Hawaii to Mississippi: home inspector license reciprocity

1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application fee for the Rule 9 reciprocal license, published as $50.00 on the reciprocal application form and repeated on the main application's non-resident and reciprocal checklist. An applicant who goes through Mississippi's ordinary route instead pays $175.00, which Section 73-60-29 sets as the ceiling for the combined application and examination fee..
2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($325). Issuance fee for the license, $325.00, the same on the reciprocal route as on the ordinary one and the maximum Section 73-60-29 allows. The license expires two years after the date it is issued and renews at the same fee; late renewal carries a penalty of 100% of the renewal fee..
3. 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). General liability insurance of not less than $250,000 per occurrence, required of every licensed home inspector by Section 73-60-13. The certificate must be issued in the individual inspector's own name, not a company's, and must name the Mississippi Home Inspection Division as certificate holder at 239 North Lamar Street, Suite 502, Jackson, MS 39201. The policy must provide that cancellation or nonrenewal takes effect only after at least 10 days' written notice to the Board, and operating without the required cover is a ground for discipline..
4. 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). Errors and omissions insurance of not less than $250,000 per occurrence. Mississippi requires this outright rather than as an alternative to a bond or a net worth test: Section 73-60-13 says every home inspector must carry both general liability and errors and omissions cover, and Section 73-60-11 makes the certificate part of the application. Like the liability certificate it must be in the individual's name with the Division as certificate holder, and it must stay in force for the life of the license. Renewal certificates go to the Division's insurance contact at the Appraisal Board..
5. 5Background check. Complete a background check. A fingerprint-based criminal history check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the FBI database, required of every applicant and again at every renewal by Section 73-60-47. The Division mails the fingerprint card and authorization form to the residence address on your application once the Administrator has approved the application, so it happens after filing rather than before. An arrest record must be declared on the application with a notarized statement of the facts and the outcome. The Board charges the applicant whatever the check costs it and does not publish that amount; ask the Division when the card arrives. An applicant who holds another license under the Appraisal Board's jurisdiction pays for only one background check in a calendar year..
6. 6Other. An original letter of licensure, certification or good standing issued by the licensing agency of your home state. The Division is explicit that a copy of your license or pocket card will not do. The reciprocal application must be sworn before a notary, and a non-resident also signs a supplement giving irrevocable consent that legal process arising from Mississippi inspection work may be served through the Secretary of State of Mississippi..
7. 7Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). The National Home Inspector Examination. Mississippi does not write a home inspector examination of its own and has no law-and-rules paper, and the Division's guidance to ordinary applicants is that the NHIE must be passed to obtain a basic license. On the reciprocity route no Mississippi examination is imposed at all: an applicant who qualifies on a substantially identical out-of-state license under Section 73-60-25(a) needs no examination, and an applicant relying on Section 73-60-25(b) is relying on an examination already passed. It is listed here because an inbound inspector who has never sat a qualifying national examination will be steered to the NHIE..
8. 8Other. The 60-hour approved course of study, which may include field work. Section 73-60-11 requires it of an applicant qualifying on Mississippi's ordinary route, along with a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum age of 21. The Division's reciprocal checklist does not ask a reciprocity applicant for the pre-licensing certificate, so out-of-state licensees are not normally sent back through it. (if applicable).
9. 9Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). An active Mississippi residential home builder license from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, needed only for the New Home (NH) designation. Section 73-60-27(4) bars any licensed inspector from inspecting new construction for a fee without it, and the Division has warned real estate agents and builders that out-of-state inspectors working under reciprocity often do not hold it. The builder license is issued by a different agency and renews annually. Without the NH designation you may inspect existing homes but not new construction at any stage, and inspecting new homes without it risks fines, suspension or revocation..
10. 10Other. At least one active International Code Council certification, the second half of the New Home (NH) designation. The Division recognizes a defined set of ICC disciplines for this purpose, including Building Inspector, One and Two Family Dwelling Inspector, Residential Electrical Mechanical Inspector, Plumbing Inspector, Commercial Electrical Inspector and Building Plan Examiner, among others. ICC certifications renew every two or three years depending on the discipline. An inspector holding the designation carries it in the license number, shown by the Division as 1234(NH). (if applicable).
11. 11Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 20 hours of continuing education approved by the Board every two years, as a condition of renewing the license. Courses must come from a provider the Board has approved; the Division names the American Society of Home Inspectors and the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors as examples of acceptable providers alongside any other approved provider. Completion certificates go to the Division's education contact at the Appraisal Board. No license is renewed without them unless the Board waives the requirement for good cause..

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