National home inspector associations
The two national home inspector associations in the U.S. today are ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, and InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. NAHI, the old National Association of Home Inspectors, dissolved in 2016 and is now run by InterNACHI's founder. Joining any of them is voluntary and is not a license.
Checked on
The groups side by side
Each row below comes from the group's own pages, read October 27, 2026. NAHI's row comes from InterNACHI, which now controls it.
| Group | What it is | Yearly cost | Exam it uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASHI | Not-for-profit society, founded 1976 | $499 | The NHIE, for its ASHI Certified Inspector title |
| InterNACHI | Nonprofit trade group in Boulder, Colorado, founded 1994 | $499, or $49 a month | Its own free online exam; it accepts no other |
| NAHI | The old National Association of Home Inspectors, now under InterNACHI's founder | Not published | InterNACHI's exam since 2018 |
| North American Association of Home Inspectors | Membership group for inspectors | Not checked | The NHIE, InterNACHI's exam, or a similar exam |
| NIBI | A New Jersey training program, not a membership group | No prices published | Its own exam or the NHIE |
ASHI
ASHI is the older of the two large groups. Every member starts at the Associate level. The Inspector and ASHI Certified Inspector levels add paid inspections and checked reports. The top title, ASHI Certified Inspector, also needs a passing NHIE score and 250 paid inspections.
Dues went from $449 to $499 a year on September 1, 2026. For the levels, dues, and standard of practice, see what is ASHI?
InterNACHI
InterNACHI's About page says Nick Gromicko founded it in 1994. Members pay $49 a month or $499 a year. They take InterNACHI's free online exam and can earn its Certified Professional Inspector title at no added cost. InterNACHI does not accept the NHIE in place of its exam.
For membership, training, and the CPI title, see what is InterNACHI? For how the two groups compare, see ASHI vs. InterNACHI.
NAHI, the National Association of Home Inspectors
NAHI was a third national group. The only account of its end we found is InterNACHI's NAHI history page, so read it as one side's story. That page gives this timeline:
- December 4, 2016: NAHI dissolves.
- December 5, 2016: NAHI reforms in Colorado.
- December 2016: NAHI names Nick Gromicko its executive director.
- June 19, 2018: Gromicko controls NAHI and its trademarks.
- June 29, 2018: NAHI moves to InterNACHI's exam.
- April 22, 2020: NAHI.org starts forwarding to InterNACHI's site.
So a search for the National Association of Home Inspectors now ends at InterNACHI. If an older inspector lists NAHI on a resume, that credential came from the group before 2016.
Two names that look alike
The North American Association of Home Inspectors is a different group from NAHI. It makes inspectors full members after more than 100 inspections and a passed exam. The NHIE counts there, and so do InterNACHI's exam and similar exams.
NIBI, the National Institute of Building Inspectors, sounds like an association but is a training program. HouseMaster, a home inspection franchise, says it founded NIBI in 1987. NIBI's certification accepts the NHIE. For its rules, see what is a NIBI Certified Inspector?
Where the NHIE fits
No association gives the license. Your state does, and most licensing states use the National Home Inspector Exam. ASHI asks for the same exam for its top title, so one passing score can count toward both.
For the full list of groups and their exam rules, see which associations require the NHIE? For the exam itself, see the National Home Inspector Exam guide.
Questions people ask
What happened to the National Association of Home Inspectors?
InterNACHI's history page says NAHI dissolved on December 4, 2016 and reformed in Colorado the next day. It says InterNACHI's founder, Nick Gromicko, has controlled NAHI and its trademarks since June 2018, and that NAHI.org has forwarded to InterNACHI's site since April 2020.
Do I have to join an association to be a home inspector?
Not in most states. ASHI says its membership is voluntary. Montana is one exception: its license asks for membership in a national association.
Is the NHIE given by an association?
No. The NHIE comes from EBPHI, the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. EBPHI says it is not a membership organization.
See where you stand
Take a free 200 question practice exam, weighted like the NHIE, with your score by task.
Not ready for that yet? Get the free NHIE study guide, a printable checklist of all 19 outline tasks, by email.
Where else the NHIE counts