What is InterNACHI?

InterNACHI's About page says Nick Gromicko founded it in 1994. It describes itself as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership trade organization, headquartered in Boulder, that works in 65 countries.

It also runs InterNACHI School. InterNACHI says the school is accredited by ACCET, a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and that its courses are open to members only. Members can enroll in its tuition-free online Home Inspector Certificate Program.

For hands-on training, InterNACHI built what it calls Houses of Horrors: houses with defects built in on purpose. It lists three, at its Boulder headquarters, in Weston, Florida, and in Pennsylvania, and says attending one is not required.

All-Access membership costs $49 a month or $499 a year, and InterNACHI says there's no contract. Members get its online courses, exams, and certification programs at no extra charge. InterNACHI says that includes more than 4,600 hours of online education and more than 2,000 practice questions for state licensing exams. It also says most of its courses are approved for state licensing and continuing education requirements, so check your own state's list.

The exam comes first. InterNACHI's exam page calls passing it an entrance requirement to join. Two more rules apply to members:

• A member who also belongs to another association must give InterNACHI equal prominence in brochures and websites.
• Requirements can change, but existing members need only meet the ones in effect when they joined.

InterNACHI writes its own exam. This table shows its format as InterNACHI's exam page describes it:

InterNACHI says passing the exam in no way certifies you as an inspector. For how it differs from the licensing exam most states use, see the InterNACHI exam vs. the NHIE.

InterNACHI's title is the Certified Professional Inspector. Its six steps are the exam, membership, a Code of Ethics course, a Standards of Practice course, four mock inspection reports, and a signed affidavit. Keeping it takes 12 free courses in the first year, 24 hours of continuing education a year after that, and the exam again every three years. The 24 hours apply even to members who hold a state license. The title ends when the membership does. InterNACHI also says every CPI is automatically a Certified Residential Inspector of NAHI, a former association whose name, by InterNACHI's account, its founder now controls. For the details, see what is a Certified Professional Inspector.

The InterNACHI Standards of Practice were last revised in October 2022. They apply to properties with four or fewer residential units and their attached garages and carports. Certified members agree to substantially follow them, or the standard their jurisdiction requires by law, along with the Code of Ethics. For how they compare with ASHI's Standard and state rules, see home inspection standards of practice.

37 states license or register home inspectors, and InterNACHI membership doesn't replace that license. InterNACHI itself says your state will probably require a national exam, and that a few states have approved its exam. The National Home Inspector Exam (NHIE) counts toward the license in 33 states.

A few states name InterNACHI in their rules:

• North Dakota accepts an exam offered by InterNACHI, ASHI, the board that runs the NHIE, or the International Code Council.
• New Mexico lists an InterNACHI exam score beside the NHIE.
• Utah asks for a current certification from ASHI, InterNACHI, or the International Code Council.
• Montana asks for membership in a national home inspection association, and InterNACHI is one it lists.

For the general rule, see home inspector certification vs. license. For the other associations, see what is ASHI, NIBI Certified Inspector, Certified Master Inspector®, ASHI vs. InterNACHI, and home inspector certifications compared.