How to Become a Home Inspector in Virginia (2026)
Virginia home inspector license, 2026: the new 15-point education and experience system, the NHIE, $250,000 liability cover, the NRS specialty and 16 CPE hours.
Short answer: Virginia requires a Home Inspector License from the Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors at DPOR. Since October 1, 2025, you qualify by passing the National Home Inspector Examination and earning at least 15 points from education and experience, with at least 5 from each. You also need $250,000 of general liability insurance.
Virginia rewrote its home inspector rules in 2025. The old fixed routes (a set number of course hours plus a set number of supervised inspections) are gone. In their place is a points system that lets you mix a pre-license course, supervised inspections, college classes, trade experience and association membership. This guide covers the rules as of September 2026.
Virginia home inspector requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Virginia, as of September 2026 |
|---|---|
| License required? | Yes. Home Inspector License, mandatory since July 1, 2017 (before that, certification was voluntary) |
| Regulator | Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) |
| Pre-license education | No fixed hours. Education must earn at least 5 of your 15 points. A board-approved 70-hour course earns 10, a 35-hour course earns 5 |
| Field training | Not a set requirement. Supervised inspections earn 1 point per 5, up to 12 points |
| Exam | National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE), named in 18VAC15-40-32 and delivered by PSI |
| Application fee | $80 under the regulation. The July 2026 form lists $94.50, which adds DPOR's new technology fee |
| Insurance | General liability of at least $250,000 per occurrence |
| Renewal | Every 2 years, from the last day of the month the license was issued. Renewal fee $45 in the regulation, $59.50 on the July 2026 renewal form |
| Continuing education | 16 contact hours per 2-year cycle |
| Reciprocity | The board may waive the points requirement for a license from a state with substantially equivalent standards. A Universal License Recognition application also exists |
What changed on October 1, 2025
The final regulation, published in the Virginia Register on August 25, 2025, amended most of 18VAC15-40. DPOR's board page lists the home inspector regulations as effective October 1, 2025. The changes a new applicant should know:
- Entry moved to points. The old rule offered five fixed combinations, for example a 70-hour course plus 25 supervised inspections, or a 35-hour course plus 50. The new rule asks for 15 points with at least 5 from education and 5 from experience.
- The cap on online pre-license hours is gone. The old rule allowed no more than half the required hours online. That sentence was struck, and DPOR's FAQ says online courses count if they cover the areas on the national exam.
- The repair ban got wider. You still cannot repair a home you inspected within 12 months. The old wording limited that to repairs "as a result of the findings". The new wording covers any repair or modification in that window, unless you bought the house.
- The financial interest threshold rose from $1,000 to $2,000, and a new rule, 18VAC15-40-73, lists acceptable CPE topics.
- Renewal now asks for proof of insurance, along with CPE and the fee.
- The fixed CPE audit rule is gone. The old 18VAC15-40-108 was repealed. The board can still audit any licensee.
Earning your 15 points
The two tables in 18VAC15-40-32 decide how you qualify.
| Category | Activity | Points | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Board-approved 70-hour pre-license course | 10 | 10 |
| Education | Board-approved 35-hour pre-license course | 5 | 5 |
| Education | 3-credit college class in home inspection | 5 | 5 |
| Education | 3-credit college class in construction, engineering, architecture, building technology or real estate | 1 each | 3 |
| Education | 4-hour course on inspection contracts, reports or exam topics | 1 each | 3 |
| Experience | 5 home inspections under direct supervision | 1 per 5 | 12 |
| Experience | 1 month of full-time qualifying experience | 2 per month | 12 |
| Experience | Membership in a home inspector association | 1 each | 2 |
| Experience | 1 year teaching construction, real estate or home inspection | 2 per year | 6 |
| Experience | Qualified individual on a Virginia RBC, HIC or CBC contractor license | 2 | 2 |
| Experience | Qualified individual on a Virginia electrical, HVAC or plumbing contractor license | 1 each | 3 |
| Experience | Licensed architect or PE; certified building code official | 2 each | 2 each |
A common path: the 70-hour course (10 points) plus 25 supervised inspections (5 points). Another: the 35-hour course (5 points), 40 supervised inspections (8 points) and two association memberships (2 points). "Direct supervision" means a licensed home inspector is on the premises the whole time. A full-time month means at least 146 hours or 18 workdays, and experience must be verified by a licensed inspector, a contractor's qualified individual, or at least three real estate licensees or clients.
How to get licensed in Virginia, step by step
- Plan your points. Pick a board-approved pre-license course from DPOR's list of home inspector training courses, and line up a licensed inspector who will supervise your ride-along inspections.
- Log your inspections. DPOR publishes an Inspection Log and an Experience Verification Form for this.
- Pass the NHIE. Register through EBPHI. The exam has 200 questions (175 scored), a 4-hour limit, and costs $225 in Virginia.
- Buy general liability insurance with at least $250,000 per occurrence. A business policy can count if you are listed as an additional insured.
- Apply to DPOR with the application form, proof of points, proof of the exam, proof of insurance and the fee. You must disclose felony convictions and misdemeanor convictions from the last three years.
