How to become a home inspector in Louisiana

To become a home inspector in Louisiana, you need a license from the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors. You finish a 90-hour course, 30 hours of hands-on training, and 10 live inspections with a trainer, pass the NHIE, and clear a State Police background check.

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

Louisiana at a glance

Louisiana at a glance
Item	Louisiana
Exam	The NHIE through PSI: 200 questions in 4 hours. The rule also calls for a board exam on Louisiana's standards of practice and ethics.
Exam fee	$225 for the NHIE, paid to PSI
Education	90 hours with a board-approved school, finished within 180 days, with the school's exams passed at 70%. Video courses count if an instructor is on hand.
Field work	30 hours of hands-on training with a certified in-field trainer, then 10 paid live inspections with a mock report for each
Insurance	Errors and omissions of $300,000 a year and general liability of $300,000 a year, each with a deductible of no more than $5,000
Other	Age 18, a high school diploma or GED, a Louisiana State Police background check, and a Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar
Application fee	$200
Renewal	$100 every year, with 20 hours of continuing education, or 30 for the first renewal

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

Steps to a Louisiana license

01
Get a Louisiana State Police background check and send the results to the board. It expires after 365 days.
02
Finish the 90-hour course with a board-approved school within 180 days of starting.
03
Pass the National Home Inspector Examination through PSI.
04
Do 30 hours of platform training and 10 live inspections with a certified in-field trainer.
05
Attend the Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar.
06
Buy errors and omissions and general liability insurance, $300,000 a year each, with the board as certificate holder.
07
Apply to the board with every certificate, your exam result, and the $200 fee. The board's page says to finish everything within 36 months of starting, but its 2024 application form says 1 year from when the application is processed.

The $5 inspection fee

A licensed inspector pays the board $5 for every inspection and files a report by the 15th of each month, even a month with none. The fee can be passed on to the client.

Keeping the license

The license runs one year. Each renewal needs 20 hours of continuing education, or 30 the first time, a current insurance certificate, and a copy of one recent report. You take the report writing seminar again at least once every 3 years. After 12 months expired, you have to pass the exam again.

How long it takes in Louisiana

Louisiana asks for 90 course hours, 30 hours of platform training, and 10 live inspections with a trainer. The course must be done within 180 days, and the background check expires after 365 days. The board's page gives you 36 months to finish everything, but its application form says 1 year from processing.

Home inspector pay in Louisiana

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Louisiana at $68,260 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 1,440 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.

Louisiana next to the other states

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

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

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Does Louisiana use the NHIE?

Yes. The board's licensing page names the National Home Inspector Examination, given by PSI. The rule also calls for a board exam on Louisiana's standards of practice and code of ethics.

Can I take the Louisiana home inspector course online?

Yes, as video or streaming lectures with a certified instructor available during class hours. Audio tapes and home study do not count.

Does Louisiana have reciprocity for home inspectors?

A license from a state with standards at least as strict can count toward the training. You still need an approved exam, the board's seminar, and the Louisiana standards and ethics exam.

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

Louisiana asks for 90 course hours, 30 hours of platform training, and 10 live inspections with a trainer. The course must be done within 180 days, and the background check expires after 365 days. The board's page gives you 36 months to finish everything, but its application form says 1 year from processing.

How much do home inspectors make in Louisiana?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Louisiana was $68,260 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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