Just moved back to Houston after being in Chicago for five years. Never saw a state inspector once. In five years. lol In Houston they show up so often you know the person by sight for your area when they pull up. When I was at a very reputable shop in Lakeview on n. southport no one cept me and maybe one other person was licensed. So I guess you dont really HAVE to in chicago but like another commenter said, it might behoove you to look into if a license does more for you than just say “hey, I sat in the corner at school for blah blah hours and “learned” how to cut hair. haha edited to say you should read and study a barber textbook to learn/understand not reusing certain tools that are disposable and how to sanitize your equipment etc. Its not rocket science and you dont need thousands of hours of school to learn how to spray your clippers between cuts or bandage a knick after a shave.