How to Become a Home Inspector in Maryland (2026)

Short answer: As of September 2026, Maryland requires a Home Inspector License from the State Commission of Real Estate Appraisers, Appraisal Management Companies and Home Inspectors. You complete a 72-hour on-site training course approved by the Commission, pass the National Home Inspector Examination, show a high school diploma or equivalent and carry general liability insurance of at least $150,000. The license runs for two years, and after the first renewal you need 30 hours of continuing education each cycle.

Maryland's home inspector rules date back to 2002 and have been revised several times since. The biggest recent change is a rewritten standard of practice that took effect on December 22, 2025. For the national overview, see how to become a home inspector.

Maryland home inspector requirements at a glance

What Maryland law requires

Under Business Occupations and Professions section 16-3A-01, an individual "shall be licensed by the Commission as a home inspector before the individual may provide home inspection services in the State." The Commission defines a home inspection as a written evaluation of one or more components of an existing residential building, from the heating and cooling systems to the roof, foundation and interior.

Section 16-3A-03 sets the qualifications. An applicant must have completed at least 72 hours of an on-site training course approved by a national home inspection organization and the Commission, a course that at a minimum requires passing the NHIE "or its equivalent as determined by the Commission". The Commission's own page puts it more simply: complete the 72-hour on-site course and pass the National Home Inspector Examination.

Some people do not need the license while working within their own field: building code officials, federal and state inspectors, and licensed plumbers, electricians, professional engineers, appraisers, real estate licensees and HVACR contractors. Roofers, general contractors, remodelers and structural pest control specialists are also exempt while acting within their occupation, and so is any other building professional "who does not claim to be a licensed home inspector" (section 16-3A-01).

How to get a Maryland home inspector license, step by step

1. Complete the 72-hour on-site training course. It must be approved by the Commission. The Commission's licensing FAQ points to its provider list; confirm that a course is approved for pre-licensing, not only for CE. "On-site" is the statute's word, so confirm with the provider that its course counts as on-site under Maryland's rule before you enroll.
2. Pass the National Home Inspector Examination. The NHIE has 200 multiple-choice questions, 175 of them scored, with four hours to finish. EBPHI charges $225 in most states, Maryland included, and you schedule through PSI. A scaled score of 500 passes. See our NHIE guide.
3. Buy general liability insurance of at least $150,000. Your own name must appear on the certificate of insurance. A company name may also appear. See home inspector insurance.
4. Apply to the Commission. Send the application and the $50 application fee with evidence that you meet each requirement: the course, the NHIE, your diploma or equivalent, and the insurance. If you have a criminal conviction, the Commission's FAQ says convictions are weighed case by case and asks for "True Test copies" of the court proceedings with your application.
5. Pay the $325 license fee. When you qualify, the Commission sends a notice that it will issue the license once it receives the license fee (section 16-3A-05).
6. Start inspecting under the Maryland standard of practice, described below.

What it costs to get started in Maryland

Before the course and insurance, you pay $600 if you pass the NHIE first time: $50 to apply and $325 for the license to the state, and $225 to EBPHI for the exam. Insurance figures are one broker's medians, not a Maryland average. Ask each course provider for a total that includes books and field sessions.

How long it takes

Maryland's path has three fixed pieces: the 72-hour on-site course, the NHIE and the Commission's processing. Your course provider's schedule sets most of the pace. If you fail the NHIE, EBPHI requires a 30-day wait before you retake it, and each attempt is a new $225 fee. See how long it takes to become a home inspector.

What home inspectors earn in Maryland

BLS does not publish a home-inspector-only figure. It counts home inspectors inside SOC 47-4011, Construction and Building Inspectors, which also covers county building, electrical, plumbing and public works inspectors. OEWS data leave out the self-employed.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Maryland's median sits slightly above the national figure, and its lower end is noticeably higher. It does not measure self-employed fee income. See home inspector salary.

Keeping your Maryland license

Maryland's renewal rules have more moving parts than most states':

• Term: a license must be renewed by the second anniversary of its issue date and every two years after that. The Commission emails the renewal application about 60 days before expiry.
• Fee: $325 per renewal.
• Insurance: you must show at least $150,000 of general liability to renew, and section 16-4A-04 requires you to tell the Commission at least 10 days before a cancellation of that insurance takes effect.
• CE at the first renewal: none required.
• CE after that: 30 hours of continuing professional competency education per renewal, completed in full before you renew.
• Required topics: 2 hours on home inspection report writing. A further 2 hours on the minimum standards of practice is delayed until January 1, 2027.
• Limits: no more than 8 hours in one subject area count toward renewal, hours above 30 do not carry over to the next term, and up to 30 percent of the hours may be taken outside a classroom (COMAR 09.36.08.02).
• Approved providers: courses from ASHI, the National Association of Home Inspectors or any other Commission-approved provider count (section 16-3A-07). The Commission's list includes community college programs such as Montgomery College and the Community College of Baltimore County, associations and national training companies.
• Late renewal: an expired license can be reinstated within five years by paying the $325 renewal fee, a $50 reinstatement fee and completing 30 CE hours. After five years it cannot be reinstated.

See home inspector continuing education for how to plan hours across a cycle.

What is specific to Maryland

A rewritten standard of practice, effective December 22, 2025. COMAR 09.36.07, the Minimum Standards of Practice, was revised in full (52:25 Md. R. 1268). Points every new Maryland inspector should know:

• The inspection must be conducted "while the licensed home inspector who is responsible for preparing the report" is physically on-site at the property.
• The report must contain the inspector's written opinion and a description of the systems and components inspected, and may flag items for further evaluation.
• The standard lists what you are not required to operate, including devices controlled by WiFi, Bluetooth or RF and "any Smart Home System".
• It defines "additional inspection services" beyond the home inspection, such as wood-destroying insect inspections, septic testing, radon, well water potability and air quality testing.

If you are building templates now, build them to the revised standard. In Binsr, report templates are fully configurable by section, line item and finding, so you can mirror the Maryland system list rather than a generic one.

Termite inspections run under a different agency. A wood-destroying insect inspection made for a property transfer or a real estate loan is governed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture's pest control rules. COMAR 15.05.01.14 says it is performed by a licensee, certificate holder or registered employee and reported on Form MD-1, the Maryland Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report, with a diagram of the structure. Your home inspector license alone does not cover it. See how to price ancillary inspection services if you plan to add it later.

Small administrative deadlines. Tell the Commission in writing within 15 days of any change to your business name or address (COMAR 09.36.04.03). The Commission may summarily dismiss a complaint brought more than three years after the report date, unless the delay was justified (COMAR 09.36.01.01).

Local associations. The Maryland Association of Home Inspectors (MAHI) and MAC-ASHI both appear on the Commission's approved CE provider list, and ASHI's chapter directory lists MAC-ASHI and NOVA-ASHI for Maryland. MAC-ASHI's approved courses include "Understanding and Applying the Maryland Home Inspector SOP".

Neighbours license differently. Virginia now uses a points system for education and experience, and Delaware requires a trainee stage with supervised inspections. If you plan to work across the line, read Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, and see home inspector license requirements for every state.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• How to become a home inspector
• Home inspector license requirements by state
• How to become a home inspector in Virginia
• How to become a home inspector in Delaware
• How to pass the National Home Inspector Exam
• Home inspector continuing education

New to inspecting? Your first 20 inspections on Binsr are free. Newly licensed inspectors get 20 free inspections on Binsr Pro, with the AI features included. See how to claim them.