Home Inspector Licensing Requirements in Each State
Our school, a Better School of Building Inspection, is approved in most states that require education to become a home inspector. Each state differs in its licensing rules and requirements.
Click on your state to learn how to become a home inspector and the specific requirements for your state.
*This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Consult your state for exact requirements. Regulations can change over time.
Click on your state to learn how to become a home inspector and the specific requirements for your state.
*This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Consult your state for exact requirements. Regulations can change over time.
- As a word of caution, be leery of any school that says they will certify you. Certification is left up to the states and you must complete the state requirements. A "certification" from a school is not recognized by the states.
- Recent regulatory actions in several states have made it much more difficult to become a home inspector. Delaware, South Carolina, and Virginia now require an apprenticeship. Think about it, who would help train their future competition?
According to John Hood in an article published over 20 years ago "One of the most well-known effects of occupational licensing and regulation is reduced competition...boards are supposed to represent the interests of consumers in various professional fields, but the regulations enforced are more likely to serve the interests of those regulated--by increasing their income, by reducing their potential competition..."
This is exactly what has happened in the home inspection industry. For example, in Massachusetts (a state requiring apprenticeship) there are approximately 44,000 people per home inspector, while in Illinois (which has more appropriate regulations) there are 8000 people per home inspector.
If you live in an unregulated state such as California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, etc., and have ever considered becoming a home inspector, we recommend that you get into the profession before it is closed to you. Just remember, Delaware was unregulated until a few years ago and now potential inspectors must apprentice with a licensed inspection (who was grandfathered in and therefore never had to complete an apprenticeship) if they ever want to get a license.