Red tape cleanup

In a system as large as state government, regulations tend to pile up, become obsolete, frustrate, aggravate or discourage.

Gov. Deval Patrick aims to do some housekeeping.

The trimming of thousands of regulations is partly the result of listening to complaints from those who have had to go through the state permitting maze. The governor’s own barber complained to him about the hoops he had to jump through to open a three-chair barbershop in Boston.

The streamlining effort began last year, when Massachusetts eliminated or updated nearly 300 sets of rules.

Changes are due for the 31 boards and commissions that make up the Division of Professional Licensure. Mr. Patrick wants to merge the Board of Registration of Barbers and the Board of Registration of Electrologists into a single Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering.

Among other changes, he also wants to speed up construction projects and make it easier for small businesses to file for tax extensions.

The Department of Environmental Protection is working to eliminate permitting redundancies.

There is a lot of nitty-gritty involved, affecting enterprises in some cases that make up just a small segment of the small businesses that operate, or would like to operate, in the state. But it adds up to making the state a welcoming place in which to live, work, set up shop, and innovate.

It’s a tenet of leadership — so often ignored — that any regulations laid down need to make sense. Rules need to serve, not obstruct, those affected by them.