Illinois to New Hampshire: home inspector license reciprocity

1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($220). One combined application processing and licensing fee of $220 covers the two-year license, under Plc 1002.20 and Table 1002.20 effective 1 July 2025. The same $220 is charged for an initial license, a renewal or a reinstatement after expiration, so there is no separate license fee to pay once the application is granted. Active military applicants and military spouses are exempt from it under Plc 304.02(a). The board's own older rule, Home 301.04, still shows a $200 application fee and a $200 biennial renewal; the Office's fee table is the current figure. No extra fee is charged for the provisional license issued while a criminal records check is pending..
2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. A criminal history record check. RSA 310-A:190, I(e) requires every applicant to submit a public criminal history record information authorization form provided by the New Hampshire State Police, and the applicant bears the cost of the check itself. RSA 310:17, I applies the same requirement to an applicant coming in by endorsement. Under Plc 313.06(c) the Office issues a provisional license that lets you practice in New Hampshire while the results are outstanding, and converts it to a regular license when they come back clear..
3. 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Proof of liability insurance, required of every applicant by RSA 310-A:191, II(d) and filed again at each renewal and at reinstatement. Home 301.03(b) says what the proof must show: the name and address of the insurance company, the name and address of the certificate holder, the category of coverage and the minimum amounts of coverage, and the policy's cancellation terms. New Hampshire sets no dollar minimum. Neither the statute nor the board's rules name a figure or a per-occurrence limit, and neither says whether the cover must be general liability or errors and omissions, so bring the certificate for the policy you carry and ask the Office before you buy if you need the point settled..
4. 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). The National Home Inspector Examination, created and graded by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors and delivered on computer at NHIE test centers. Rule Home 303.01 adopts it as New Hampshire's only examination, in line with RSA 310-A:187, II, which tells the board to adopt a single independent nationally recognized proctored examination. New Hampshire writes no paper of its own on top of it: there is no jurisprudence, law or standards-of-practice exam in the statute or the rules. It is marked optional here because the endorsement route under RSA 310:17 and Plc 313.29 calls for no examination at all. Anyone applying the ordinary way instead needs the NHIE pass, and a pass already earned while licensing in another state counts..
5. 5Other. For the ordinary route rather than endorsement: at least 80 hours of board-approved education covering all nine components RSA 310-A:190, I(a) lists, which are heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems, structural components, foundations, roof coverings, exterior and interior components, and site aspects as they affect the building. Board-approved courses also carry New Hampshire's own RSA 310-A and the Home 100-600 rules. The same section adds a high school diploma or its equivalent and a minimum age of 18. None of this is asked of an applicant licensed by endorsement, whose education and experience are taken as met by the jurisdiction that licensed them. (if applicable).
6. 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. At least 20 hours of board-approved continuing education in each two-year renewal period, under RSA 310-A:192 and Home 403.01(c). One of the 20 hours must be a board-approved course on building regulations, including any recent revisions to them; the rest may be technical, ethical or managerial as long as it is relevant to the practice of home inspection. Credit runs at one hour per contact hour, teaching a qualifying course earns double credit for the first delivery only, and service on a state or national licensing board is capped at 6 hours. The renewal form carries a signed attestation that the hours are done, backed by the board's Continuing Education Activity Log..

Published fees on this path total $220, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.