36 states regulate home inspectors as of 2026: 33 by license or certification, Nebraska by registration, and Iowa and Pennsylvania by mandatory association membership. 14 states have no statewide requirement. The count moved three times recently, which is why most lists you will find are wrong: Iowa's mandate took effect July 1, 2025, and Montana's and Utah's licenses took effect January 1, 2026. Most licensing states examine on the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE).
The 50-state table
Regulatory status and requirements per state. "New" marks regimes effective since July 2025. Data compiled from the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors' per-state regulation pages (nationalhomeinspectorexam.org), the body that owns the NHIE, with details for recently-changed and registration states verified against the state's own licensing agency. Requirements shown are the headline ones; exact fees change often enough that we point you to the named board instead of printing them.
| State | Status | Regulating body | Core requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Licensed | Alabama Building Commission | 120 hrs education + 35 inspections (or 35 hrs + 100 inspections); NHIE plus a standards-of-practice exam; liability and E&O insurance |
| Alaska | Licensed | Dept. of Commerce, Div. of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing | NHIE or ICC exams; bond and liability insurance; biennial renewal with continuing education |
| Arizona | Certified | State Board of Technical Registration | 88 hrs education; NHIE; supervised inspections; financial assurance (E&O or bond) |
| Arkansas | Registered & licensed | Home Inspector Registration Board | 80 classroom hrs (no distance education); NHIE; 14 CE hrs per year |
| California | No license | None (trade practice act) | Business & Professions Code Div. 3 governs conduct, including a ban on repairing inspected homes within 12 months, but no license exists |
| Colorado | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Connecticut | Licensed | Dept. of Consumer Protection, Home Inspection Licensing Board | NHIE or state exam; biennial renewal cycle under Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 20 |
| Delaware | Licensed | Div. of Professional Regulation, Board of Home Inspectors | NHIE; trainee tier available; licenses expire August 31 of odd years |
| Florida | Licensed | Dept. of Business & Professional Regulation | 120 hrs education; NHIE or other DBPR-approved exam; 14 CE hrs biennially including wind mitigation |
| Georgia | No license | None | Statutory written-report requirements exist, but no statewide license |
| Hawaii | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Idaho | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Illinois | Licensed | Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation, Div. of Real Estate | 60 pre-license hrs plus field experience; Illinois exam (NHIE plus state section); 12 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Indiana | Licensed | Professional Licensing Agency, Home Inspector Licensing Board | 60 hrs education (min 40 classroom, 12 field); NHIE; $100K general liability; 32 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Iowa | Association mandateNew 2025 | State mandate via SF 460 (no board) | Since July 1, 2025: must belong to a national inspector association requiring 100+ inspections and a psychometrically sound exam (the NHIE qualifies) |
| Kansas | No license | None | Prior licensing act sunset in 2013; no current requirement |
| Kentucky | Licensed | Kentucky Board of Home Inspectors | 64 hrs education including lab, field, and live inspections; NHIE; $250K general liability; 28 CE hrs per renewal |
| Louisiana | Licensed | State Board of Home Inspectors | 120 hrs (90 classroom + 30 field) plus 10 live inspections with an approved trainer; NHIE; E&O via the board's program |
| Maine | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Maryland | Licensed | Dept. of Labor (inspector commission) | 72 on-site classroom hrs; NHIE; $50K minimum general liability; 30 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Massachusetts | Licensed | Board of Registration of Home Inspectors | Associate tier: 75 hrs training, then a year and 100 supervised paid inspections for the full license; NHIE; 12 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Michigan | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Minnesota | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Mississippi | Licensed | Home Inspector Regulatory Board | 60 hrs education; NHIE; E&O and general liability certificates; age 21+; 20 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Missouri | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
