LicensebyState

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

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

Virginia home inspector · “Licensed Home Inspector”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 10 sources

Issued by Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors (DPOR)

Virginia licenses home inspectors statewide. The Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors sits inside the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, and under 18VAC15-40-20 it is unlawful to perform a home inspection without its license, although someone inspecting only a single component or system of a residential building is not performing a home inspection and needs no license. There is one license grade and no trainee, associate or apprentice tier, so an experienced inspector arriving from another state applies for the same Licensed Home Inspector credential as everyone else. What Virginia adds instead of a junior tier is a specialty on top: the New Residential Structures (NRS) specialty, without which a licensee may not inspect a new residential structure or carry out any course-of-construction inspection. A new residential structure is one where record title has not yet passed to a purchaser and the purchaser has not taken possession, so the NRS specialty is what covers pre-closing and builder-warranty work on new homes; it is applied for on its own form, costs its own $80 fee, and rests on a board-approved training module of at least eight contact hours on the Virginia Residential Code taken within the previous two years. Every licensee must hold general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence, and the license runs for two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued.

Every origin state

Endorsement 36No credit 14
Every state's path into Virginia
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-17
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-17
ArizonaEndorsement2026-09-17
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-17
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-17
DelawareEndorsement2026-09-17
District of ColumbiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
FloridaEndorsement2026-09-17
GeorgiaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
HawaiiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IdahoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IllinoisEndorsement2026-09-17
IndianaEndorsement2026-09-17
IowaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-17
LouisianaEndorsement2026-09-17
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-17
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-17
MichiganNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MinnesotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MississippiEndorsement2026-09-17
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-17
NebraskaEndorsement2026-09-17
NevadaEndorsement2026-09-17
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-17
New JerseyEndorsement2026-09-17
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-17
New YorkEndorsement2026-09-17
North CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-17
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-17
OhioEndorsement2026-09-17
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-17
OregonEndorsement2026-09-17
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-17
South CarolinaEndorsement2026-09-17
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-17
TennesseeEndorsement2026-09-17
TexasEndorsement2026-09-17
UtahEndorsement2026-09-17
VermontEndorsement2026-09-17
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-17
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-17
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-17
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17

Getting licensed in Virginia from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 11 sources

Licensed Home Inspector by qualifying points and examination

Virginia issues the Licensed Home Inspector license to applicants who pass the National Home Inspector Examination and earn at least 15 qualifying points of education and experience under 18VAC15-40-32, with at least five points from each category. The usual way in is a board-approved prelicense course, which earns 5 points for 35 hours or 10 points for 70 hours, combined with home inspections done under the direct supervision of a home inspector, which earn 1 point for every five inspections: a 35-hour course plus 50 supervised inspections, or a 70-hour course plus 25, reaches 15 points. Virginia has no apprentice, associate or trainee license, and it gives no separate state law exam. You must be at least 18, carry general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence, and apply to the Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors with the $80 application fee.

The National Home Inspector Examination is given at PSI test centers for the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. You register and pay PSI directly, not the Board, and you have one year from registration to test. You get four hours, and notes, books and calculators are not allowed. Scores are scaled from 200 to 800, and 500 passes. You may retake the exam as often as you need, but you must wait 30 days between attempts and pay the fee again each time. You attach proof of your passing result to the license application. Online and other distance-learning courses count toward the education points as long as they cover the areas tested on the examination. The Board's printed license application (form A506-3380LIC, dated December 2021) still lists the qualifying routes that applied before the regulation changed on October 1, 2025, so follow the points tables in 18VAC15-40-32 and confirm with the Board's Licensing Section at (804) 367-8595 before you apply. The license alone does not let you inspect a new home that has not yet been conveyed or occupied, or do course-of-construction inspections: that takes the separate New Residential Structures specialty, with its own $80 application and a board-approved training module of at least eight contact hours. The Board does not publish a processing time.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Closed book
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
16 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Complete at least 35 hours of classroom or related instruction.The course must cover site conditions; exterior components; structural systems; electrical systems; heating and cooling; insulation, moisture management and ventilation; plumbing; interior components; fireplaces and chimneys; permanently installed appliances; inspection report requirements; responsibilities to the client, including required contract elements; and the Board's regulations. The Board lists approved courses on its website, and online delivery is accepted. You attach the course completion certificate to the application.
  • 50 home inspections completed under the direct supervision of a home inspector, which earn 10 experience points (1 point for every five inspections, up to 12 points).The experience must come from assisting a properly licensed or certified home inspector under that inspector's direct supervision. It is documented on the Board's Home Inspector Experience Verification Form, and where the inspections were supervised by a licensed home inspector, that inspector must sign the form.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

70-hour prelicense course plus 25 supervised home inspections

A board-approved prelicense course of at least 70 hours earns 10 education points, so only 5 experience points are needed, which 25 home inspections under the direct supervision of a home inspector provide. You still pass the National Home Inspector Examination.

