The path at a glance
- Find out whether your state licenses home inspectors, and who runs it.
- Take the state’s pre-license education.
- Find a supervising inspector and do your supervised, parallel or ride-along inspections (where your state requires them, or because you want real field time anyway).
- Pass the exam your state requires.
- Get insurance and any background check your state asks for, then apply.
Step 1: Does your state license home inspectors?
By our count, 37 of 52 states and territories license, register or certify home inspectors, and in 15 we found no state license (checked 2026-10-29). Even without a license, some places still set rules: Pennsylvania and Iowa, for example, have laws on who may perform a home inspection. Each state page names the agency, links the official source and marks anything we could not yet confirm.
Some states have a trainee or apprentice credential you hold while you train: Texas has apprentice inspectors, Connecticut has a home inspector intern permit and Delaware has a home inspector trainee registration. In Delaware, supervised inspections count only after that registration is issued, so register before you start.
Step 2: Pre-license education
Hours vary a lot by state. A few examples from official sources: Arizona asks for 84 hours, Ohio at least 80, Texas 90 for a real estate inspector, New York 140 (including 40 hours of unpaid field inspections), New Jersey a 180-hour course and Delaware at least 140 hours. Your state page has the exact rule and source.
Step 3: Supervised field work and ride-alongs
This is where a supervising inspector comes in. States call it different things (parallel inspections, ride-alongs, supervised, field or intern inspections) and set different counts:
| State | Supervised field work | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 35 or 100 inspections (see education), plus 25 draft reports, 10 of them reviewed and corrected by a qualified inspector | admincode.legislature.state.al.us |
| Alaska | No set number. An associate registers by naming the registered inspector who will employ and supervise them (12 AAC 22.020) | commerce.alaska.gov |
| Arizona | 30 parallel inspections on separate homes, logged on the Board’s form. You write a report for each and may not do paid inspections during this period | apps.azsos.gov |
| Arkansas | At least 16 hours of field training, part of the qualifying education | labor.arkansas.gov |
| Connecticut | 100 inspections as an intern. The first 10 under direct supervision (supervisor on site, countersigns), the rest may be indirect. Signed log for each | cga.ct.gov |
| Delaware | At least 75 supervised inspections, counted only after the trainee registration is issued, on the Board’s experience log | dpr.delaware.gov |
| Florida | None required. The law requires a course of at least 120 hours covering structure, electrical, HVAC, roof covering, plumbing, interior, exterior and site, plus the exam | flsenate.gov |
| Illinois | The field course includes 5 field inspections and a final field exam | idfpr.illinois.gov |
| Indiana | At least 12 hours of practical experience inside the course: on-site inspection work or hands-on defect recognition in a lab (878 IAC 1-3-2) | iar.iga.in.gov |
| Kentucky | 3 unpaid home inspections under direct supervision, with written reports sent to the course provider | apps.legislature.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | 30 hours of in-field training with a certified trainer, then 10 paid live inspections attended with a certified trainer. Everything within 36 months | lsbhi.state.la.us |
| Maryland | None listed in the Commission’s license requirements | labor.maryland.gov |
| Massachusetts | 25 home inspections under direct, on-site supervision before the associate license | mass.gov |
| Mississippi | No set number. The law says the 60-hour course “may include field work,” and sets no supervised-inspection count | mhid.ms.gov |
| Montana | None. Montana law (37-55-103) requires 40 hours of instruction, association membership and E&O insurance, not supervised inspections | boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov |
| Nebraska | None in the Home Inspection Act | nebraskalegislature.gov |
| Nevada | Observe at least 25 inspections, logged on the Division’s form (a separate form for each inspector) | red.nv.gov |
| New Hampshire | None. The law and the Board’s 2026 Home 300 rules require the 80 education hours and the exam, not supervised inspections | gc.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | At least 40 hours of unpaid field-based inspections, inside the 180-hour course | njconsumeraffairs.gov |
| New Mexico | 80 hours of field training / 30 parallel inspections, on the Board’s Field Experience Log | rld.nm.gov |