| Montana | LicensedNew 2026 | Dept. of Labor & Industry, Home Inspector Program | Since Jan 1, 2026 (SB 269 / HB 225): 40 hrs instruction or an approved national exam; $100K liability + $100K E&O; association membership; 40 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Nebraska | Registration only | Secretary of State, Licensing Division | Since Jan 1, 2023: register before inspecting, with a $250K certificate of insurance and a filing fee; no exam or education mandate |
| Nevada | Licensed | Real Estate Division | 40 hrs instruction plus observing 25 certified inspections; proctored NHIE; $100K E&O + $100K liability; 20 CE hrs per 2 years |
| New Hampshire | Licensed | Office of Professional Licensure, Board of Home Inspectors | 80 hrs education (distance allowed); NHIE; 20 CE hrs biennially |
| New Jersey | Licensed | Div. of Consumer Affairs (Home Inspection Advisory Committee) | 180 hrs including 40 field hrs (or 250 supervised inspections); NHIE or approved exam; $500K E&O; 40 CE hrs per 2 years |
| New Mexico | Licensed | Regulation & Licensing Dept., Home Inspector Board | 80 classroom hrs plus 80 field hrs; NHIE or board-approved exam |
| New York | Licensed | Dept. of State, Div. of Licensing Services | 140 hrs including 40 supervised field hrs; NHIE or state exam; general liability insurance; 24 CE hrs per 2 years |
| North Carolina | Licensed | Home Inspector Licensure Board (Dept. of Insurance) | 120 classroom + 80 field hrs (or a GC/architect/PE license); North Carolina's own exam, not the NHIE; 12 CE hrs per year |
| North Dakota | Registration | Secretary of State, Licensing Division | Annual registration; NHIE required; no education mandate |
| Ohio | Licensed | Dept. of Commerce, Div. of Real Estate & Professional Licensing | Licensed since July 1, 2020 under ORC 4764; NHIE |
| Oklahoma | Licensed | Construction Industries Board | 90 hrs education (distance allowed); NHIE; $50K minimum liability; 8 CE hrs per year, annual renewal |
| Oregon | Certified | Construction Contractors Board | 20 hrs pre-licensing via defined pathways; NHIE; must work through a CCB-licensed business carrying its own bond and insurance; 30 CE units per 2 years |
| Pennsylvania | Association mandate | Home Inspection Law (Act 114 of 2000); no board | Must be a full member of a national nonprofit inspector association: 100+ inspections, a third-party exam, and $100K/$500K E&O and liability coverage |
| Rhode Island | Licensed | Contractors' Registration & Licensing Board | Associate tier of 50 supervised inspections, then a year plus 100 paid inspections for the full license; NHIE; biennial renewal |
| South Carolina | Licensed | Dept. of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (Residential Builders Commission) | State exam or NHIE; a year of supervised experience, 50+ inspections, or an approved-organization pathway; biennial renewal |
| South Dakota | Licensed | Dept. of Labor & Regulation, Real Estate Commission | 40 hrs education; NHIE with state-specific questions; a year registered plus 100 inspections for full licensure; 24 CE hrs biennially |
| Tennessee | Licensed | Dept. of Commerce & Insurance | 90 hrs approved training; NHIE; liability and E&O certificate; 32 CE hrs per 2 years |
| Texas | Licensed | Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) | Licensed since 1991, tiered: apprentice, real estate inspector, professional inspector; NHIE plus a Texas exam; proof of financial responsibility; 2-year renewal |
| Utah | LicensedNew 2026 | Div. of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | Since Jan 1, 2026 (HB 58, Utah Code 58-56-9, applications from May 1, 2026): certification from an approved organization plus insurance; rules still being adopted, so check DOPL for current details |
| Vermont | Licensed | Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation | "Property inspector" licensure: 80-hr approved course; NHIE via the state's exam portal; three licensure paths including a fast-track endorsement; biennial renewal |
| Virginia | Licensed | Dept. of Professional & Occupational Regulation | 35 to 70 contact hrs plus 25 to 100 inspections depending on pathway; NHIE; a separate NRS specialty for new-construction inspections; 16 CE hrs per renewal |
| Washington | Licensed | Dept. of Licensing | Licensed since Sept 1, 2009: 120 classroom hrs plus 40 supervised field hrs; NHIE plus a Washington section; 24 CE hrs per 2 years |
| West Virginia | Certified | State Fire Marshal, Regulatory & Licensing Division | 80 hrs instruction; NHIE; $250K minimum general liability; high school diploma; 16 CE hrs per year |
| Wisconsin | Licensed | Dept. of Safety & Professional Services | Two exams (NHIE plus a Wisconsin statutes exam); 40 CE hrs per renewal; no repair work on inspected homes within 2 years |
| Wyoming | No license | None | No statewide requirement |
Compiled August 31, 2026. Fourteen no-requirement states: CA, CO, GA, HI, ID, KS, ME, MI, MN, MO, WY, plus the practice-act nuances noted per row (this list counts CA and GA as unregulated because neither licenses inspectors). Utah's regime is new enough that its administrative rules were still being adopted at publication; treat that row as directional and confirm with DOPL.
