How to become a home inspector

Each state writes its own rules, so the first step is finding out what yours asks for. The home inspector license requirements by state table lists all 50, with the exam each one uses.

The rules differ a lot. Texas has three license tiers and asks for up to 194 hours of education. Washington asks for a 120-hour course and 40 hours of field training. California has no license at all.

Most licensing states follow this order. Your state might skip a step or add one, so check its page before you pay for anything.

1. Take the pre-license course. The states with a set hour count ask for 60 to 194 hours. A few, like Virginia and Oregon, use points you earn from classes and supervised work.
2. Do the field work. Arizona asks for 30 parallel inspections with a certified inspector. Kentucky asks for 16 hours of field training plus 3 unpaid supervised inspections.
3. Pass the exam. The NHIE is 200 questions in 4 hours, and it costs $225 in most states. Some states add questions of their own, like Texas, Washington, and Illinois.
4. Get insured. Most of the states checked here ask for liability insurance. The amount runs from none in Washington to $500,000 in Tennessee and New Jersey.
5. Apply to the state. Send proof of the course, field work, exam, and insurance, and pay the fee. Texas, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, and Kentucky also take fingerprints for a background check.
6. Renew on time. The states checked here renew every 1 to 3 years, and most ask for continuing education.

For the hours and fees side by side, see how long it takes and what it costs.

In California, Colorado, Georgia, and the other states with no license, there is no state exam, course, or application. You can start inspecting without one.

Many inspectors in those states join a trade group and earn its certification instead. ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, is one. Members in a state with no license pass the NHIE before they move up to its Inspector level. For how those titles compare with a state license, see home inspector certification vs. license.

The exam comes late in the order, after the course in most states. A failed attempt costs time as well as money: every retake means a 30-day wait and another fee.

For what's on it and how it's scored, see the National Home Inspector Exam guide.