Moving to Ohio as a home inspector: every state's rule
Ohio has reciprocity agreements with 7 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Ohio home inspector · “Licensed Home Inspector”
Statewide license
Ohio licenses home inspectors statewide, which is the reverse of how the state treats builders: Ohio issues no general or residential building contractor license at all and leaves house building to local building departments, yet since 1 July 2021 nobody may perform a home inspection in Ohio for compensation without a state license. The seven-member Ohio Home Inspector Board sets the standards and the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing issues and renews the licenses, under R.C. Chapter 4764 and Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 1301:17-1. There is one tier and no apprentice, associate or trainee grade to arrive into; an unlicensed person may work only as a supervised candidate completing parallel inspections toward an application of their own. The license is held by the individual, and every licensee carries a commercial or comprehensive general liability policy of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 in the aggregate. Ohio's only examination is the National Home Inspector Examination and the state writes no paper of its own. Licenses run three years, and renewal depends on 14 hours of continuing education a year and on the insurance staying in force.
States Ohio reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arizona | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Connecticut | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| Delaware | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| District of Columbia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Florida | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Georgia | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Hawaii | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Idaho | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Illinois | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Indiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Iowa | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Kentucky | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Louisiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Massachusetts | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| Michigan | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Minnesota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Mississippi | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nebraska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nevada | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| New Hampshire | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Jersey | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Mexico | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| New York | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| North Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| North Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Oregon | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Dakota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| Tennessee | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Texas | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-17 |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Vermont | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wisconsin | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |