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Online home inspector courses: which states accept online hours

Many licensing states let you take the pre-license course online, but not all of them. Kentucky, Maryland, and Massachusetts do not accept online hours, and most states add field work or supervised inspections that no online course can replace.

Checked on . Updated

States that allow online hours

In these 10 states, the statute or rule says the course hours can be taken online or by distance learning. The field work still has to be done in person:

States whose rules allow online pre-license hours
StateWhat the rule saysIn person
ArkansasOnline programs count if the final exam is closed book and proctored16 field hours inside the 80
Delaware140 hours of classroom or online training75 inspections with a licensed supervisor on site
FloridaApproved courses can be taught by interactive distance learningNone
IllinoisIn person, live webinar, self-paced online, or home study with a proctored final5 field inspection events on site and in person, and a field exam
LouisianaVideo or streamed lectures, with a certified instructor available during class hours. Audiotapes do not count.30 hours of field training and 10 live inspections
New MexicoAll 80 hours can be online80 field hours across 30 parallel inspections
OhioClassroom or online10 parallel inspections, or 40 hours of field work and a peer review
OklahomaThe rule provides for online course approval, and the approved list has online 90-hour programsNone
South DakotaThe rules allow distance and independent study coursesNone
TexasClassroom, distance, or a mix, with a closed-book proctored final. The proctor can watch remotely.The Texas Practicum, 5 in-person inspections over 40 hours, on the education-only routes

Online courses on the approved list

In these states, the board approves online courses by name, but no rule settles how the hours can be delivered:

States with online courses on the approved list
StateWhat the sources sayIn person
ConnecticutThe statute allows a home study course, and the approved list has online courses. The rule says 40 classroom hours.100 inspections as an intern, the first 10 with the supervisor on site
MontanaThe rules are silent. The approved list has courses titled online.None
New HampshireNo rule addresses it. The approved list has an online course.None
TennesseeThe rules are silent. The approved list has 90-hour courses titled online.None
VirginiaThe rules are silent. The board marks 17 of its 31 pre-license courses as classroom and online.None set. Inspections can earn experience points.

Rules that point both ways

In these states, one source allows distance learning and another speaks of a classroom. Ask the board before you pay:

States whose sources disagree on online hours
StateWhat the sources sayIn person
Arizona84 hours of classroom training or an equivalent course. The school can be accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.30 parallel inspections
WashingtonThe statute says classroom instruction. A rule lets a school get a distance version of its course approved.40 hours of field training with 5 inspections
North CarolinaThe statute lets the board approve distance learning. The rule says classroom, with 90 percent attendance.80 field hours with 10 site visits

North Carolina gives its own exam and does not accept the NHIE.

States that want a classroom

Kentucky, Maryland, and Massachusetts rule out online hours. The other states here call for classroom hours and say nothing of online delivery:

States whose rules call for classroom hours
StateWhat the rule saysIn person
KentuckyAn online pre-license course is not accepted16 field hours and 3 unpaid supervised inspections
MarylandAll 72 hours on site, not virtual, since July 31, 2021None
MassachusettsPre-license education may not be delivered online25 inspections under on-site supervision
IndianaAt least 40 classroom hours. The rule does not mention online delivery.12 practical hours inside the course
NevadaThe rule says classroom instruction. The approved list has one provider teaching in a live digital classroom.25 observed inspections
New YorkThe rule speaks of a classroom setting and does not mention online delivery. The approved list marks no online option.40 field hours inside the 140

Where the rules say nothing

These states set the hours but do not say how they can be delivered. Several list national schools that also teach online. Find the course by name on the board's approved list, or ask the board:

States whose rules do not address online hours
StateWhat the rule saysIn person
AlabamaSilent35 or 100 inspections under a qualified inspector, by path
MississippiSilentNone
New JerseySilent on the course. The rules name distance learning only for continuing education.40 hours of unpaid field inspections with a licensee
OregonSilent on the 20 points. The board says online classes count for continuing education.None. Ride-alongs earn optional points.
South CarolinaSilentNone on the course route
VermontSilentNone
West VirginiaSilentNone
WisconsinSilent20 hands-on hours inside the 40

Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Utah set no state pre-license course hours. Utah asks instead for an ASHI, InterNACHI, or ICC certification, which sets its own. The states with no license set no hours at all.

What to check before you pay

  1. 01

    Find the course by name on your state board's approved list.

  2. 02

    Check whether it is live or self-paced, and whether your state's rule names one.

  3. 03

    Ask whether the final exam is proctored, and how.

  4. 04

    Ask how the school helps with any field hours your state requires.

  5. 05

    Confirm the certificate lists the hours your state counts.

The board's own answer settles it. The likeliest problem is a course approved in another state but not in yours.

Where exam prep fits

The course hours come first. Most of these states then ask for the NHIE, a separate exam the course does not replace. For the full order of steps, see how to become a home inspector. For why this site awards no hours, see this is not a school.

Questions people ask

Can you become a home inspector completely online?

Not in most licensing states. Even where the course can be online, many states add field hours, parallel inspections, or supervised inspections at real houses. In Florida, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, the rules allow an online course and ask for no field work.

Does an online course count in my state?

Only if your state's board approves that course. Find the exact course name on the board's approved list before you pay, and ask the board if its rule does not say how the hours can be delivered.

Is this site an online home inspector course?

No. Inspector Exam Lab is prep for the National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE). It is not a school, it has no state approval, and it counts toward no state's pre-license hours.

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