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

1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. At least 80 hours of board-approved qualifying education, taken in a classroom or online, covering foundations, framing, building enclosure, roof systems, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, appliances, the Ohio standards of practice, Ohio home inspector law, and Ohio report content and writing (OAC 1301:17-1-07). Exam preparation courses do not count, and you must attend at least 95 percent of the instruction time. The Division publishes the list of approved providers and courses; providers set their own dates and fees. Include your course completion certificate with the application..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The National Home Inspector Examination, required by R.C. 4764.07(D)(4) and passed within the two years before the application. Register directly with PSI; the Division does not schedule or score the exam. Ohio adds no state-specific portion..
3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($225). Paid to PSI when you register, not to the Division, and charged for each attempt. The Division says PSI and EBPHI set the fee and does not publish the amount; check the PSI NHIE page at test-takers.psiexams.com/EBPHI. The Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors lists the National Home Inspector Examination at $225 per test in most states; confirm the amount when you register..
4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($235). Nonrefundable initial licensure fee under OAC 1301:17-1-03(A), paid with the application in the Division's eLicense LPI portal..
5. 5Other. A special assessment for the home inspection recovery fund may be added to the licensure fee. Under R.C. 4764.21 it is at most $5 for each year of the three-year license when the fund held less than $250,000 on the preceding July 1, at most $3 a year when the fund is between $500,000 and $1,000,000, and nothing when the fund is above $1,000,000. The Division does not publish the current amount, so confirm the total with the Division before you pay..
6. 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($100,000). Commercial general liability or comprehensive general liability insurance with limits of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 in the aggregate, required by R.C. 4764.11(A). File the certificate of insurance with the application and send an updated certificate whenever the coverage changes or expires. If your employer's policy specifically names you as a covered person, you do not need your own policy while inspecting for that company..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Errors and omissions insurance does not satisfy Ohio's requirement and is not required. The Division notes it may still be useful for your practice..
8. 8Background check. Complete a background check. Two fingerprint-based criminal records checks, one by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) and one by the FBI, under R.C. 4764.07(B). Start fingerprinting after you file the application and within 10 days of filing, or the application may be voided and the fees forfeited. In Ohio, use a BCI-approved WebCheck vendor that submits to both BCI and the FBI, and give reason code 4764.07; applicants outside Ohio should follow the Ohio Attorney General's background check guidance. BCI and the FBI send the reports directly to the Division. The fee is set by the vendor and BCI and is not published by the Division..
9. 9Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). If you will do business in Ohio as a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, LLC, LLP or association, you must file or register with the Ohio Secretary of State under OAC 1301:17-1-04(B). What you need depends on your business structure..

Published fees on this path total $460, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.