The 2025-2026 wave, and why old lists miscount
For most of the last decade the licensed-state count sat still, and "about 34 states" hardened into the standard answer. Three new laws broke it:
- Iowa (July 1, 2025). Senate File 460 skipped the licensing-board model entirely: instead of a state license, an inspector must hold membership in a national association that itself requires 100+ inspections and a psychometrically sound exam. The state outsourced its floor to InterNACHI, ASHI, and their peers.
- Montana (January 1, 2026). SB 269 and HB 225 created a licensed profession under the Department of Labor & Industry, with an education-or-exam entry path, dual $100K insurance minimums, and association membership required on top.
- Utah (January 1, 2026). HB 58 created the "private home inspector" license under DOPL (Utah Code 58-56-9), keyed to certification from an approved organization, with applications accepted from May 1, 2026.
The direction of travel matters more than the count: every recent regime leans on the national associations and the NHIE rather than building state exam machinery, and two of the three made insurance, not education, the heaviest entry requirement. If the pattern holds, the remaining 14 unregulated states are more likely to adopt Iowa-style association mandates than classic licensing boards.
One boundary worth stating for our own readers: this table covers licensed home inspectors, the profession that inspects real estate transactions. Routine condition checks inside rental operations (move-in and move-out walkthroughs, turnover inspections, housekeeping audits) are not licensed activities in any state; the licensing question only enters rental operations when a lease dispute or insurance claim calls for a third-party professional report, and that is when the state's requirements above determine who counts as one.
Quick FAQ
How many states require a home inspector license?
36 states regulate as of 2026: 33 by license or certification, Nebraska by registration, and Iowa and Pennsylvania by mandatory association membership. 14 states have no statewide requirement. Counts of 34 or 35 predate the 2025-2026 laws in Iowa, Montana, and Utah.
Which states have no requirement?
California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wyoming, with California and Georgia carrying conduct statutes but no license.
What exam do licensed inspectors take?
Most states use the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE). Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington add a state component; North Carolina uses its own exam instead.
Which states most recently added requirements?
Iowa (July 1, 2025, SF 460), Montana (January 1, 2026, SB 269 and HB 225), and Utah (January 1, 2026, HB 58). Nebraska's registration requirement started January 1, 2023.
Sources
Sources are named at the publisher level with their root domain, rather than linked or titled; every figure is verifiable at the named source. Statute citations are kept precise because legal claims are not credible without them. Status for every state was checked against the Examination Board's per-state pages in August 2026; the recently-changed and registration regimes (IA, MT, NE, UT, VT, plus FL, TX, WA) were additionally verified against the state agency's own pages.
- Per-state home inspector regulation pages, Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (owner of the NHIE), 2026nationalhomeinspectorexam.org
- State licensing agency program pages: Nebraska Secretary of State, Montana Dept. of Labor & Industry, Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Florida DBPR, Texas Real Estate Commission, Washington Dept. of Licensing, 2026sos.nebraska.gov, dli.mt.gov, sos.vermont.gov, myfloridalicense.com, trec.texas.gov, dol.wa.gov
- Senate File 460 (2025), Iowa Legislaturelegis.iowa.gov