  • Complete at least 70 hours of classroom or related instruction.
  • 25 home inspections completed under the direct supervision of a home inspector (5 experience points), verified on the Board's Experience Verification Form.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Other combinations of education and experience points

Any mix from the two tables in 18VAC15-40-32 that totals 15 points, with at least 5 from each, qualifies. Education points also come from a three-credit-hour college class in home inspection (5 points), three-credit-hour college classes in construction, remodeling, engineering, architecture, building design, building technology or real estate (1 point each, up to 3), and four-hour courses on home inspection contracts, reports or exam topics (1 point each, up to 3). Experience points also come from full-time qualifying experience (2 points a month, up to 12; a month means at least 146 hours or 18 workdays), membership in a home inspector association (1 point each, up to 2), paid teaching in a related field (2 points a year, up to 6), serving as the qualified individual on a Virginia residential, home improvement or commercial building contractor license (2 points) or on an electrical, HVAC or plumbing contractor license (1 point each, up to 3), a Virginia architect or professional engineer license (2 points), or certification as a building code official (2 points). Inspections done without supervision count only where they were lawfully performed in that jurisdiction. College classes are proven with an official transcript. You still pass the National Home Inspector Examination.

  • At least 5 education points from Table 1 of 18VAC15-40-32 (prelicense courses, college classes or four-hour home inspection courses).
  • At least 5 experience points from Table 2 of 18VAC15-40-32 (supervised or lawful inspections, full-time qualifying experience, association membership, teaching, or related Virginia licenses and certifications), for at least 15 points in total.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. The National Home Inspector Examination, the only examination the Board approves under 18VAC15-40-32 A 1, given by PSI for the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. Virginia adds no state-specific questions and no separate law exam..
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($225). Paid to PSI when you register, not to the Board. The Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors lists the fee as $225 per attempt in most states and says to confirm it when you register. Fees are nonrefundable, and each retake is charged again..
  3. 3Application fee. Pay the application fee ($80). Initial home inspector application fee under 18VAC15-40-50, mailed with the application by check or money order payable to the Treasurer of Virginia or by credit card insert. Application fees are not refundable. From July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030, certain Department fees also include a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year..
  4. 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($250,000). General liability insurance with minimum limits of $250,000 per occurrence, under 18VAC15-40-30 G, with a copy of the policy attached to the application. A business or commercial general liability policy at the same limits may be accepted if you are listed as an additional insured. The license is not issued without this proof. Virginia does not require errors and omissions insurance or a surety bond..
  5. 5Background check. Complete a background check. Disclosure, not fingerprinting. Under 18VAC15-40-30 D and Va. Code § 54.1-204 you must disclose all felony convictions and all misdemeanor convictions, except marijuana convictions, within three years of the application, on the Criminal Conviction Reporting Form. You must also report any disciplinary action taken against a license in any jurisdiction. The Board may deny a license based on either..

Published fees on this path total $305, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 16 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $45 renewal fee.

Sixteen contact hours of continuing professional education in each two-year cycle, limited to the content areas of the National Home Inspector Examination and the topics in 18VAC15-40-73. Classroom, distance and online courses count, and the same course cannot count twice in one cycle. Proof is filed only if you are audited. Holders of the New Residential Structures specialty also submit proof of a four-hour board-approved NRS course with each renewal, and those hours count toward the 16.

The license expires two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued. Renewal costs $45, or $90 with the New Residential Structures specialty.

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

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance · $250,000

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. National Home Inspector Examination - Exam Overview Packet · Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 5, Article 2 - Home Inspectors · Va. Code §§ 54.1-517.2 and 54.1-517.2:1 · Virginia General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors - Virginia DPOR · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Home Inspector Experience Verification Form (A506-3380EXP) · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Home Inspector License Application (Form A506-3380LIC) · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  6. 18VAC15-40-50 - Fees · 18VAC15-40-50 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  7. 18VAC15-40-30 - General requirements for licensure · 18VAC15-40-30 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. 18VAC15-40-35 - Qualifications for the new residential structure specialty · 18VAC15-40-35 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  9. 18VAC15-40-220 - Prelicense education course requirements · 18VAC15-40-220 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  10. 18VAC15-40-32 - Qualifications for licensure · 18VAC15-40-32 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  11. 18VAC15-40-72 - Continuing professional education required for home inspector licensure · 18VAC15-40-72, and 18VAC15-40-60, 18VAC15-40-75 · Virginia Administrative Code · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026

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