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

1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. The Board-approved 200-hour pre-licensing program: at least 120 hours of classroom instruction and at least 80 hours of field training with at least 10 site visits, completed within three years before you apply. Approved sponsors are listed on the Board's Pre-Licensing Program page; the Board does not set or publish course prices. It is not needed on the equivalent-experience routes or by North Carolina general contractors, architects and engineers..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The North Carolina home inspector examination, given for the Board through OSFM QUEST as an online test with a live remote proctor on your own computer, at home or anywhere with a secure internet connection, once the Board approves your application. It has 200 multiple-choice questions in five blocks (Standards of Practice, Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing), a four-hour limit and no reference materials, and 70% passes. It includes the Board's rules and the licensing statute, so it also serves as the state law and rules test. North Carolina requires this examination of every applicant and does not accept the National Home Inspector Examination in its place..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Examination fee set by 11 NCAC 08 .1011, paid to Questionmark on behalf of the Office of State Fire Marshal after the application is approved. It covers one attempt, is not refundable or transferable, and is paid again for each retake..
4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Application for a home inspector license, set by 11 NCAC 08 .1011 and paid online. It is waived for active duty military, veterans and spouses, and is not charged again when a candidate who failed the examination reapplies..
5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($160). Initial license fee, set by 11 NCAC 08 .1011 and due after you pass the examination. The Board does not issue the license until it is paid, and the license runs from issue to the following September 30..
6. 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). General liability insurance of $250,000, required of every licensee by N.C.G.S. 143-151.51(b)(1). It may be your own policy or cover under an employer's policy, and it must cover your activities during a home inspection on the premises being inspected, including both property damage and bodily injury. Licensed inspectors file a certificate of insurance naming the Board as certificate holder each January..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000) (if applicable). Errors and omissions insurance of $250,000, one of three ways to meet the second insurance requirement in N.C.G.S. 143-151.51(b)(2). It may be your own policy or cover under an employer's policy. You need this, a surety bond or minimum net assets in addition to general liability insurance..
8. 8Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($5,000) (if applicable). A surety bond of at least $5,000 under 11 NCAC 08 .1006(b), written by a surety company authorized by the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance. It is an alternative to errors and omissions insurance or minimum net assets. The Board provides a bond template on its renewal page..
9. 9Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $5,000 (if applicable). Minimum net assets of not less than $5,000, the third alternative under N.C.G.S. 143-151.51(b)(2), attested to in the Board's online system..
10. 10Background check. Complete a background check. Every applicant discloses criminal history and consents to a criminal history record check. An applicant who reports a conviction is referred to the Application Evaluation Committee and must provide a nationwide criminal history record check, obtained at the applicant's own cost from a governmental or commercial provider such as the FBI; the Board publishes no fee for it. A conviction of, or plea to, a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude is a ground on which the Board may refuse a license..

Published fees on this path total $275, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.