- Consider the NRS specialty. To inspect new homes that have not yet been conveyed or occupied, you need the New Residential Structure specialty (see below).
Our National Home Inspector Exam guide covers the exam format and how to prepare.
What it costs to get started
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| License application | $80 in 18VAC15-40-50; $94.50 on the July 2026 form | DPOR |
| NHIE | $225 per attempt | EBPHI |
| NRS specialty (optional) | $80 application plus the 8-hour module | DPOR |
| Pre-license course | Set by each provider | DPOR's approved course list |
| General liability insurance | Insureon says its home inspector customers pay a median of $545 a year | Insureon, updated May 27, 2026 |
| E&O insurance | Not required by Virginia. Insureon says a median of $989 a year | Insureon |
| Equipment | Varies with what you buy | Not published |
| Report software | Binsr Standard is $75 per inspector per month | Binsr pricing |
DPOR says that from July 1, 2026, certain fees include a technology fee of $7.25 per year under 2026's House Bill 30, in place through June 30, 2030. That is why the application form shows more than the regulation. Check the current form before you pay. For what the policies cover, see our home inspector insurance guide.
How long it takes
There is no fixed clock. A 70-hour course is under two weeks of full-time study. Supervised inspections depend on how often your mentor works. Twenty-five at a pace of five a week is five weeks. Add NHIE scheduling, and a 30-day wait if you need a retake, plus DPOR's processing time. DPOR notes its call center hours are currently reduced on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to speed up application processing.
What home inspectors earn in Virginia
BLS does not publish a home-inspector-only figure. Home inspectors fall inside SOC 47-4011, Construction and Building Inspectors, alongside municipal and code inspectors.
| BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 47-4011 | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 6,550 | 146,720 |
| Median annual wage | $75,660 | $74,690 |
| Mean annual wage | $76,220 | $77,730 |
Virginia's median sits slightly above the national figure. OEWS excludes self-employed workers, and many home inspectors run their own business, so use these as a benchmark only. Our home inspector salary guide explains how fees and volume drive owner income.
Keeping your license: renewal and CPE
Licenses expire two years from the last day of the month they were issued. To renew, you submit the renewal application, proof of insurance, proof of CPE and the fee. The regulation sets $45, or $90 with the NRS specialty. With the technology fee, the July 2026 renewal form shows $59.50 and $104.50. Miss the expiration by more than 30 days and you must reinstate instead: $125 in the regulation, $139.50 on the form. After two years expired, you start over as a new applicant.
You need 16 contact hours of CPE each cycle, limited to topics on the national exam or on the list in 18VAC15-40-73. Classroom, distance and online hours all count, and up to 4 hours can come from training that keeps an asbestos, lead or radon credential current. You keep your own records for three years after the cycle ends and produce them if the board audits you. See our continuing education guide for how Virginia compares.
What makes Virginia different
The New Residential Structure (NRS) specialty. Since July 1, 2017, inspections of new homes should be done only by licensees with the NRS specialty. You earn it with an 8-hour board-approved module on the Virginia Residential Code, then keep it with 4 hours of NRS CPE each cycle. Unlike regular CPE, NRS proof is submitted with every renewal. The 4 hours count toward your 16.
The report has required content. Under 18VAC15-40-130, every report lists your license number and expiration (followed by "NRS" on a new home), the start and finish times, and the weather. You must test readily accessible smoke alarms and include the board's smoke alarm statement. If you see yellow CSST gas piping in a home built before the 2006 Virginia Construction Code took effect on May 1, 2008, the report must say so and include the bonding statement set by Code of Virginia 54.1-517.2:1. A comment library with these statements saved once saves retyping them on every job.
Additional services need written disclosure. The current rules let you sell services beyond the inspection, but you must disclose in writing what they are and how they may conflict with the inspection.
Local ASHI chapters. ASHI lists four chapters serving Virginia: Central Virginia ASHI, NOVA-ASHI, MAC-ASHI and Hampton Roads. Association membership also earns up to 2 experience points.
Frequently asked questions
Sources and verification
- Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, Virginia DPOR
- Important Notice for Home Inspectors, Virginia DPOR
- Home Inspector License Application, A506-3380LIC-v6 (07/01/2026), Virginia DPOR
- Home Inspector Renewal/Reinstatement Application, A506-3380REN_REI-v2 (07/01/2026), Virginia DPOR
- 18VAC15-40, Home Inspector Licensing Regulations, Virginia Law (LIS)
- Final regulation, Vol. 42 Iss. 1, effective October 1, 2025, Virginia Register of Regulations
- National Home Inspector Examination, test policies, EBPHI
- OEWS May 2025, Virginia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series OEUS510000000000047401101, 04 and 13)
- Home inspector insurance cost, Insureon
- ASHI chapters in Virginia, American Society of Home Inspectors
Keep reading
- How to become a home inspector
- Home inspector license requirements by state
- How to become a home inspector in North Carolina
- How to become a home inspector in West Virginia
- How to become a home inspector in Kentucky
- How to become a home inspector in Maryland
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