Minnesota to Oregon: home inspector license reciprocity
Minnesota does not issue a statewide home inspector license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
OCHI certification for an inspector licensed in another state (every state)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Construction Contractors Board has no reciprocity agreement with any state and no endorsement route that treats another state's home inspector license as a credential in itself, so an inbound inspector files the same application as anyone else. Two things carry over. Out-of-state inspection work counts toward eligibility: the rules credit four qualifying points for every 12 months legally working as a home inspector in Oregon or another jurisdiction, and two points per 12 months of construction industry work, against the 20 points an applicant must document. The National Home Inspector Examination also carries over, because it is the only examination Oregon uses and the rules let it be taken at an Oregon test center or elsewhere, so an inspector who has already passed it submits the official score sheet instead of sitting anything again. Oregon writes no state examination and no separate law and rules paper of its own; instead the applicant signs a statement that they have read and understand the state standards of behavior and standards of practice. Certification alone is not permission to work: the certificate must then be attached to an active CCB contractor license before you may inspect.
Citation warning: the home inspector sections were renumbered in 2015. What many guides still call ORS 701.350 is now ORS 701.445, ORS 701.355 is now ORS 701.450 and ORS 701.360 is now ORS 701.455; the administrative rules in OAR chapter 812 division 8 still print the old numbers in their authority lines. Two statutory exemptions from certification exist and neither helps a typical inbound inspector: a person acting within the scope of an Oregon appraiser credential, and a person who was registered as an Oregon general contractor at some point between January 1, 1991 and August 11, 1997. ORS 701.450 forbids the licensed business from repairing a structure that an owner or employee inspected during the following 12 months, which matters if you plan to run inspection and repair work from the same company. A military spouse route exists under OAR 812-008-0045: a spouse of an active duty member stationed in Oregon who holds a current home inspector authorization in another state, is in good standing with no discipline in five years, passes the National Home Inspector Examination and completes a three-hour course on Oregon laws, regulations and business practices can receive a temporary authorization lasting up to two years. One point is not published clearly: ORS 701.455(3) bars the board from requiring the business practices and laws test of a home inspector services contractor or its responsible managing individual, but the board's general licensing page still presents the 16-hour pre-license training as a step for every applicant and does not say whether that training applies to this endorsement, so ask the CCB at (503) 378-4621 before paying for a course.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Minnesota that the destination considers comparable.The examination is a national credential rather than an agreement between Oregon and any other state, so any applicant may hold it whichever state they come from and holding it confers no origin-specific advantage. In Oregon it is delivered by PSI at Aurora, Baker City, Bend, Eugene, Independence, Medford and Portland; the board's application instructions describe it as transferable to other states that use the same national examination, and the rules let the agency verify any score sheet directly with the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. Inspectors certified in Oregon before October 1, 2015 who have kept the certification current are not subject to the requirement. Passing the examination does not reduce the 20 qualifying points, the fee, the continuing education or the requirement to be attached to a CCB licensed business.
- Work as a home inspector performed outside Oregon counts toward eligibility. The rules credit four qualifying points for each 12 months legally working as a home inspector in Oregon or another jurisdiction, and two points for each 12 months working or teaching in a construction-related field, against the 20 points required to apply. Five years of out-of-state inspection work therefore covers the whole requirement on its own.Proof is a letter from the employer on letterhead, or a resume, giving the dates worked, contact information and the name of each business. The other ways to reach 20 points are a three-credit college home inspection course at 10 points, an approved-provider class of three hours or more in remodeling, engineering, architecture, building design, building technology, real estate, report writing, communication skills, business practices, legal issues, ethics or building codes at one point each, a ride-along with an Oregon certified home inspector at one point each on the board's ride-along form, a letter of recommendation from an Oregon certified home inspector at half a point, and a building codes certification issued by a government agency at one point each. Any combination is accepted and documentation for every claimed point goes in with the application.
- Holding a home inspector license in another state is not by itself a qualification in Oregon. The Construction Contractors Board publishes no reciprocity agreement, no endorsement route and no list of partner states for this certification, and the only rule in the division that turns on an out-of-state authorization is the temporary authorization for a military spouse.This is a negative finding taken from the rules themselves: OAR chapter 812 division 8 contains no reciprocity or endorsement provision, and the application form offers no out-of-state route or waiver box. An inbound inspector is neither penalized nor fast-tracked; the value of the out-of-state license is the experience and the national examination behind it, both of which count under the rules above.
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $225
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $15,000 · if applicable
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $100,000 · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Oregon licenses home inspectors
Oregon home inspector · “Oregon Certified Home Inspector (OCHI)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
Oregon certifies home inspectors statewide through the Construction Contractors Board, the same agency that licenses contractors, and the credential is called the Oregon Certified Home Inspector or OCHI. Anyone who advertises, bids or performs a residential inspection covering two or more of the listed systems must hold it. The certification comes in two halves and both are needed before you can work. The first is personal: 20 qualifying points of experience and education, a passing score on the National Home Inspector Examination and a $150 application. The second is the part that surprises inbound inspectors: under ORS 701.445 a certified inspector must also be an owner or an employee of a business that holds a CCB contractor license, and the certificate does nothing until the license holder files an OCHI Change form linking it to an active license. If you join an existing inspection firm that license is already in place; if you intend to work for yourself you must obtain a CCB license of your own, most often the Home Inspector Services Contractor endorsement, which is limited to home inspection work and carries a $15,000 surety bond and general liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence. Oregon publishes no reciprocity and no endorsement route for an out-of-state home inspector license, so an experienced inspector moving here files the ordinary application; what does travel is the national examination and the years of inspection work behind it.
