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How to become a home inspector in Arkansas

To become a home inspector in Arkansas, you register with the State Board of Appraisers, Abstracters, and Home Inspectors. You finish an 80-hour approved program with 16 hours of field training, pass the NHIE and the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam, and carry $100,000 of professional liability insurance.

NHIE requiredChecked on . Updated

Arkansas at a glance

Arkansas at a glance
ItemArkansas
ExamTwo exams: the NHIE through PSI and the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam through Pearson VUE. A pass is good for 5 years.
Exam fee$225 for the NHIE. The ASHI exam fee is paid to Pearson VUE.
Education80 hours in a Board-approved program, finished within 3 years before you apply. Online programs count with a proctored final.
Field work16 hours of field training inside the 80 hours
InsuranceProfessional liability or errors and omissions of at least $100,000
OtherAge 18, a high school diploma, and a criminal record screen. No fingerprints were found.
Application fee$250
RenewalEvery year by December 31, with 14 hours of continuing education. The Board's page lists $185.

The licensing body is the Arkansas State Board of Appraisers, Abstracters, and Home Inspectors. Fees and rules change, so check them with the state before you pay for anything.

Steps to an Arkansas registration

  1. 01

    Finish an 80-hour Board-approved program, including 16 hours of field training.

  2. 02

    Pass the National Home Inspector Examination through PSI.

  3. 03

    Pass the ASHI Standards and Ethics exam through Pearson VUE.

  4. 04

    Buy professional liability or errors and omissions insurance of at least $100,000.

  5. 05

    Apply to the Board with your certificates, exam results, insurance proof, and the $250 fee.

Changes in 2025 and 2026

Act 974 of 2025, effective August 5, 2025, changed the insurance from general liability to professional liability or errors and omissions. The Board's online insurance form still shows the older wording, and the Board says to ignore it.

The old Arkansas Home Inspector Registration Board merged into the State Board of Appraisers, Abstracters, and Home Inspectors in 2023. Every registration now ends December 31.

How long it takes in Arkansas

Arkansas requires an 80-hour approved program, with 16 hours of field training inside it. You finish it within 3 years before you apply, and each exam pass stays good for 5 years. No apprentice period or waiting time is set, so the hours and exams are the floor.

Home inspector pay in Arkansas

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Arkansas at $52,700 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 800 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.

Arkansas next to the other states

  • NHIE required
  • NHIE accepted
  • State exam only
  • License, no exam
  • No state license
  • Adds a state section

Arkansas is ringed. Each square opens that state's page.

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Does Arkansas use the NHIE?

Yes. Arkansas requires the National Home Inspector Examination and a second exam, ASHI's Standards and Ethics exam.

Can I take the Arkansas home inspector course online?

Yes, if the program is Board-approved and the final exam is proctored.

Is it a license or a registration in Arkansas?

A registration. Arkansas registers home inspectors, and there is no trainee level.

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

Arkansas requires an 80-hour approved program, with 16 hours of field training inside it. You finish it within 3 years before you apply, and each exam pass stays good for 5 years. No apprentice period or waiting time is set, so the hours and exams are the floor.

How much do home inspectors make in Arkansas?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Arkansas was $52,700 a year in May 2025. That figure leaves out the self-employed, which includes an inspector who owns the business.

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Becoming a home inspector

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