How to Become a Home Inspector in Maine (2026)

Short answer: Maine does not license home inspectors. ASHI and the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors both list it as unregulated, and the state's own 2020 sunrise review found Maine was one of 16 states that did not regulate the trade. New inspectors there build credibility through training, the National Home Inspector Examination, association membership and insurance, and they need separate state credentials for radon testing and shoreland septic inspections.

No license does not mean no rules. Maine regulates two jobs that home inspectors often add: radon testing and septic inspections on shoreland property. And any Maine inspector who takes paid work in New Hampshire needs that state's license. This page covers what a serious new inspector in Maine actually does.

Maine home inspector requirements at a glance

As of November 2026. Maine has no home inspector licensing program, so there is no regulator. We confirmed the state's position in the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation's 2020 sunrise report. The current "not regulated" status is as published by ASHI and EBPHI (secondary sources), and we found no enacted licensing law since.

How the licensing question has gone in Maine

Maine has considered licensing twice. In 1999, LD 168, "An Act to License Home Inspectors", went before the 119th Legislature. According to the 2020 sunrise report, it was not enacted, but it laid the groundwork for the state association, MeCHIPs.

In 2019, LD 671 proposed licensing property inspectors. It became Resolve 2019, chapter 61, which ordered the Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation to run a sunrise review. The January 10, 2020 report observed that "home inspectors may not pose a serious threat to public welfare" on the information provided, and left the policy question to the legislative committee. No licensing law followed that we could find.

Step by step: how new inspectors start in Maine

1. Get trained. No hours are mandated, so pick a structured course that covers every major system and report writing. AHIT, ICA, InterNACHI and the ASHI School all appear on Vermont's list of approved 80-hour providers, which matters if you may work in a licensing state later. New Hampshire keeps its own approved list.
2. Pass the NHIE. It is voluntary in Maine, but it is the exam New Hampshire requires and the one ASHI uses for its higher membership levels. See our NHIE guide.
3. Join an association. InterNACHI's Certified Professional Inspector credential and ASHI's membership levels each set their own entry rules, standards of practice and CE. Maine also has its own group, the Maine Coalition of Home Inspection Professionals (MeCHIPs). Compare them in InterNACHI vs ASHI.
4. Do ride-alongs. With no state field requirement, experience is on you. Arrange inspections alongside an established inspector before you work alone.
5. Buy insurance. E&O and general liability are not required by the state, but without them a claim comes out of your own pocket. Our insurance guide covers the choices.
6. Add the Maine-regulated services you plan to offer: radon registration, and shoreland septic certification if you work lake and coastal property.
7. Write your contract and standards. With no state standard of practice, your pre-inspection agreement and the association standard you follow define the scope. Name it in every contract.

What it costs to get started in Maine

Association and exam prices are what those organizations publish. There are no state fees because there is no state program.

How long it takes

Maine sets no minimum. Your timeline is whatever training you choose, time to study for and pass the NHIE if you take it, and the ride-alongs you arrange. If you also want a New Hampshire license, plan for its 80 hours of approved education and the NHIE. See our New Hampshire guide.

Radon registration and shoreland septic certification each go through their own state process, so add time for those if you plan to offer them from day one.

What home inspectors earn in Maine

BLS does not publish a figure for home inspectors alone. Its closest category is SOC 47-4011, Construction and Building Inspectors, which also includes municipal building, electrical and plumbing inspectors.

The Maine median is almost exactly the national figure. BLS wage data excludes the self-employed, and many home inspectors run their own business. See our home inspector salary guide.

Keeping your credentials current

Maine has no renewal or state CE, so upkeep follows the credentials you hold. InterNACHI requires 24 CE hours a year for certified members, and ASHI Inspectors complete 20 ASHI-approved CE hours a year, according to each association. The 2020 sunrise report described MeCHIPs as requiring 48 CE units over three years, 25 paid inspections and a passing NHIE score for professional members. Check MeCHIPs' current rules with the group.

If you hold a New Hampshire license too, that state requires 20 CE hours every two years.

Rules only Maine has

Radon testing needs a Maine registration. The Maine CDC says the Maine Radon Registration Act requires a Maine registered radon tester to conduct the test, unless the owner or occupant does it. If the home is for sale, "an independent registered radon tester is required". That covers radon in water too. See radon testing for home inspectors.

Shoreland septic inspections at transfer. Under 30-A M.R.S. section 4216, a buyer of property with a subsurface wastewater disposal system in the shoreland zone must have it inspected before purchase by a person certified by the Department, unless an exception applies. The main exceptions are a system installed within the 3 years before closing, a seller who hands over a certified inspection from the previous 3 years, and a buyer who certifies to the local plumbing inspector that they will replace the system. The Department of Health and Human Services rule, 10-144 C.M.R. chapter 241, section 15, sets the standards. If weather prevents it, the inspection can happen within 9 months after the transfer. A malfunctioning system must be repaired or replaced within a year. Outside the shoreland zone, the rule says no inspection is required by statute, and a buyer-initiated septic inspection does not have to be done by a certified inspector. See how to become a septic inspector.

Local associations. MeCHIPs was founded in January 1999, according to the 2020 sunrise report. Its site says members follow its bylaws, standards of practice and code of ethics "in the absence of state licensing laws". Two ASHI chapters include Maine: the ASHI Northern New England Chapter, which covers Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, and ASHI New England, formed in 1977 for all six New England states.

Working next door. New Hampshire requires a license for every paid home inspection there. Massachusetts licenses in two tiers with a supervised year. See our Massachusetts guide before taking work south of the border.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to become a home inspector
• Home inspector license requirements by state
• How to become a home inspector in New Hampshire
• How to become a home inspector in Massachusetts
• InterNACHI vs ASHI

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