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How to become a home inspector in Massachusetts

To become a home inspector in Massachusetts, you start with an associate home inspector license from the Board of Registration of Home Inspectors. You finish 75 classroom hours, do 25 paid inspections under on-site supervision, pass the National Home Inspector Examination, and carry $250,000 of errors and omissions insurance.

NHIE requiredChecked on . Updated

Massachusetts at a glance

Massachusetts at a glance
ItemMassachusetts
ExamThe NHIE through PSI, for the associate license
Exam fee$225 per attempt, with 30 days between tries
Education75 hours in a classroom with a Board-approved provider, with set minimum hours per topic
Field work25 paid inspections under direct, on-site supervision. Up to 10 can be mock inspections run by an approved provider.
InsuranceErrors and omissions of $250,000 in the aggregate, for both license levels
OtherA high school diploma or equivalent, good moral character, a notarized criminal record check form, and a named supervisor
Application fee$225 for the associate license. The home inspector license is $338 later.
Renewal$225 every 2 years, by May 31 of even years, with 12 hours of continuing education

The licensing body is the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Home Inspectors, Division of Occupational Licensure. Fees and rules change, so check them with the state before you pay for anything.

Steps to a Massachusetts license

  1. 01

    Finish 75 classroom hours with a Board-approved provider.

  2. 02

    Do 25 paid inspections under the direct, on-site supervision of a licensed home inspector.

  3. 03

    Pass the National Home Inspector Examination through PSI.

  4. 04

    Buy errors and omissions insurance of $250,000 aggregate.

  5. 05

    Apply for the associate license with the criminal record check form, a photo, your supervisor's name, and $225.

  6. 06

    After 1 year as an associate, 100 more inspections, and 12 hours of continuing education, apply for the home inspector license for $338.

Two license levels

The associate home inspector license is the first step. An associate works under a licensed home inspector. After a year at that level and 100 more inspections, you can apply for the full home inspector license.

Each renewal needs 12 hours of continuing education, with 4 on the regulations and standards of practice and 1 on ethics. A February 2026 rule change lets a lapsed license be renewed for up to 2 years instead of 1.

How long it takes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts asks for 75 classroom hours and 25 paid inspections under on-site supervision before the associate license. Up to 10 of the 25 can be mock inspections run by an approved provider. The full license takes at least 1 year as an associate, plus 100 more inspections and 12 continuing education hours.

Home inspector pay in Massachusetts

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Massachusetts at $83,200 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 4,290 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.

Massachusetts next to the other states

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

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

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Does Massachusetts use the NHIE?

Yes. The Board's licensing page sends associate applicants to the National Home Inspector Examination, given by PSI.

Can I take the Massachusetts home inspector course online?

No. The 75 hours have to be in a classroom with a Board-approved provider.

What is an associate home inspector in Massachusetts?

The entry license. An associate inspects under a licensed home inspector until they qualify for the full license.

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

Massachusetts asks for 75 classroom hours and 25 paid inspections under on-site supervision before the associate license. Up to 10 of the 25 can be mock inspections run by an approved provider. The full license takes at least 1 year as an associate, plus 100 more inspections and 12 continuing education hours.

How much do home inspectors make in Massachusetts?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Massachusetts was $83,200 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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