Do All States Require Home Inspectors to be licensed?
Determine whether your state requires licensing to perform home inspections in your state.
One of the first steps you need to do in order to become a home inspector is to get properly trained and licensed and registered. Slightly more than half of the states in the US require home inspectors to be licensed.
States that require licensing will typically require some type of home inspector pre-licensing course be completed. This may include a number of classroom hours and a number of on-site actual field inspection hours. Some states have looser requirements.
Most states that require licensing require you to pass a background check and pass a home inspection proficiency exam.
Some states have their own specific exam and a number of states utilize the national home inspector exam.
The pre-licensing home inspector courses can be a minimal number of hours and can be rather extensive.
Some states have restrictions about how often you can take the exam to become a home inspector.
There may be some states that do not require actual licensing or home inspector certification but they do have requirements you may need to meet in order to perform inspections that may include
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-
- training,
- passing an exam,
- fees required,
- yearly CE classes, etc.
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Home Inspector Training Schools
There are a tremendous number of schools that offer training courses for a home inspector. Some of these courses are
- pre-licensing courses,
- some of them are training courses and
- some of them are courses to help you pass the exam.
- Can be brick-and-mortar establishments in various states around the country
- Many have online portions and then require some type of onsite field training.
- Some home inspector training schools have mainly in-person training.
The best school for you would fit your learning personality.
Typically for a home inspector training school to be worth the cost and effort, they should be approved by your particular state as an accredited pre-licensing school. This will give you qualifications that may be necessary in order to sit for the home inspector exam.
The cost of home inspector pre-licensing training courses can vary widely depending on the number of hours, classroom versus online and sites specific training. A fairly typical cost of a course could range from $1500-$3000. In addition to these costs there would be whatever travel expense overnight stay costs might be incurred.
First Step: Find out and Contact the Dept that oversees the licensing for Home Inspectors in Your State
If you live in a state that does require licensing, the first step to becoming licensed would include contacting the governmental agency which oversees the home inspector licensing. In some states, this is a general contracting board, and other states it is a real estate licensing board and still others it is the regulatory agency for professional services. A quick Internet search can probably identify the appropriate department to contact to determine the requirements in your state.
There is typically a timeline of when applications need to be submitted, when pre-licensing courses need to be completed and when the state offers testing. Some states have very defined testing dates and sites that may only occur four or five times a year. Other states have open testing dates where there are various sites around the state and appointments can be made pretty much anytime to take an exam. It all depends on the requirements of your state. The first step is to research your state’s requirements for obtaining a home inspector’s license.
Follow Standards & Practice
The states that do require licensing will typically also have an identified and approved standards of practice for conduct of a licensed home inspector. The standards of practice define those issues that need to be completed for a home inspection. The standards also include items related to the ethical and moral activities of a home inspector. The standards and practice of your particular state are the guideline for what you need to inspect and what you do not need to inspect. The standards and practice limit your liability and help to define your inspection tasks.
Many times, there are a number of questions on the exam that relate to these standards & practice, ie, what is required, what is included and what is not required & included. It is definitely to your benefit to be very familiar with the standards of practice for your area.
What Should I Do If My State Does Not Require Licensing?
If you are in a state that does not have any formal licensing requirements, more than likely there are some local and state licenses which may be necessary to conduct business within the state. Even if a state does not require licensing for home inspectors, it is a very good idea to take some type of pre-licensing home inspector training.
This would include classroom work online or in a real classroom and onsite fieldwork. This can give you a better foundation for getting into the home inspection business. Even within the states where a license is not required, the real estate profession typically does like to see training from an accredited home inspector training school among your credentials.
How Long Does It Take to Become a Licensed Home Inspector?
Typically, to become a home inspector to licensing there may be as much as a one-year timeline from start to completion of pre-licensing courses, passing an exam and becoming certified.
Once you are licensed it is always advisable to become an intern for a respected established home inspector where you can actually learn the ropes of doing a home inspection and how things need to be relayed to clients in the report.
Should I Join a Home Inspector Group? If so, which one?
In states that do not require licensing, it is important and beneficial for home inspector to belong to one of the national home inspector agencies associations. These associations have certain entry requirements and provide standards of practice for conducting inspections meeting their criteria.
Once again the standards of practice are there to help you define the scope of the inspection, what needs to be done and what may not need to be done.
The two largest nationwide home inspector associations are the American Society of Home Inspectors and International Nachi Association. Belonging to one of these organizations can provide you with credibility regarding your training and ability to perform a home inspection. These types of associations can help you to grow your business and thus be in your best interest. In a number of states that have licensing requirements there may also be local state associations where the inspectors can gather and increase their experience, knowledge and abilities. Getting involved will help your business grow.
Takeaways:
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- Determine whether you state requires licensing to perform home inspections in your state
- Pre-licensing Education for Home Inspectors is a necessity
- Register, Take and Pass an exam as required in your state for home inspectors
- If your state does not require a license, education and hands-on training is still vital to your success as a home inspector
- Intern with a local reputable Home Inspection Company for your success
- Continue with CE classes yearly
- List of States and Their Licensing requirements
List of States and their Licensing Requirements?
The following list indicates the states where licensing is or is not required. This list is current as of the early part of 2021 however due to changes in laws additional state licensing may become required. It is best to verify licensing requirements at the time you are anticipating moving ahead with a home inspection career.
| STATE | License Required? |
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Required |
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Required |
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Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Not Regulated, License Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Regulated, License Not Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
There are other requirements |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Registered and /or Licensed |
|
Regulated |
|
Regulated |
|
Not Regulated, License Not Required |
|
Regulated but License Not Required |
|
Required |
|
Required |
|
Not Regulated, License Not Required |
|
Regulated |
|
Regulated |
|
Not Regulated, License Not Required |