Florida to Montana: home inspector license reciprocity
Montana has no reciprocity agreement with Florida. A Florida home inspector applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Montana home inspector license (all other states)
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
An inspector arriving from a state Montana has not marked substantially equivalent applies on the same terms as a first-time Montana applicant, and those terms are light. The department wants a completion certificate for forty hours of approved comprehensive home inspection instruction, proof of membership in a national home inspection association, proof of at least $125,000 in errors and omissions coverage, official license verification from every state where the applicant holds or has ever held any professional license, and an $80 fee. There is no Montana examination to sit and no law-and-rules paper. Where out-of-state qualifications fall short of Montana's, the endorsement statute lets the department decide whether the applicant's actual qualifications and work experience close the gap, so out-of-state practice is worth documenting even when the origin state is not on the equivalency list.
Montana does not accept the National Home Inspector Examination. It used to: before January 1, 2026 an applicant could offer a passing NHIE score instead of the forty hours of comprehensive home inspection instruction. House Bill 225 removed that alternative, and the department's notice to registrants states plainly that new applicants can no longer use the examination in place of the coursework. Because Montana writes no examination of its own either, an inbound inspector who has passed the NHIE gets no credit for it and an inspector who has not passed it is never asked to. Montana publishes a per-state substantial equivalency table for this credential; thirteen states appear on it as substantially equivalent and are recorded here as individual rows, and every other origin falls under this path. License verification is required from every jurisdiction in which the applicant has ever held a professional credential of any type, not only home inspector credentials. An application expires one year after it is first submitted.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Completion of at least 40 hours of comprehensive home inspection instruction approved by the Department of Labor & Industry.This is the qualification that House Bill 225 made unavoidable for new applicants by removing the National Home Inspector Examination as an alternative route to it.
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($80). Application fee of $80, paid online at the department's licensing portal. Renewal is also $80, on a two-year cycle running from the anniversary of issuance, and the renewal window opens 60 days before the expiration date..
- 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($125,000). Errors and omissions liability insurance of at least $125,000, evidenced at application and maintained for continued licensure. The minimum was $100,000 under the old registration and rose to $125,000 when the license took effect on January 1, 2026..
- 3Other. Membership in a national home inspection association, evidenced by proof of membership filed with the application and maintained for continued licensure. Montana law does not name which associations qualify, so confirm the intended association with the program before relying on it..
- 4Other. Official license verification from every state or jurisdiction in which the applicant holds or has ever held a professional license of any type, sent to the department, plus a written explanation and supporting documents for any disciplinary history..
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). Montana requires no continuing education for the home inspector license. A national home inspection association may impose its own education requirement as a condition of the membership Montana insists on..
Published fees on this path total $80, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $125,000
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education · if applicable
How Montana licenses home inspectors
Montana home inspector · “Home Inspector”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana Home Inspector Program, Department of Labor & Industry (Business Standards Division)
Montana licenses home inspectors statewide, and the license is new. Until the end of 2025 the state ran a home inspector registration; House Bill 225, enacted in the 2025 session, turned that registration into a license and wrote the qualifications into a new chapter of the Montana Code Annotated, Title 37, chapter 55. Since January 1, 2026 no one may practice home inspection in Montana without a home inspector license, and everyone who held an active registration on December 31, 2025 was converted to the new license automatically. The program sits in the Department of Labor & Industry's Business Standards Division and has no board of its own; it is one of the department's board-less licensing programs, alongside the boiler operator, crane and hoisting operator, fire protection and property management programs. There is only one grade of the credential, with no apprentice, associate or trainee tier, and the qualifications are short: forty hours of department-approved comprehensive home inspection instruction, membership in a national home inspection association, and at least $125,000 of errors and omissions liability insurance. Montana writes no examination at all, requires no continuing education, and charges $80 to apply and $80 to renew, with licenses renewing every two years. The association membership and the insurance are not one-time hurdles; state law requires both to be maintained for as long as the license is held. Chapter 55 also sets conduct rules that apply regardless of where an inspector trained: a written report is mandatory unless the client releases the inspector in writing, the report has to identify the systems inspected, any major visible defects and any recommendations for further evaluation, and an inspector may not take pay from more than one financially interested party without written approval from all of them, may not accept a commission or allowance from anyone associated with the client, and must promptly disclose any business interest or relationship that could affect the client.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Montana home inspector exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Montana home inspector license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $80, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida work hours count in Montana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry - Licensing Boards and Programs index · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana Home Inspector Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana Home Inspector Program - Home Inspector license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana Home Inspector Program - program home page · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations - Home Inspector table · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana DLI notice to registrants - House Bill 225 home inspector licensing changes · H.B. 225 (2025); Ch. 481, L. 2025 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement; reciprocity · Mont. Code Ann. sec. 37-1-304 · Montana Legislative Services Division · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- Montana Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 55 - Home Inspectors · Mont. Code Ann. secs. 37-55-101 to 37-55-104 · Montana Legislative Services Division · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.