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

1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. On the education route, a Department-approved qualifying course of at least 140 hours, set by 19 NYCRR section 197-2.3: four 25-hour classroom modules, each ending in a final examination (structural, exterior and roof; interior, insulation and ventilation, and electrical; heating, cooling and plumbing; and the profession, New York license law and report writing), plus the 40 hours of unpaid supervised field training. An hour is 50 minutes of instruction, and a student absent for more than 10 percent of a module gets no credit for it. You file the original course completion certificates with the application. The Department publishes the list of approved qualifying schools; tuition is set by the school. Applicants who qualify on 100 supervised inspections do not take the course..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Pass either the New York State Home Inspector Licensing Examination, given by the Department of State, or the National Home Inspector Examination, given by PSI for the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. The state accepts either one on its own, and no state law and rules paper is added on top. New York's written examination results cannot be more than two years old when you apply..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50) (if applicable). For the New York State written examination: $50 per attempt, set by Real Property Law section 444-f and paid at the test center by check or money order payable to the Department of State, or by MasterCard or Visa. Cash is not accepted and the fee is nonrefundable..
4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($225) (if applicable). For the National Home Inspector Examination instead: paid to PSI when you register online or by phone, per attempt, and nonrefundable; payment is not taken at the test center. The exam board's candidate packet lists $225 per test in most states and asks candidates to confirm the price when they register..
5. 5Application fee. Pay the application fee ($250). A nonrefundable $250 fee that covers both the application and the license, which then runs for two years. Pay by check or money order payable to the Department of State, or by MasterCard or Visa on a credit card authorization form. Cash is not accepted, and a check returned by your bank costs a further $20..
6. 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($150,000). General liability insurance of at least $150,000 per occurrence and $500,000 in the aggregate, required by Real Property Law section 444-k and 19 NYCRR section 197-1.1. A copy of the certificate goes in with the application, naming the Secretary of State as certificate holder and showing the insured, the insurer's name, address and telephone number, the policy number and the expiration date. The policy must require at least ten days' written notice to the Secretary before cancellation or nonrenewal takes effect. New York requires no errors and omissions insurance and no surety bond..
7. 7Background check. Complete a background check. The application asks whether you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, whether criminal charges are pending against you, and whether any license or permit issued to you or to a company you were a principal of has been revoked, suspended or denied. A yes must be backed by the court's certificate of disposition and the accusatory instrument, or the agency's determination, and any Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, Certificate of Good Conduct or Executive Pardon should be attached. New York does not require fingerprints for this license..

Published fees on this path total $250, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.