| New York | The 40 field hours, or as an alternative, 100 home inspections under supervision | dos.ny.gov |
| North Carolina | At least 80 hours of field instruction with at least 10 site visits, part of a 200-hour Board-approved program (11 NCAC 08 .1021) | ncosfm.gov |
| North Dakota | None in NDCC 43-54 | ndlegis.gov |
| Ohio | 10 parallel inspections, or an approved curriculum of experience plus a peer review | com.ohio.gov |
| Oklahoma | None. The rules (OAC 158:70-9-1) require 90 hours of approved training before the exam, not supervised inspections | oklahoma.gov |
| Oregon | Each ride-along inspection earns 1 point; no separate minimum count | secure.sos.state.or.us |
| Rhode Island | Associate: 50 home inspections. Home inspector: 100 home inspections | crb.ri.gov |
| South Carolina | Exam route: at least 1 year of experience as a home inspector under supervision | llr.sc.gov |
| South Dakota | To move up to licensed home inspector: at least 1 year as registered and 100 paid inspections, with an experience log | dlr.sd.gov |
| Tennessee | None. Rule 0780-05-12 requires 90 hours of approved education and the NHIE, not supervised inspections | publications.tnsosfiles.com |
| Texas | At least 3 months as a sponsored apprentice in the past 12 months and 25 inspections under direct supervision | trec.texas.gov |
| Utah | None set by the state; the national certification you hold may have its own requirements | commerce.utah.gov |
| Vermont | None. 26 V.S.A. § 1091 and the OPR rules require the 80 hours and the exam (or an approved national certification), not supervised inspections | outside.vermont.gov |
| Virginia | At least 5 points from experience, which can include supervised inspections | law.lis.virginia.gov |
| Washington | 40 hours of supervised field training at real inspections, including at least 5 complete inspections with a report for each | dol.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | None. Rule 103CSR7 §4 requires the exam, 80 hours of instruction, insurance and fingerprints, not supervised inspections | firemarshal.wv.gov |
| Wisconsin | The 20 hands-on hours inside the 40-hour instruction | dsps.wi.gov |
Only states where every rule is confirmed against official sources (checked 2026-10-29). Other state pages mark what is still pending.
Who can supervise?
It depends on the state. Examples: Arizona requires a “parallel inspector” certified in Arizona for at least 3 years with at least 250 paid Arizona inspections; Connecticut requires a Connecticut-licensed home inspector who agrees to supervise and notifies the Board; Oregon ride-alongs must be under the direct supervision of an Oregon certified home inspector; New York allows direct supervision by a licensed home inspector, professional engineer or architect.
Where to look
- Inspector Supervisor Match profiles and trainee openings
- Your state’s public license lookup, to find and check licensed inspectors near you
- Local chapters of home inspector associations, and your pre-license school
Tips for your first conversation
- Show where you are: courses done, exam plans, trainee registration if your state has one.
- Ask how many ride-alongs a month they can take you on, and whether they will sign your state’s log or affidavit.
- Ask whether you will write practice reports and whether they will review them (Arizona and Ohio, for example, require the supervisor to review your reports).
- Ask about pay, if any, while you train, and about working for their company once you are licensed.
Step 4: The exam
Many states use the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE); among those we confirmed are Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and Virginia. Others use their own exam or a mix: Texas has national and state portions, and Connecticut gives a written exam through its Department. Check your state page.
Step 5: Insurance, background and the application
Several states require insurance before a license is issued. For example, Maryland requires general liability insurance and Mississippi requires both general liability and errors and omissions coverage. Amounts and other requirements (age, background check, fees) are on each state page where we could confirm them.
No license in your state?
You can still train with an experienced inspector, and many people do. National associations offer their own certifications and standards of practice. If you plan to work in a neighboring state that does license inspectors, follow that state’s rules from the start.
Sources
Every rule above comes from the official sources linked on the state pages. Rules change, so confirm with your state’s licensing agency before you pay for anything. Nothing here is legal advice.