Why Minnesota has nothing to transfer
Minnesota home inspector · “Truth-in-Sale of Housing Evaluator”
Licensed by cities and counties
Minnesota issues no statewide home inspector license, so there is no state credential to apply for, no state examination and nothing to transfer from another state, and a buyer's home inspection can be performed anywhere in Minnesota by anyone. Chapter 326B of the statutes carries every construction credential the Department of Labor and Industry issues — the state building code and its building officials and construction code inspectors, elevators, electrical, plumbing, water conditioning, high pressure piping, boilers, contractor registration, and the residential trades licenses for residential building contractors, remodelers, roofers and manufactured home installers — and no section of it creates a home inspector license; a 2006 bill that would have added one was not enacted. Where a credential does exist it is issued by a city, not by the state: Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington each require a pre-sale evaluation of the home before it can be marketed, and each will accept that evaluation only from an evaluator it has licensed itself. Saint Paul's license is the demanding one and it is the one place in Minnesota where the National Home Inspector Examination counts: an applicant must already hold a passed NHIE before being admitted to the city's own written test, then pass a practical evaluation of a test house, carry insurance and pay an annual license fee. What binds an inspector doing ordinary unlicensed work is general law: the Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act makes unlawful any fraud, unfair or unconscionable practice, false promise, misrepresentation or deceptive practice in connection with the sale of merchandise, which the statute defines to include services, and Minn. Stat. section 8.31, subdivision 3a lets an injured person sue for damages, costs, investigation costs, reasonable attorney's fees and equitable relief. Beyond that it is the written pre-inspection agreement and ordinary contract and negligence law that set the duty owed, because Minnesota has enacted no statutory standard of care for home inspectors and no statute governing the content or form of a private inspection report. Two adjacent credentials matter in practice. Radon is licensed: since January 1, 2019 the Minnesota Radon Licensing Act has required an annual license from the commissioner of health for anyone who tests for radon for compensation, as a measurement professional, and separately for mitigation professionals, mitigation companies and analysis laboratories, so an inspector cannot add a radon test to the job without one. And any repair, remodeling or roofing work that comes out of a report belongs to a licensed residential building contractor, remodeler or roofer under chapter 326B, or to the state's licensed electrical, plumbing, mechanical and high pressure piping trades.
How local licensing works in Minnesota
No Minnesota city licenses "home inspectors" as such, and no license of any kind is needed to perform a private buyer's home inspection anywhere in the state. What several Twin Cities municipalities license is the evaluator who performs the pre-sale housing evaluation their own ordinances make compulsory, and each license is good only in the city that issued it — there is no reciprocity between them and none of them substitutes for another. In Minneapolis the seller must schedule a Truth in Sale of Housing evaluation before the house is shown, must hire an evaluator licensed by the City, and must display the report at showings; the City licenses evaluators on a January-to-December year, requires a certificate of insurance to receive the license and 18 approved continuing education credits each year to keep it, holds evaluators to a published code of ethics, and can suspend or revoke a license for breaching it. Evaluations performed on an expired license or without current insurance are rejected and returned. The program and the evaluator's duties sit in Title 12 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances, chapter 248, alongside chapter 244 (maintenance code) and chapter 250 (condominium conversions). In Saint Paul the evaluation must be completed before the property is marketed, it covers single family homes, duplexes, condominiums and townhomes, and it may only be done by an evaluator licensed by the City. Saint Paul is the one Minnesota authority that uses the National Home Inspector Examination: an applicant must already have passed the NHIE before being admitted to the city's own process, which is a $200 application, a closed-book written test of roughly 100 questions with a 75 percent pass mark, and then a practical evaluation of a test house judged as though it were a real client's. Passing both parts only makes the applicant eligible; the license itself also requires proof of insurance and a $110 annual fee that is not pro-rated. The requirements sit in Saint Paul Legislative Code chapter 189, and failing to comply with that chapter is a misdemeanor. Bloomington runs the same idea under a different name: a Time-of-Sale housing inspection and evaluation report must be filed for every single and two-family dwelling, condominium, townhouse and mobile home offered for sale, and a seller may use a City inspector or an independent evaluator holding a City of Bloomington Time of Sale license. That license is issued by the City Clerk's Business Licensing office, requires a Minnesota or federal business tax identification number and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a stated exemption, and requires the building official to verify 18 continuing education credits every year before renewal, with suspension, revocation or a civil penalty for working without them. Other metropolitan cities operate comparable pre-sale evaluation programs, and some, such as Richfield, use their own staff inspectors rather than licensing private evaluators at all, so an inspector planning to work across the metro should check each city's own program before taking the work. Outside those programs no Minnesota city license is required to inspect a home.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Oregon home inspector exam if I'm licensed in Minnesota?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon home inspector license from Minnesota?
- Published fees on this path total $375, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Minnesota work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Minnesota?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Minnesota, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- National Home Inspector Examination - Exam Overview Packet · Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- CCB Home Inspection Consumer Notice · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- CCB License Endorsements chart · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board - CCB License (endorsements and steps to licensure) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Oregon Certified Home Inspector (OCHI) Certification Application and Instructions · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board - Specialty Licenses and Certifications (Home Inspectors) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- OAR 812-008-0202 - Home inspector contracts and reports · OAR 812-008-0202 · Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Administrative Rules · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- OAR Chapter 812, Division 8 - Home Inspector Certification and Standards · OAR 812-008-0030, 812-008-0040, 812-008-0045, 812-008-0050, 812-008-0060, 812-008-0070, 812-008-0072, 812-008-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Administrative Rules · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- ORS Chapter 701 - Construction Contractors and Contracts (Special Trades: Home Inspectors) · ORS 701.445, 701.450, 701.455, 701.081, 701.122 · Oregon Legislative Assembly · 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.