Oklahoma to Alabama: home inspector license reciprocity

1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The National Home Inspector Examination, developed by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors and named by Rule 355-17-1-.06(1)(c) as the written examination demonstrating adequate knowledge of performing home inspections. Alabama registers it through PSI at test-takers.psiexams.com/EBPHI or on 855-807-3992. It is required of every applicant, including one already licensed in another state, and it must have been completed within the 18 months before the application is submitted. The Division does not publish a Candidate Information Bulletin of its own; content information comes from the examination board..
2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. The American Society of Home Inspectors Standards and Ethics Examination, named by Rule 355-17-1-.06(1)(c) as the written examination demonstrating an appropriate understanding of the Standards of Practice in Rule 355-18-1-.01 and the Code of Ethics in Rule 355-18-1-.02. Alabama registers it through Pearson VUE on 1-800-274-8359. It stands in place of a state-written law and rules paper, and like the National Home Inspector Examination it must have been completed within the 18 months before the application is submitted. It is not waived for an out-of-state inspector..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fees are paid directly to the organizations conducting the testing rather than to the Division of Construction Management, and Rule 355-17-1-.06(1)(c) says so in terms. The Division publishes no examination fee amount on its licensing pages, so check the current price with PSI when you register for the National Home Inspector Examination and with Pearson VUE for the ASHI Standards and Ethics Examination. The Division does link a scholarship, the JD Grewell Education Scholarship, which can cover training, related expenses and the National Home Inspector Examination..
4. 4Other. Approved home inspector education combined with participation in supervised home inspections, in one of two combinations: at least 120 hours of approved education with participation in 35 home inspections, or at least 35 hours of approved education with participation in 100 home inspections. Approved education must include instruction on writing home inspection reports, and courses count if they are approved by ASHI, the Housing Inspection Foundation, InterNACHI or the National Institute of Building Inspectors, or by the Alabama Home Inspectors Advisory Committee. The Division publishes a list of approved pre-licensing providers. The inspections are recorded on the Home Inspection Participation Log and each supervisor files a Verification of Qualified Home Inspector Participant Supervision form..
5. 5Other. Twenty-five drafted home inspection reports, ten of which must have been reviewed and corrected by a qualified home inspector, certified to the Division on its Home Inspection Report Completion Form. A qualified home inspector is one licensed in their own state of practice for the past five years, or, where they practice in a state without licensing, one who has belonged to ASHI, the Housing Inspection Foundation, InterNACHI or the National Institute of Building Inspectors for the past five years. The reviewer does not have to hold an Alabama license..
6. 6Application fee. Pay the application fee ($300). Registration fee of $300, set by Code of Ala. 1975, sec. 34-14B-5 and Rule 355-17-1-.13 and charged for an initial application and for each annual renewal alike. It is non-refundable, including where the application is denied. It can be paid online through the Division's portal, or by cashier's check or money order made payable to the Division of Construction Management; the Division will not accept cash, company checks or personal checks by post. The Division may adjust the fee only after certifying to the Legislative Council that the adjustment is needed to cover its costs..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). Errors and omissions insurance of $250,000, required by Rule 355-17-1-.06(1)(e) of every applicant and again at every renewal. Alabama does not offer a bond or net worth alternative to it. The cover is evidenced by an ACORD certificate of insurance and the license will not be issued until the Division has received it. Under Code of Ala. 1975, sec. 34-14B-8 the license is suspended if the cover lapses, the inspector must notify the Division, and the insurer is asked at the outset to notify the Division of any cancellation..
8. 8Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Bodily injury and property damage liability insurance covering your home inspection operations, at limits of not less than $20,000 for injury or damage to property, $50,000 for injury or damage including death to any one person and $100,000 for injury or damage including death to more than one person. This is separate from and additional to the $250,000 errors and omissions cover. Code of Ala. 1975, sec. 34-14B-3(a)(3) requires the certificate to come from an insurance company licensed to do business in Alabama and allows the agency to prescribe greater limits. The certificate is filed on an ACORD form with the application and again at each renewal, and a lapse suspends the license..
9. 9Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Fifteen hours of approved continuing education per year to renew, declared on the renewal application. Licensees keep proof for three years and the Division audits at random. Renewal applications are due by 1 November of the year before the license year and may be rejected for lateness alone. A renewing inspector can earn a $50 fee credit, up to two a year, for training an inspector who then becomes licensed in Alabama, which means reviewing and correcting that trainee's ten reports and supervising at least 35 of their inspections..
10. 10Other. The Residential New Construction Designation, an optional add-on to the home inspector license earned by completing an eight-hour Residential New Construction training module approved by the Director no more than two years before applying. It is not a second license and not a higher tier. The Division states that the lack of the designation does not limit any licensee's rights and that it is not mandatory for inspecting residential new construction, although a home builder may ask to see proof that you have completed the training. (if applicable).

Published fees on this path total $300, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.