State Home Inspector Licensing/Certification

As a word of caution, be leery of any school that says they will certify you. Certification is left up to the states. A "certification" from a school is not recognized by the states.  There is no national licensing or certification.  Currently, about half the states license or certify home inspectors. If you live in one of these states, you must complete the state requirements they have developed.

The above table contains a brief summary of what is required by each state (to the best of our knowledge) as concerning home inspector training/education. Your state may have more requirements in addition to education. Be sure to consult your state for exact requirements. This list is not intended to be comprehensive. It is only intended as a guide for our students’ benefit. Please be aware that some states are currently considering passing legislation to regulate their home inspectors.

If you are serious about being a home inspector, we suggest that you consider getting into the profession before your state may make it too difficult with licensing.  Most states that have gone to licensing, have "grandfathered in" existing home inspectors.  If a home inspector is not "grandfathered in" because he/she hasn't been in business long enough, etc., the inspector must complete all the requirements for licensing, not just the minimal "grandfather" requirements.  Sometimes the state requirements for new home inspectors include serving an apprenticeship. In those states, most of the inspectors were grandfathered in before the apprenticeship requirement went into effect, and relatively few have been licensed after that. Think about it, who would want to apprentice their future competition?  In some states, home inspectors are charging candidates $50 to $100 per inspection to take them along as an "apprentice."  If you are thinking about becoming a home inspector, we recommend that you start now.