First, state licensing laws in five service occupations were examined to determine the extent of restrictions based on moral character and criminal offenses. Such licensing restrictions were found in the great majority of statutes. They were often vague in definition, generally incomplete in considering rehabilitation and specifying a reasonable relationship between duties of the occupation and the offense, and allowed boards extremely broad discretion. Second, licensing boards were surveyed to determine their actual practices. It was found that very few individuals have been denied licenses on the basis of moral character or previous felony convictions, indicating that the broad discretionary power allowed licensing boards is rarely exercised. (Author abstract)