District of Columbia to Oregon: home inspector license reciprocity

1. 1Other. Documentation of at least 20 qualifying points of experience and education, submitted with the application. Points come from inspection work at four points per 12 months, construction industry work at two points per 12 months, a three-credit college home inspection course at 10 points, approved-provider classes of three hours or more at one point each, ride-alongs with an Oregon certified home inspector at one point each, recommendation letters from an Oregon certified home inspector at half a point each, and government building codes certifications at one point each. Copies of the supporting letters, transcripts and certificates go in the same packet; the board does not process an incomplete application..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The National Home Inspector Examination, which is the only examination Oregon uses for this certification: 200 multiple choice questions over four hours, with a score report given at the end. It is delivered in Oregon by PSI at seven locations and may also be taken elsewhere, and the official score sheet is filed with the application. An applicant who passed it while qualifying in another state does not take it again. Oregon writes no state examination and no separate law and rules examination..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($225). Examination fee of $225, paid to the exam provider when you schedule the National Home Inspector Examination rather than to the Construction Contractors Board. Scheduling is online or by phone through PSI. An applicant who has already passed the examination in another state pays nothing here..
4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($150). Certification application fee of $150, non-refundable, covering the initial two-year certificate. Payment goes in with the paper application by check, money order or card; the board does not accept the application or the payment by email. Renewal every two years is also $150..
5. 5Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license. An active CCB contractor license that your certification is attached to. ORS 701.445 requires a certified home inspector to be an owner or employee of a CCB licensed business, and the certificate cannot legally be used until the license holder files the OCHI Change form linking it. If you join an existing firm this is already in place. If you will work for yourself you apply for your own license, and the endorsement built for this work is the Home Inspector Services Contractor, limited to home inspection services and no other contractor activities; a residential general or residential specialty license also qualifies. The board's fee for a new two-year license is $400. ORS 701.455 exempts this endorsement and its responsible managing individual from the board's business practices and laws test and from contractor continuing education, but the board's licensing page still lists 16-hour pre-license training as a step and does not say whether it applies here, so confirm with the CCB at (503) 378-4621 first..
6. 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($15,000) (if applicable). A $15,000 surety bond, required of the Home Inspector Services Contractor license rather than of the individual certificate. You need it only if you hold the CCB license yourself; an inspector employed by an already licensed firm is covered by that firm's bond. A residential general contractor license carries a $25,000 bond and a residential specialty contractor license $20,000, so the endorsement you choose changes the amount..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($100,000) (if applicable). General liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence, attached to the Home Inspector Services Contractor license rather than to the individual certificate, so it falls on you only if you hold the CCB license yourself. A residential general contractor license requires at least $500,000 and a residential specialty contractor license at least $300,000. Oregon requires no errors and omissions or professional liability policy of a home inspector, and neither the statute nor the rules set any coverage figure on the certificate itself..
8. 8Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 30 continuing education units in the two years before the certification expires, taken from providers and in subjects the board approves, filed with the renewal application and the $150 renewal fee. Units come from approved instruction at one per clock hour, and the rules also allow limited credit for accompanying a licensed contractor, for serving as an association officer and for providing ride-along training to an applicant. Certified home inspectors are exempt from the board's ordinary residential contractor continuing education. An inspector on active military duty is excused for that period..
9. 9Other. A signed statement that you have read and understand the Oregon home inspector standards of behavior and standards of practice at OAR 812-008-0200 through 812-008-0214. Those standards then govern the work: a signed written contract before every inspection stating the services, the cost and whether a wood destroying organism inspection is included; a written report carrying your certification number and the business CCB license number and a notice that the report is only for the person who bought it; and the CCB Home Inspection Consumer Notice handed to the customer at contract signing..

Published fees on this path total $375, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.