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How to become a home inspector in Montana

To become a home inspector in Montana, you need a home inspector license from the Department of Labor and Industry, required since January 1, 2026. You finish a 40-hour approved course, join a national home inspector association, and carry $125,000 of errors and omissions insurance. Montana has no exam.

License, no examChecked on . Updated

Montana at a glance

Montana at a glance
ItemMontana
State examNone. The NHIE no longer replaces the course for new applicants.
EducationA 40-hour course approved by the department. The approved list includes AHIT, InterNACHI, and the ASHI School.
AssociationMembership in a national home inspector association, such as ASHI, InterNACHI, or NAAHI, kept current
InsuranceErrors and omissions of at least $125,000
Application fee$80
Renewal$80 every 2 years, on the license anniversary. No continuing education.

The licensing body is the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Home Inspector Program. Fees and rules change, so check them with the state before you pay for anything.

Steps to a Montana license

  1. 01

    Finish a 40-hour course on the department's approved list.

  2. 02

    Join a national home inspector association.

  3. 03

    Buy errors and omissions insurance of at least $125,000.

  4. 04

    Apply to the Department of Labor and Industry and pay $80.

What changed in 2026

House Bill 225 of 2025 replaced Montana's old registration with a license starting January 1, 2026. Inspectors registered on December 31, 2025 were converted automatically. Under the old law, passing the NHIE could replace the 40-hour course. The department says new applicants can no longer use that route.

The old registration asked for 40 hours of continuing education every 2 years. The new license asks for none.

Where the NHIE still fits

The NHIE is open to anyone. ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, asks members in a state with no license to pass it before they move up to its Inspector level, along with 50 paid inspections. Its ASHI Certified Inspector title asks for the NHIE and 250 paid inspections.

How long it takes in Montana

Montana asks for a 40-hour approved course, with no exam and no field work. Montana sets no minimum time; the course hours are the floor. An application expires 1 year after you first submit it to the department.

Home inspector pay in Montana

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Montana at $75,700 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 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.

Montana next to the other states

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

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

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Does Montana require an exam for home inspectors?

No. The license needs a 40-hour course, association membership, and insurance, with no state exam.

Does the NHIE count in Montana?

Not for new applicants. It used to replace the 40-hour course, and the department says that route ended with the 2026 license.

When did Montana start licensing home inspectors?

January 1, 2026, under House Bill 225 of 2025.

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

Montana asks for a 40-hour approved course, with no exam and no field work. Montana sets no minimum time; the course hours are the floor. An application expires 1 year after you first submit it to the department.

How much do home inspectors make in Montana?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Montana was $75,700 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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