How to become a home inspector in Alabama

To become a home inspector in Alabama, you need a license from the Division of Construction Management. You meet one of four qualifications, finish 120 hours of education and 35 inspections, pass the NHIE and the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam, and carry liability and errors and omissions insurance.

NHIE requiredChecked on October 14, 2026. Updated October 27, 2026

Alabama at a glance

Alabama at a glance
Item	Alabama
Exam	Two exams: the NHIE through PSI and the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam through Pearson VUE. Both must be passed within 18 months before you apply.
Exam fee	$225 for the NHIE, paid to PSI. The ASHI exam fee is paid to Pearson VUE.
Education	120 hours of approved education with 35 inspections, or 35 hours with 100 inspections. It has to cover report writing.
Field work	The 35 or 100 inspections done under a qualified inspector, plus 25 practice reports, 10 of them reviewed and corrected
Insurance	General liability of $20,000 property damage, $50,000 for one person, and $100,000 for more than one, plus $250,000 errors and omissions
Other	One of four qualifications, such as membership in ASHI, InterNACHI, NIBI, or HIF. No age rule or fingerprints.
Application fee	$300
Renewal	$300 every year, due November 1, with 15 hours of continuing education

The licensing body is the Alabama Division of Construction Management, Home Inspectors. Fees and rules change, so check them with the state before you pay for anything.

Steps to an Alabama license

01
Meet one of the four qualifications: membership in a listed national association; VA, HUD, or ICC approval; a high school diploma with 1 year and 100 paid inspections; or an Alabama contractor, architect, engineer, or builder license from 1998 or later.
02
Finish 120 hours of approved education and take part in 35 inspections, or 35 hours and 100 inspections. Keep a Participation Log and a Verification form from each supervisor.
03
Pass the NHIE through PSI and the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam through Pearson VUE, both within 18 months before you apply.
04
Draft 25 inspection reports and have 10 of them reviewed and corrected by a qualified inspector.
05
Buy general liability and $250,000 errors and omissions insurance, and get a certificate.
06
Send the notarized application, exam results, forms, insurance certificate, and $300 by mail or online.

Who counts as a qualified inspector

The inspector who supervises your inspections and reviews your reports has to be licensed in their own state for the past 5 years. In a state with no license, 5 years as a member of a listed association counts instead.

Keeping the license

Every license ends December 31, whatever day it was issued. The renewal goes in by November 1 with 15 hours of continuing education and $300. A lapse in insurance suspends the license until coverage is back. Alabama has no reciprocity with other states.

How long it takes in Alabama

In Alabama, you need 120 hours of education and 35 supervised inspections, or 35 hours and 100 inspections. You also draft 25 practice reports, and a qualified inspector reviews 10 of them. Alabama sets no minimum time, but both exams must be passed within 18 months before you apply.

Home inspector pay in Alabama

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Alabama at $61,300 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 1,420 people in that job in the state, and home inspectors are one specialty in the group, next to city and county code inspectors.

The number leaves out the self-employed. An inspector who owns the business is self-employed, so that pay isn't in it. For what owners report, see how much home inspectors make.

Alabama next to the other states

NHIE required
NHIE accepted
State exam only
License, no exam
No state license
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Alabama is ringed. Each square opens that state's page.

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Does Alabama use the NHIE?

Yes. The rule names the National Home Inspector Examination and adds a second exam, ASHI's Standards and Ethics exam. You need both.

Does Alabama have reciprocity for home inspectors?

No. The Division of Construction Management says Alabama does not have reciprocity with other states.

Who licenses home inspectors in Alabama?

The Division of Construction Management in the Department of Finance. It took over from the Building Commission, which was abolished on October 1, 2015.

How long does it take to become a home inspector in Alabama?

In Alabama, you need 120 hours of education and 35 supervised inspections, or 35 hours and 100 inspections. You also draft 25 practice reports, and a qualified inspector reviews 10 of them. Alabama sets no minimum time, but both exams must be passed within 18 months before you apply.

How much do home inspectors make in Alabama?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Alabama was $61,300 a year in May 2025. That figure leaves out the self-employed, which includes an inspector who owns the business.

See where you stand

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