LicensebyState

Moving to Louisiana as a home inspector: every state's rule

Louisiana has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Louisiana home inspector · “Licensed Home Inspector (LHI)”

Statewide license

Verified September 23, 2026· 4 sources

Issued by Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors (LSBHI)

Louisiana licenses home inspectors statewide through the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors, and the license is issued to an individual only: it will not be issued to a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, firm or group, although a licensed inspector may work for one. There is a single grade. The rules use "trainee" for a person working through the Board's education, not for a credential anyone can inspect on, so the license an experienced inbound inspector is looking at is simply the Licensed Home Inspector. The home-grown route is long: 130 hours of Board-approved instruction, made up of 90 classroom hours, 30 hours of in-field platform training and ten live inspections with a certified in-field trainer, then the National Home Inspector Examination, then the Board's Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar and its standards and code of ethics examination. Every active licensee carries both errors and omissions insurance and general liability insurance at $300,000 a year each, with a deductible no higher than $5,000, and files the certificate with the Board named as certificate holder. Licenses run a year, renew with continuing education and a sample inspection report, and every inspection carries a $5 state fee reported to the Board monthly.

Every origin state

Endorsement 36No credit 14
Every state's path into Louisiana
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-23
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-23
ArizonaEndorsement2026-09-23
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-23
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-23
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-23
District of ColumbiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
FloridaEndorsement2026-09-23
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
HawaiiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IdahoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
IllinoisEndorsement2026-09-23
IndianaEndorsement2026-09-23
IowaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-23
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-23
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-23
MichiganNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MinnesotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MississippiEndorsement2026-09-23
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-23
NebraskaEndorsement2026-09-23
NevadaEndorsement2026-09-23
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-23
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-23
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-23
New YorkEndorsement2026-09-23
North CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-23
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-23
OhioEndorsement2026-09-23
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-23
OregonEndorsement2026-09-23
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-23
South CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-23
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-23
TennesseeEndorsement2026-09-23
TexasEndorsement2026-09-23
UtahEndorsement2026-09-23
VermontEndorsement2026-09-23
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-23
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-23
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-23
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-23

Getting licensed in Louisiana from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Louisiana issues a home inspector license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 7 sources

Licensed Home Inspector by pre-license education, in-field training and examination

Louisiana licenses home inspectors through the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors, and the path from scratch has five parts. You complete 90 hours of classroom course work with a Board-approved education provider, then 30 hours of hands-on platform training and ten live, paid home inspections with a Board-certified in-field trainer. You pass the National Home Inspector Examination, which you book and pay for through PSI, and you attend the Board's Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar and pass its standards of practice and code of ethics examination. Before the license is issued you also need a Louisiana State Police criminal background check with fingerprints, errors and omissions and general liability insurance of $300,000 a year each, and the $200 application fee. The license is annual and renews with continuing education.

