Home Inspector License Requirements by State (2026)

Short answer: As of September 2026, 37 states issue a home inspector license, certification or registration. California, Georgia, Iowa and Pennsylvania regulate the work by statute without issuing a state credential, and the other nine states and DC have no state license. Where a license exists, it usually requires approved pre-licensing education, field training, an exam (most often the National Home Inspector Examination), insurance and a fee.

"Do I need a license?" has a different answer in every state, and the answer keeps changing. Montana and Utah both started licensing on January 1, 2026. Iowa brought in an association-membership rule in 2025. Licensing bills in Georgia, Kansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania were filed in 2025 or 2026, and none has become law.

This page is the national map. It shows how each state treats home inspectors, what the typical requirements look like, how moving between states works and what changed recently. For the step-by-step path, start with our guide on how to become a home inspector.

The four ways states treat home inspectors

State law uses different words for the credential: license, certification, registration. They matter less than whether the state issues anything at all. Here is the picture as of September 2026.

The last row needs care. A state cannot publish a page saying it has no license, so for those four states we rely on ASHI's and EBPHI's state summaries, which both say the work is not regulated. Check with the state before you rely on that, especially in Missouri, where a licensing bill was filed in 2026.

License, certification and registration: does the word matter?

Not much, in practice. Arizona, Nevada and Oregon call their credential a certification, but you still cannot inspect for a fee without it. Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin call theirs a registration. Nebraska's registration has no education or exam requirement on the Secretary of State's page, only insurance and a fee, while Wisconsin's requires 40 hours of instruction and two exams. Read what the state requires, not what it calls the credential.

Home inspector licensing by state

Status as of September 2026. Each state name links to our state guide. Regulator links go to the state's own page.

Washington, DC does not appear on the District's official license category lists as a home inspector credential. AHIT, a training company, says there are no current requirements there.

What a home inspector license usually requires

Licensed states mix the same few building blocks in different amounts. The examples below are from each regulator's own page or statute, as of September 2026.

Tiered licenses

Some states make you start under supervision:

• Connecticut: a board-approved intern training program of at least 40 hours and an intern permit, then 100 supervised inspections, the first 10 under direct supervision.
• Delaware: trainee registration first. The license requires 75 supervised inspections and 140 hours of ASHI- or InterNACHI-approved training.
• Massachusetts: associate license first, after 75 in-person pre-licensing hours, 25 supervised inspections and the NHIE (266 CMR). Then one year and 100 supervised inspections before the full license.
• Rhode Island: associate license after assisting in at least 50 inspections and passing the exam, then one year and at least 100 paid inspections for the full license, or five years of contractor licensure.
• South Dakota: registered inspector first, after a 40-hour course and the state exam. The licensed tier, after a year and 100 paid inspections, is optional.
• Texas: Apprentice, then Real Estate Inspector, then Professional Real Estate Inspector after 12 months of sponsored experience and 175 inspections, or a substitute education route.

The exam

The National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE) is the most common exam. EBPHI, which runs it, says it is used in 35 states. Many regulators name it directly. Others describe "a national exam" or a board-approved exam, and EBPHI's own summaries fill in the name. Our NHIE guide lists which states name it and how the exam works.

States that regulate without a license

Four states control home inspection by statute but issue nothing to the inspector.

California. The Business and Professions Code, sections 7195 to 7199, sets a duty of care for home inspectors, bars them from giving valuation opinions and lists unfair practices. There is no license, exam or regulator.

Georgia. O.C.G.A. 8-3-331, a 1994 law, requires every home inspector to give the client a written document stating the scope of the inspection, that it is a visual inspection, and that defects will be reported in writing. A violation is a misdemeanor (8-3-332). Cities and counties may license inspectors themselves (8-3-331.1). A 2026 licensing bill, SB 458, did not become law.

Iowa. From July 1, 2025, Iowa Code 558A.4A limits who can issue a home inspection report. You must be a member in good standing of a qualifying national nonprofit association, be licensed as a home inspector in another state, or be an architect or engineer. You must follow the association's standard of practice and carry E&O and general liability of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $500,000 aggregate.

