What's the Difference Between the Requirements for Your CPI Credential and State Home Inspector's License?
Thank you for choosing your training through the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. InterNACHI® School is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education and offers its nationally accredited Home Inspector Certificate Program free to its members.
If you live in a state that requires its home inspectors to be licensed, here are some important things you should know regarding your training through InterNACHI®:
- The requirements to earn your InterNACHI® Certified Professional Inspector (CPI)® credential are likely different from the requirements needed to obtain your state home inspector's license.
You will need to check with your state to find out things such as whether it allows distance learning, whether you'll be required to perform field training, and how many hours of education/training you'll need to complete before applying for your home inspector's license.
To find out more about your state's requirements, you can either visit your state's website directly, or just copy-paste the following partial link into your browser bar and fill in your state's name:
https://www.nachi.org/[state name as one word] - InterNACHI® offers approved pre-licensing training for Florida home inspectors. Members can take InterNACHI's 120-Hour Florida Pre-Licensing Course, which is approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
- Your state will probably require you to successfully pass a national exam. A few states have approved InterNACHI's Online Inspector Exam for this purpose. You're also required to pass it to become an InterNACHI® Certified Professional Inspector®, and re-take it every three years to maintain your membership in good standing. This unproctored online exam is free for members and non-members alike.
- InterNACHI® also offers its members the Exam Prep Tool, which is a 2,000-question practice exam aggregated from several sources, including various state exams, study manuals, and code books. Use it to test your knowledge and assess your skill level, as well as to prepare for your state's licensing exam.
- To maintain your CPI credential and InterNACHI® membership in good standing, you will need to successfully complete 24 hours of Continuing Education annually. These hours may also count toward renewing your state license, if your state has such a requirement. You'll find all of InterNACHI's courses – and their state accreditations – listed on our Education Page.
Remember that whatever an inspector in a licensed state has to do to become licensed is considered the bare minimum. InterNACHI's Certified Professional Inspector® requirements are undertaken voluntarily, and they go above and beyond whatever your state's licensing requirements are. You can market this fact to your advantage. Compared to your competitors who have met only their state's baseline requirements, you will have more practical knowledge and training, which translates into credibility. You are also less likely to incur liability. You simply can't go wrong with additional training and education.
Find out how joining InterNACHI® can help you become successful in your home inspection career – through online education and live training, free benefits, and business assistance – by visiting our Membership Page.
If you have further questions about how to become a licensed home inspector in your state using your training through InterNACHI®, email education@internachi.org.
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