How to Become a Home Inspector in Delaware (2026)

Short answer: Yes, Delaware licenses home inspectors. As of November 2026 most new inspectors register as a Home Inspector Trainee under a licensed supervisor, complete 75 supervised inspections and 140 hours of training approved by the Board, ASHI or InterNACHI, pass the National Home Inspector Examination, and show E&O of at least $50,000 and liability of at least $250,000. The license application fee is $333.

The Delaware Board of Home Inspectors, part of the Division of Professional Regulation, runs the program. Delaware began licensing in 2013, with a grandfather window for working inspectors that closed on November 4, 2013. Everything is filed through the Division's online system, DELPROS.

Delaware home inspector requirements at a glance

As of November 2026, from the Board's pages, 24 Del. C. chapter 41 and the Board's regulations (24 DE Admin. Code 4100).

How to become a home inspector in Delaware, step by step

1. Find a supervising inspector. A Delaware-licensed home inspector in good standing presents you to the Board by completing a Verification of Home Inspector Trainee Supervision form and sending it directly to the Board office. If you have more than one supervisor, each one sends a form. Under 24 Del. C. 4109, a supervisor cannot charge you a fee or require you to sign a non-compete as a condition of supervision.
2. Register as a Home Inspector Trainee. Apply in DELPROS and pay $186. You cannot start counting supervised inspections until the Board grants your registration.
3. Complete 75 supervised inspections. "Active oversight" means your supervisor is on the premises and readily available. A supervisor can take no more than two trainees on one inspection. Keep the experience log on the Board's form, have your supervisor certify it, and carry your trainee registration card on every job. If you co-sign a report, it must show your trainee status and registration number.
4. Finish 140 hours of approved training. The course must be approved by the Board, ASHI or InterNACHI, and cover topics including heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing, structure, roofing, manufactured housing, Delaware licensure law and report writing.
5. Pass the National Home Inspector Examination. Delaware's regulations require it before you apply for the license. Our NHIE guide covers the exam Delaware names in its rules.
6. Get insured and apply. Obtain E&O and liability at the minimums, have the insurer send a notarized certificate, and apply for the license in DELPROS with the $333 fee.

Inspectors who did not train as Delaware trainees have another route under the regulations: five years of documented home inspection experience, or a log of at least 75 inspections plus certified membership in ASHI, NAHI or InterNACHI. They still need the education, exam and insurance.

What it costs to get started in Delaware

State fees are from the Division's fee schedule. Course and insurance prices vary.

The fixed trainee, exam and license fees come to $744 before training and insurance.

How long it takes

The 75 supervised inspections usually set the pace, since you cannot start them until your trainee registration is granted and each one depends on your supervisor's schedule.

The Board also affects the timing. It generally meets on the second Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November in Dover, and it reviews only complete applications, at its next scheduled meeting. Submit your trainee and license applications well before a meeting. DELPROS gives you six months to submit an application once you start it.

What home inspectors earn in Delaware

BLS does not publish a home-inspector-only figure for Delaware. The closest category is SOC 47-4011, construction and building inspectors, which also covers municipal building, plumbing and electrical inspectors.

Delaware's figures are close to the national median but come from a small group. OEWS excludes the self-employed, so they leave out inspectors who own their business. The home inspector salary guide explains how fees and volume drive an owner's income.

Keeping your Delaware license: renewal and CE

Licenses lapse on August 31 of each odd-numbered year. You renew online in DELPROS and attest that you completed your continuing education. If the Board selects you for audit, you have 30 days to send proof of your CE and your insurance.

• Hours: 40 hours of approved CE by August 31 of each renewal period. An hour is 50 minutes of instruction.
• First period: licensed less than a year, no CE at first renewal. Licensed one to two years, 20 hours.
• What counts: courses approved by the Board, ASHI or InterNACHI. Supervising a registered trainee can earn up to 20 hours per cycle.
• No carryover: extra hours do not roll into the next period.
• Late renewal: the late fee is 50 percent of the renewal fee. After six months lapsed, you reapply as a new applicant.

Compare Delaware with its neighbors on our continuing education by state page.

What is specific to inspecting in Delaware

Septic inspection at every sale, by a Class H licensee

Delaware's septic regulations (7 DE Admin. Code 7101, section 3.31.13) require that when a property served by an on-site wastewater system is sold or transferred, the system is pumped out by a Class F licensee and inspected by a Class H licensee before the sale closes. Sheriff sales, auctions, short sales and cash sales get up to 90 days after the sale. The inspection goes to DNREC on its approved form within 72 hours. There are exceptions, including a pump-out and inspection within the previous 36 months for a system that is not a cesspool or seepage pit.

A home inspector license does not cover this work. To offer it, you need DNREC's Class H System Inspector license, which requires:

• a qualifications statement on DNREC's form;
• training certification from NAWT, the Pennsylvania Septage Management Association, Delaware Technical and Community College, or another program the On-Site Systems Advisory Board approves;
• a pass on DNREC's written exam on the regulations; and
• your first three inspections supervised by the Department.

Class H licenses expire on December 31 each year. To renew without retesting, you file DNREC's renewal form by November 30 with proof of at least 10 hours of wastewater continuing education. Advanced treatment units need extra DNREC-approved training on that system. For inspectors who work in areas served by septic systems, it is a second service tied directly to the sale. See how to become a septic inspector and pricing ancillary services.

Temporary permits for out-of-state inspectors

Inspectors licensed in another jurisdiction can get a temporary permit for $40. It covers a single inspection for 10 days, must be obtained before the inspection, and is limited to five per year. For regular Delaware work, apply by endorsement instead.

Local associations

ASHI lists First State ASHI in Delaware and ASHI Tri-State, which also covers Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Since Delaware accepts ASHI and InterNACHI for both education and CE, compare them in InterNACHI vs ASHI.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to become a home inspector
• Home inspector license requirements by state
• How to become a home inspector in Pennsylvania
• How to become a home inspector in New Jersey
• How to become a home inspector in Maryland

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