Pennsylvania. The Home Inspection Law (68 Pa.C.S. 7501-7513) requires association membership, or a professional engineer or architect license, plus insurance of $100,000 per occurrence and $500,000 aggregate. Full association members must have passed a recognized or accredited exam and done more than 100 inspections.

States with no license

Five of these have an official record:

• Kansas. Its Home Inspectors Registration Act was in effect only until July 1, 2013. A 2026 bill to license inspectors, HB 2709, died in committee on April 10, 2026.
• Colorado. The state's 2019 sunrise review of home inspectors ended with the recommendation "Do not regulate home inspectors."
• Hawaii. Home inspection is not among the professions the DCCA licenses, and the State Auditor's 2019 sunrise analysis did not find regulation necessary.
• Idaho. The state licensing division lists no home inspector program, and the 2025 and 2026 bill lists contain no home inspector bill.
• Maine. A 2020 state report on licensing home inspectors led to no program.

For Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wyoming, ASHI's and EBPHI's state summaries say home inspection is not regulated, and we found no state page saying otherwise. Local rules can still apply: Minneapolis and St. Paul license their own Truth in Sale of Housing evaluators.

No license does not mean no expectations. Clients and agents in these states still look for training, an association credential such as InterNACHI's Certified Professional Inspector or ASHI's membership levels, and proof of insurance. Our certification guide covers the options.

Reciprocity: moving to another state

There is no national home inspector license, and no automatic transfer between states. Some states offer routes for inspectors already licensed elsewhere. As of September 2026:

Outside these routes, expect to meet the new state's requirements. An NHIE score you already hold may count if it is recent enough. Arizona and Ohio accept NHIE results from within two years before you apply, Mississippi within three years, and Tennessee treats scores as valid for five years. Ask the new state's regulator before you move.

Recent changes, 2023 to 2026

Pending bills that are not law

These bills were filed or advanced, but none is law:

• Georgia SB 458 (2026), the "Home Inspector Licensing Act of Georgia." It passed the Senate on March 6, 2026 and the House by substitute on March 31, 2026. The official status history shows no final agreement and no Governor's signature.
• Pennsylvania SB 907 (2025-26) would create state licensing through the State Real Estate Commission. It was laid on the table on June 25, 2026, with no later action as of November 11, 2026.
• Pennsylvania HB 2645 (2025-26) would create a home inspector license and a home inspector-in-training registration. It passed the House 190 to 13 on September 29, 2026 and went to a Senate committee on October 13, 2026. As of November 11, 2026 it is pending and not law, so Pennsylvania's existing Home Inspection Law still applies.
• Missouri HB 1832 (2026) would create a Missouri Home Inspectors Board. Its last recorded action was a committee referral on May 15, 2026. It did not pass.
• Kansas HB 2709 (2026) would have licensed home inspectors in the same manner as general contractors. It died in committee on April 10, 2026.

If you plan to work in one of these states, watch the legislature's site. Recent new laws have come with a start date and transition steps: Montana converted existing registrations to licenses, and Utah waived enforcement until its applications opened.

Keeping your license

Most states renew every one or two years and require continuing education. As of September 2026:

• Alabama: 15 CE hours a year.
• Florida: 14 hours per renewal, at least 2 on wind mitigation. Licenses expire July 31 of even years.
• Indiana: 32 CE hours per 24 months. Licenses expire October 1 of odd years.
• Mississippi: 20 CE hours every two years.
• New York: 24 hours within each two-year renewal period.
• Oklahoma: 8 CE hours a year.
• Virginia: 16 CPE hours per two-year cycle.
• Wisconsin: renew by December 14 of even years.

Track your hours from the day you are licensed. Our continuing education guide covers where to find approved courses. Once licensed, the next jobs are insurance, software and your first clients, which our guides on home inspector insurance and the best software for new home inspectors cover.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to become a home inspector
• How to pass the National Home Inspector Exam
• How long it takes to become a home inspector
• Home inspector certification
• Home inspector continuing education

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