Maryland to Delaware: home inspector license reciprocity
Delaware has a specific endorsement rule for Maryland home inspectors.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by endorsement for Maryland licensees
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
A Maryland home inspector can be licensed by endorsement in Delaware, but Maryland is the one origin state where the Division publishes a fallback if the applicant is short of the qualifying tests. Endorsement works straightforwardly for a Maryland licensee who has practiced five or more years while holding a current license, and it works for a Maryland licensee who holds ASHI Certified Membership or InterNACHI Membership. An applicant whose only license is in Maryland and who holds none of those memberships is told to apply for a Home Inspector Trainee registration instead, which means starting again on the supervised route rather than being licensed on the Maryland credential. All the ordinary endorsement conditions apply on top: licensure verification sent to the board office directly by Maryland and by every other jurisdiction where the applicant holds or has ever held a license, and an insurance certificate sent directly by the carrier showing at least $50,000 of errors and omissions cover and at least $250,000 of liability cover.
The Division does not say why Maryland is treated this way and does not publish a finding that Maryland's standards are or are not substantially similar to Delaware's; it simply names Maryland in the fallback. A Maryland inspector who is near five years of practice or who can obtain an ASHI or InterNACHI designation should sort that out before applying, because the difference between the two outcomes is the difference between a $333 license application and a $186 trainee registration followed by 75 supervised inspections, 140 hours of approved training and the National Home Inspector Examination. Ask the board office before filing if the position is borderline. This is an endorsement rule Delaware publishes for a named state, not a reciprocity agreement, and it is directed: Maryland's treatment of a Delaware licensee is a separate question.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Maryland license must be active and in good standing.An applicant licensed in Maryland and also in another jurisdiction is not caught by the Maryland fallback in the same way: the Division words it as applying to an applicant whose license is in Maryland and who lacks the qualifying memberships.
- Five or more years of practice while holding a current license, or ASHI Certified Membership or InterNACHI Membership. A Maryland licensee with neither is directed to apply for a Home Inspector Trainee registration rather than by endorsement.The statutory version of the same test in 24 Del. C. sec. 4111(b) is one year of practice plus at least 75 fee-paid home inspections plus an ASHI inspector or certified inspector designation or a NAHI regular member or certified real estate inspector designation, or five years of practice after licensure. The Division's page adds InterNACHI to the accepted memberships.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Delaware
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($333). License application fee of $333 from the Division's fee schedule, paid with the DELPROS application. A Maryland applicant redirected to the trainee route pays the $186 trainee registration fee first and the $333 license fee later..
- 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($50,000). Errors and omissions insurance of at least $50,000, held by the applicant or the applicant's employer and certified directly by the carrier to the board office..
- 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). Liability insurance of at least $250,000, on the same carrier-issued certificate as the errors and omissions cover..
- 4Other. Proof of ASHI Certified Membership or InterNACHI Membership, needed by a Maryland licensee who has not practiced for five or more years. Without it, and without the five years, the Division directs the applicant to the Home Inspector Trainee registration instead of endorsement. (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $333, 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 · $50,000
- Insurance · $250,000
How Delaware licenses home inspectors
Delaware home inspector · “Home Inspector (the junior tier is the Home Inspector Trainee registration)”
Statewide license
Issued by Delaware Board of Home Inspectors (Division of Professional Regulation)
Delaware licenses home inspectors statewide. The Board of Home Inspectors sits in the Division of Professional Regulation under chapter 41 of title 24 of the Delaware Code, and nobody may inspect, advertise or hold themselves out as a home inspector in the state without its license. This is a professional license and should not be confused with Delaware's contractor position, which is a Division of Revenue business tax registration rather than a Division of Professional Regulation credential. The board licenses through four published routes: endorsement for an inspector already licensed elsewhere, experience for an inspector based in a state that licenses nobody, examination for a newcomer, and the Home Inspector Trainee registration that the examination route is built on. The trainee tier is a training registration rather than a second destination: a trainee practices only under the direct, personal supervision of a Delaware-licensed inspector, who reviews and signs every report and takes total responsibility for it, and a trainee may not be charged a fee or made to sign a non-compete by that supervisor. The full Home Inspector license is what an experienced inspector moving to Delaware applies for. Delaware designates the National Home Inspector Examination as its written examination, and it writes no law and rules paper of its own. Insurance is a real condition of licensure here rather than an afterthought: the applicant or the applicant's employer must carry at least $50,000 of errors and omissions cover and at least $250,000 of liability cover, certified directly by the carrier. Licenses expire on August 31 of odd-numbered years and renew on 40 hours of approved continuing education. Applications and renewals run through the DELPROS online system, and the board reviews a completed file at its next meeting, held on the second Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Delaware home inspector exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Maryland.
- What does it cost to get a Delaware home inspector license from Maryland?
- Published fees on this path total $333, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Maryland work hours count in Delaware?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Delaware's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Delaware to Maryland?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Delaware to Maryland, the mechanism is reciprocity.
Sources
- 24 Del. C. sec. 4108 - Qualifications of applicant · 24 Del. C. sec. 4108 · Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- 24 Del. C. sec. 4109 - Home inspector trainee; requirements of supervision · 24 Del. C. sec. 4109 · Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- 24 Del. C. sec. 4111 - Endorsement · 24 Del. C. sec. 4111 · Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- 24 Del. C. ch. 41 - Home Inspectors · 24 Del. C. ch. 41 · Delaware Code Online, Delaware General Assembly · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Continuing Education and Audit Information · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Licensure by Endorsement · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Licensure by Examination · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Licensure by Experience · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Fee Schedule · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware Board of Home Inspectors · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector License Renewal · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Home Inspector Trainee · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.