Success 9 min read November 11, 2026

How to Become a Home Inspector in Minnesota (2026)

Minnesota has no state home inspector license, but Minneapolis and St. Paul license Truth in Sale of Housing evaluators and MDH licenses radon testers.

Binsr Team

How to Become a Home Inspector in Minnesota (2026)

Short answer: Minnesota does not license home inspectors at the state level, according to ASHI's state regulation page, so there is no state exam, course or fee. But two of its biggest cities license the inspectors who do their point-of-sale evaluations: Minneapolis and St. Paul each require a city-licensed Truth in Sale of Housing (TISH) evaluator. And anyone placing radon tests in homes they do not own needs a Minnesota Department of Health license.

So in Minnesota a general home inspection needs no state credential, but several of the add-on services that fill an inspector's calendar do. Everything below is as of November 2026.

Minnesota home inspector requirements at a glance

Requirement	Minnesota, as of November 2026
License required?	No state home inspector license. ASHI's Minnesota page says inspectors "are currently not required to obtain a home inspector license". EBPHI also lists Minnesota as not regulated
Regulator	None at state level for general home inspections
Pre-license education	Not required by the state
Field training	Not required by the state
Exam	Not required by the state. St. Paul requires a proctored national exam, such as the NHIE, before its TISH evaluator exam
Fees	No state fee. City and MDH fees apply to TISH and radon licenses
Insurance or bond	No state requirement. St. Paul publishes insurance requirements for TISH evaluators
Renewal	Not applicable at state level
Continuing education	Not required by the state. St. Paul has a TISH continuing education form, and associations set their own
Reciprocity	Not applicable. St. Paul says it does not accept licenses from other jurisdictions in lieu of its exam
Local and specialty licenses	Minneapolis and St. Paul TISH evaluator licenses; MDH radon measurement professional license; MPCA certification for septic compliance inspections

Is there really no license?

We could not find a Minnesota statute or agency that licenses general home inspectors, and a state cannot publish a page for a license it does not have. So the position rests on secondary sources: ASHI's state page lists Minnesota as not regulated, with no pre-licensing education, field training, experience or CE requirement, and EBPHI lists it as not regulated. Minnesota lawmakers have considered the idea before. A 2006 Senate bill, SF 3481, defined a Minnesota "home inspector license", but no such license exists today.

Because there is no state floor, what you can show clients and agents is a national certification, association membership and proof of insurance rather than a state license number. Our home inspector certification guide covers what those credentials require.

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

Train. Pick a course that teaches systems and report writing. No state approves courses, so compare what each provider covers.
Pass a national exam. It is not a state requirement for general inspections, but St. Paul will not let you sit its TISH evaluator exam without a proctored national exam, and it names the NHIE as an example. St. Paul says non-proctored exams, such as InterNACHI's online exam, are not currently approved. The NHIE costs $225.
Join an association. InterNACHI and ASHI both have credential ladders. Our InterNACHI vs ASHI guide compares them. Heartland ASHI, the ASHI chapter for Minnesota, meets monthly except November and April in New Hope, according to ASHI's chapter listing.
Buy insurance. No state minimum applies, but E&O and general liability protect you against claims over a missed defect or damage on site.
Decide which licensed services you will offer. TISH evaluations in Minneapolis or St. Paul, radon testing and septic compliance inspections each have their own license or certification. Those are covered below.
Set up your business. Put your inspection agreement, report template, pricing and booking in place before the first paid job.

What it costs to get started in Minnesota

Item	Cost	Source
State license	None	No state program (ASHI, EBPHI)
NHIE	$225	EBPHI
InterNACHI membership	$49 a month or $499 a year	InterNACHI
ASHI membership	$499 a year, or about $49.16 a month plus a $91 fee on the monthly plan	ASHI
TISH evaluator license (city)	Set by each city with the exam notice	Minneapolis, St. Paul
MDH radon measurement professional license	$150 a year, plus an approved course and exam	MDH
E&O and general liability	Insureon's medians: $989 a year for E&O, $545 for general liability	Insureon
Equipment and software	Varies with your kit and plan	Your choices

The state asks nothing, so your spending is driven by which services you want to sell. An inspector who only does buyer inspections can start with a course, an exam and insurance. One who wants TISH and radon work adds city and MDH licensing. See our insurance guide for cover levels.

