans actually need a license to do.

The existing-players protection racket is a lucrative one.