How to Become a Home Inspector in Utah (2026)
Utah began licensing Private Home Inspectors on January 1, 2026. DOPL wants an ASHI, InterNACHI or ICC certificate and $500,000 each of GL and E&O cover.
Short answer: Yes, since 2026. H.B. 58 (2025) created a Private Home Inspector license that took effect January 1, 2026, and the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) opened applications on May 1, 2026. To qualify you need a current certification from ASHI, InterNACHI or the ICC (Residential Combination Inspector), plus $500,000 of general liability and $500,000 of errors and omissions insurance naming DOPL as certificate holder.
Before January 1, 2026, Utah issued no home inspector license. (Montana, which already registered inspectors, moved to a license the same day.) Now the work needs a DOPL license, and the state built that license on national certification rather than on its own school hours or exam. That makes Utah's path short on paper, with high insurance minimums.
Utah home inspector requirements at a glance
As of November 2026:
| Requirement | Utah |
|---|---|
| License required | Yes. Private Home Inspector, since January 1, 2026 |
| Regulator | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Building Inspector program |
| Pre-license education | None set by the state. The certifying body sets its own training |
| Field training | None set by the state |
| Exam | No state exam. You need a current certification from ASHI, InterNACHI or the ICC Residential Combination Inspector, each with its own exam |
| Fees | $85 application and $63 renewal on DOPL's fee schedule, each plus a $1 e-library surcharge |
| Insurance | $500,000 general liability and $500,000 errors and omissions, each naming DOPL as certificate holder |
| Renewal period | Two-year cycle (Utah Admin. Code R156-56-303). DOPL's building inspector renewal page says licenses expire November 30 of odd years |
| Continuing education | No state CE hours. You must keep your national certification current, which carries its own CE |
| Reciprocity | Not published. The license rests on a national certification, which is not state-specific |
What changed in 2025 and 2026
H.B. 58 of the 2025 General Session amended Utah Code 58-56-9 so that "a private home inspector shall be currently licensed by the division". The bill defines a private home inspector as an individual who offers services to the public and examines residential dwellings and their components "to identify potential issues associated with the sale or purchase of real property". The bill took effect January 1, 2026.
DOPL then made the application available on May 1, 2026, and said it would not enforce the new requirement before that date. The rule setting the qualifications, R156-56-302, took its current form effective March 30, 2026. The license sits in the same chapter and program as Utah's municipal building inspector licenses, which is why DOPL lists it under "Building Inspector".
How to become a home inspector in Utah, step by step
- Choose a certification. DOPL accepts current certification from ASHI, InterNACHI, or the ICC as a Residential Combination Inspector. See home inspector certification and InterNACHI vs ASHI.
- Train and earn it. InterNACHI's Certified Professional Inspector requires its online exam, ethics and standards courses and four mock reports. ASHI's entry level requires its Standard of Practice and ethics modules; its Certified Inspector level adds 250 fee-paid inspections and the National Home Inspector Examination. The ICC route is a code certification, closer to building inspector work.
- Buy insurance. Get $500,000 of general liability and $500,000 of E&O, and have DOPL listed as certificate holder (160 E 300 S, PO Box 146741, Salt Lake City, UT 84114).
- Apply to DOPL. Apply online or on the manual form with your certificate, insurance documents and the $85 fee. DOPL says it typically processes complete applications within seven business days.
- Keep both current. Your insurance must stay active for the life of the license, and your national certification must stay current.
The rule names the organizations but not a level, such as ASHI Associate versus ASHI Certified Inspector. Confirm with DOPL which level it accepts before you rely on an entry-level membership.
What it costs to get started in Utah
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DOPL application | $85, plus a $1 e-library surcharge | DOPL fee schedule |
| InterNACHI membership (includes CPI) | $49 a month or $499 a year | InterNACHI |
| ASHI membership | $499 a year, or $49.16 a month plus a $91 fee | ASHI |
| NHIE (if your path needs it) | $225 | EBPHI |
| Liability and E&O at $500,000 each | Get quotes at these limits. Insureon's published medians ($989 a year E&O, $545 GL) are for its customers' own limits, not Utah's | Insureon, updated May 27, 2026 |
| Equipment | Varies with the kit you buy | Typical range, not a board figure |
| Software | Binsr Standard is $75 per inspector per month. Newly licensed inspectors can claim 20 free inspections on Binsr Pro | Binsr |
The insurance line is the one to budget carefully. Utah's $500,000 minimum for each policy is well above Arizona's $200,000 aggregate E&O and Nevada's $100,000 E&O and $100,000 general liability. See home inspector insurance.
How long it takes
The state adds little time. DOPL quotes about seven business days for a complete application. The real timeline is your certification. InterNACHI's CPI can be finished as fast as you complete its courses, exam and four mock reports. The ASHI Certified Inspector route takes longer because of its 250 fee-paid inspections.
What home inspectors earn in Utah
BLS does not publish a home-inspector-only figure. Home inspectors fall inside Construction and Building Inspectors (SOC 47-4011), with city and county code inspectors, who in Utah are also DOPL licensees.
| Measure (BLS OEWS, May 2025) | Utah | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 1,240 | 146,720 |
| Median annual wage | $74,130 | $74,690 |
| Mean annual wage | $73,580 | $77,730 |
| 10th percentile | $48,690 | $47,140 |
| 90th percentile | $99,630 | $114,200 |
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, so inspectors running their own business are not in these numbers. See the home inspector salary guide.
Keeping your license
Utah licenses under this chapter renew on a two-year cycle, and DOPL's fee schedule lists a $63 renewal for Private Home Inspector. Utah sets no CE hours of its own. Instead, the rule requires you to keep your national certification current, and DOPL's renewal page says you must update it when Utah adopts new codes. That means your association's CE becomes your Utah CE: InterNACHI requires 24 hours a year for certified members, and ASHI 20 hours a year at the ASHI Inspector level. ICC certifications follow the ICC's own renewal rules. See home inspector continuing education.
What is different about inspecting in Utah
Certification is the license test. Neighbors such as Arizona and Nevada set their own hours and exam. Utah hands that job to three named national bodies, so your choice of certification is effectively your choice of licensing path.
Insurance names the state. Both policies must list DOPL as certificate holder. Failure to maintain insurance can lead to discipline.
A new program. Rules, forms and fees may still change as DOPL settles the program. Check the Private Home Inspector page before you apply. The agenda for the Building Inspector Licensing Board's September 15, 2026 meeting included an item to "discuss adding the National Institute of Building Inspectors (NIBI) certification to the list for Private Home Inspectors in R156-56-302". That was a discussion item, not a rule change. As of November 2026 the rule still names only ASHI, InterNACHI and the ICC Residential Combination Inspector.
Frequently asked questions
Sources and verification
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Building Inspector program and H.B. 58 notice
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Apply for a Private Home Inspector license
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Building Inspector renewal
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Fee schedule
- Utah Legislature, H.B. 58 Building Inspector Amendments, 2025 General Session, enrolled copy
- Utah Office of Administrative Rules, R156-56, Building Inspector and Factory Built Housing Licensing Act Rule (effective March 30, 2026)
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Building Inspector Licensing Board agenda, September 15, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS state data, May 2025 (series OEUS490000000000047401101, 04, 11, 13 and 15)
- InterNACHI, CPI requirements, continuing education and membership
- ASHI, Levels of membership and join and renew
- EBPHI, NHIE test policies and fee
- Insureon, Home inspector insurance cost
Keep reading
- How to become a home inspector
- Home inspector license requirements by state
- How to become a home inspector in Nevada
- How to become a home inspector in Arizona
- InterNACHI vs ASHI
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