How long it takes

For general inspections, it takes as long as your training and exam preparation. The TISH license is the slow part: St. Paul runs its evaluator exam on a schedule rather than on demand. As of November 2026, St. Paul says its last application period has expired and to check back at the end of May 2027 for details of the next evaluator exam. The MDH radon license needs an approved professional-level course and a separate approved exam before you apply.

What inspectors earn in Minnesota

BLS does not publish a home-inspector-only figure. The nearest occupation is SOC 47-4011, construction and building inspectors, which also includes municipal building, electrical and plumbing inspectors.

BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 47-4011	Minnesota	United States
Employment	1,390	146,720
Median annual wage	$88,670	$74,690
Mean annual wage	$90,440	$77,730
10th percentile	$61,610	$47,140
90th percentile	$112,420	$114,200

Minnesota's median for the occupation is about $14,000 above the national median. OEWS excludes self-employed workers, so it does not describe what an independent home inspector earns from fees. Our home inspector salary guide explains the difference.

Keeping your credentials current

With no state license, there is no state renewal or CE. What you renew depends on what you hold. Association credentials carry their own CE: InterNACHI requires 24 hours a year for certified members, and ASHI requires 20 ASHI-approved hours a year at the ASHI Inspector level. St. Paul publishes a TISH continuing education credit request form for its evaluators. MDH radon licenses have their own continuing education and renewal rules on the department's site.

What is specific to inspecting in Minnesota

Truth in Sale of Housing in Minneapolis. Before selling a house in Minneapolis, the seller must get a TISH evaluation from an evaluator licensed by the City of Minneapolis. The evaluator files the disclosure report online, it lists any required repairs, and it is valid for two years or one sale. The city publishes a list of licensed evaluators and evaluator guidelines.

Truth in Sale of Housing in St. Paul. St. Paul requires a TISH evaluation before a single-family home, duplex, condominium or townhome is marketed. The report must be available to buyers within three calendar days of listing and is valid for one year. To become a licensed evaluator you need proof of a proctored national home inspector exam, then you take the city's written exam (about 100 to 150 questions, three hours, 75% to pass) and a practical exam in a test house.

Radon testing is licensed. The Minnesota Radon Licensing Act (Minnesota Statutes 144.4961), signed in May 2015, requires a Minnesota Department of Health license for anyone who places or retrieves radon test devices in buildings they do not own or lease. MDH says you need an approved initial measurement course, an approved exam (technician-level courses do not qualify), approved test devices and a quality assurance plan. If radon testing is part of your plan, license before you advertise it.

Septic compliance inspections need MPCA certification. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency certifies subsurface sewage treatment system inspectors, with training, an exam, continuing education and renewal every three years. See our guide to becoming a septic inspector.

A TISH evaluation, a buyer's inspection and a radon test can all land on the same property. In Binsr, one inspection can produce several reports, each with its own template, so the radon results do not have to live inside the main report.

Frequently asked questions

Not a state license, as of November 2026, according to ASHI's state regulation page and EBPHI. You do need city licenses to perform Truth in Sale of Housing evaluations in Minneapolis or St. Paul, and an MDH license to perform radon measurements.

An inspector licensed by a city to produce the point-of-sale disclosure report that Minneapolis and St. Paul require before a home is sold. Each city licenses its own evaluators, and St. Paul does not accept other jurisdictions' licenses in place of its exam.

Not currently. St. Paul says only exams where the administrator verifies the candidate's identity are accepted, and non-proctored exams such as InterNACHI's are not approved by its board.

Yes, with a Minnesota Department of Health radon measurement professional license. Placing or retrieving test devices in buildings you do not own or lease without one is not allowed.

ASHI lists Heartland ASHI as its chapter, meeting in New Hope every month except November and April. InterNACHI also accepts Minnesota members.

The state sets no minimum for general home inspections. St. Paul publishes insurance requirements for its TISH evaluators. Many inspectors carry E&O and general liability regardless.

Sources and verification

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