Once the 90 classroom hours are done, the Board lets you take the examination, the in-field training, the seminar and your insurance in any order; the Get Licensed page lists the license application as the last step and says everything must be finished within 36 months of starting. The paper application separately says all requirements must be met within one year from the date the application is processed, and the Board's rules say a trainee applies with the Board before registering for the 90-hour course, so ask the Board at (225) 248-1334 or [email protected] how it wants you to sequence the application. The in-field training can only start after the 90 classroom hours are complete. The National Home Inspector Examination is a four-hour computer-based test scored from 200 to 800, with 500 needed to pass; notes, books and calculators are not allowed, and you must wait 30 days between attempts, paying the fee each time. The paper application is signed before a notary and sent with two passport-quality color photos taken within the last six months, the course completion certificate, your examination results, the platform and live training certificates, the seminar certificate, the insurance certificate and the background check. Louisiana has no apprentice or associate license: "trainee" in the Board's rules describes a person working through the education, not a credential that allows paid inspections. The Board does not publish a processing time.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Closed book
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
20 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • A high school diploma or GED.
  • 30 hours of hands-on platform training with a Board-certified in-field trainer, at a house or using residential components or equipment, covering every system of the home. No more than four trainees may be trained at once, and platform training cannot take place during a paid inspection.LAC 46:XL.119(C)(2) and (G)(1). In-field training may start only after the 90 classroom hours are complete. The Board's Get Licensed page lists the certified in-field trainers.
  • 10 live home inspections with a Board-certified in-field trainer, each at a resale home where a fee is paid and a report is given to the client. No more than two trainees may attend an inspection, and for each one you write a mock inspection report and give it to the trainer within five days.LAC 46:XL.119(C)(3) and (G)(2). Each live inspection counts as one credit hour toward the 130 hours of instruction and training the rules require. Keep the mock reports for three years.
  • No home inspector license revoked or suspended by the licensing authority of another state.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. 90 hours of home inspection course work with a Board-approved pre-license education provider, taught live or by video with a certified instructor available for questions. The hours must be finished within 180 days of starting, and you must pass the provider's final examination and all periodic examinations with 70 percent or better. Audiotapes and self-study do not count. The Board lists approved providers, classroom and online, on its Get Licensed page; course fees are set by the provider..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The National Home Inspector Examination, given by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors and delivered by PSI. The Board names it on its Get Licensed page and asks for your NHIE results with the application. Register online through the NHIE website, choosing Louisiana, or by phone with PSI at (855) 807-3992..
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($225). National Home Inspector Examination fee, published by the Board at $225 and paid to PSI when you register, not to the Board. Each retake is paid again..
  4. 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. The Board-approved examination on Louisiana's standards of practice and code of ethics (LAC 46:XL.301 and following, and LAC 46:XL.501), taken in connection with the Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar. The Board does not publish a question count, a pass mark or a separate fee for it..
  5. 5Other. The Standards of Practice and Report Writing Seminar, given by the Board or a Board-approved provider. Every applicant has had to attend it since January 1, 2007, and the certificate of attendance goes in with the application. Dates are posted on the Board's calendar at lsbhi.state.la.us/calendar. The Board does not publish a seminar fee..
  6. 6Application fee. Pay the application fee ($200). License application fee, non-refundable. Filed through the Board's online application portal, where a credit card service fee is added; the paper application takes a check or money order only. There is no separate license issuance fee..
  7. 7Background check. Complete a background check. A Louisiana State Police criminal background check with fingerprints, at your own cost, with the results mailed or delivered to the Board at 5211 Essen Lane, Suite 9, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Fingerprints are taken by appointment at a Louisiana Applicant Processing System (IdentoGO) site using the Board's service code 27N4RK; walk-ins at State Police headquarters are no longer accepted. Results expire 365 days after issue. Neither the Board nor the State Police page it links publishes the fee. If you are concerned about what the check will show, the Board asks you to contact it before starting any education..
  8. 8Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). Errors and omissions insurance of at least $300,000 a year with a deductible of no more than $5,000. The license is not issued until the certificate of insurance is received, with the Board listed as certificate holder, and any insurer licensed in Louisiana is acceptable..
  9. 9Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($300,000). General liability insurance of at least $300,000 a year with a deductible of no more than $5,000, required in addition to the errors and omissions policy and shown on the same certificate filed with the Board..

Published fees on this path total $425, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 20 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $100 renewal fee.

Twenty hours of Board-approved continuing education each year, except 30 hours for your first renewal. Up to 10 hours of live or live-streamed credit may carry over to the next year, online and certain other courses count for no more than 10 hours a year, the same course counts only once in two years, and every licensee must attend a report writing and standards of practice seminar at least once every three years.

The license expires one year after the last day of the month it was issued, and the renewal application should reach the Board at least two weeks before then with proof of continuing education, the insurance certificate and a copy of a recent inspection report with its signed pre-inspection agreement. A late renewal adds a $100 delinquent fee. After 12 months lapsed you must pass the licensing examination again, and after 36 months you must also repeat the 90 hours, the in-field training and the seminar. Separately, every inspection carries a $5 state fee reported to the Board monthly by the 15th.

Pre-license education

Where a board mandates a course before the exam, it publishes a list of approved schools. Confirm a provider is on that list before enrolling.

  • Pre-license course

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
  • Law / code exam

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

  • Insurance · $300,000
  • Insurance · $300,000

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. LAC Title 46 Part XL - Home Inspectors, rules of the Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors (August 2025) · LAC 46:XL.111, .113, .115, .117, .119, .121, .122, .127, .129 · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Application for License as Home Inspector - Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors (2024) · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. How to Get Licensed - Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Steps for Registering for the National Home Inspector Examination on PSI online - Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Application for Renewal of Home Inspector's License - Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. The Louisiana Home Inspector Licensing Law, Chapter 17-A (August 2023 compilation) · La. R.S. 37:1471-1489 · Louisiana State Board of Home Inspectors · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. National Home Inspector Examination - Exam Overview Packet · Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors · Other · verified September 23, 2026

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