Skip to content

Independent exam prep. Not affiliated with the NHIE or EBPHI. No licensing, education hour, or CE credit. Disclaimer

Inspector Exam Lab
Get access

How to become a home inspector in Pennsylvania

To become a home inspector in Pennsylvania, you need no state license, but the Home Inspection Law sets who can do the inspection in a home sale. It has to be a full member of a national home inspection association, someone a full member supervises, or a licensed engineer or architect.

No state licenseChecked on . Updated

Pennsylvania at a glance

Pennsylvania at a glance
ItemPennsylvania
State licenseNone
State examNone. A full member of an association must have passed a recognized or accredited exam.
Law that applies68 Pa.C.S. Chapter 75, the Home Inspection Law
InsuranceErrors and omissions and general liability of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate
Time limit to sueOne year from the day the report is delivered
Pending billHouse Bill 2645, passed by the House on September 29, 2026, now in a Senate committee

Steps to start inspecting in Pennsylvania

  1. 01

    Join a national home inspection association that meets the law's test, and work toward full membership.

  2. 02

    Until then, inspect only under a full member who agrees to sign and take responsibility for your reports.

  3. 03

    Buy errors and omissions and general liability insurance: $100,000 per occurrence, $500,000 aggregate, with a deductible of no more than $2,500.

  4. 04

    Write reports that follow Chapter 75: in writing, with the scope, the material defects, and the four statements the law requires.

What full membership means

The law does not name an exam. It defines a national home inspectors association as one that is not for profit, has members in more than 10 states, and requires a full member to have done more than 100 inspections and passed a recognized or accredited exam. The association also has to require a code of conduct and continuing education.

ASHI asks members in a state with no license to pass the NHIE to reach its Inspector level, along with 50 paid inspections. Pennsylvania's law sets the count higher, at more than 100.

What House Bill 2645 would do

The bill would license home inspectors under the State Real Estate Commission. A license would take age 18, a high school diploma, 80 hours of approved instruction, a trainee registration, 50 mentored inspections, and a commission-approved exam. The bill does not name the NHIE. It would repeal Chapter 75.

The House passed it 190 to 13 on September 29, 2026. It was sent to the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on October 13, 2026. A Senate bill on the same subject, Senate Bill 907, was tabled on June 25, 2026.

How long it takes in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no home inspector license, so the state sets no hours, field work, or wait. How long it takes depends on the training you choose.

Home inspector pay in Pennsylvania

BLS puts the median pay for construction and building inspectors in Pennsylvania at $65,870 a year in May 2025, against $74,690 for the whole country. BLS counts about 5,320 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.

Pennsylvania next to the other states

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

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

More on the exam

Questions people ask

Do home inspectors need a license in Pennsylvania?

No. Pennsylvania has no license. The Home Inspection Law requires association membership or supervision, insurance, and set report rules.

Is Pennsylvania going to license home inspectors?

House Bill 2645 would. It passed the House on September 29, 2026 and is in a Senate committee. It is not law.

Do I need to pass the NHIE in Pennsylvania?

The law asks for a recognized or accredited exam through your association, not the NHIE by name. ASHI requires the NHIE for its Inspector level in a state with no license.

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

Pennsylvania has no home inspector license, so the state sets no hours, field work, or wait. How long it takes depends on the training you choose.

How much do home inspectors make in Pennsylvania?

BLS publishes no separate figure for home inspectors. It counts them with construction and building inspectors, whose median pay in Pennsylvania was $65,870 a year in May 2025. That figure leaves out the self-employed, which includes an inspector who owns the business.

See where you stand

Take a free 200 question practice exam, weighted like the NHIE, with your score by task.

Take the full length exam free

Not ready for that yet? Get the free NHIE study guide, a printable checklist of all 19 outline tasks, by email.

Becoming a home inspector

Other states