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

1. 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. Fundamentals of Home Inspection: at least 120 clock hours of 50 minutes each from a board-approved provider, taught in a live classroom. The course ends with a final exam of at least 200 questions that you must pass. Providers are independent schools and colleges that set their own prices; the Department publishes a search tool for approved courses but does not recommend providers. Some providers offer student aid or accept GI Bill funds..
2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. National portion: the National Home Inspector Examination, written by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors and given by PSI. It has 175 questions in three hours on general home inspection practice, and a scaled score of 70 is needed to pass. It covers the site and exterior, roofing, structure, electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing, interiors and insulation, reporting, and professional responsibilities..
3. 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Washington portion: 24 questions in one hour on Washington laws and rules for home inspector licensing, added to the national exam as RCW 18.280.080 requires. A scaled score of 70 is needed to pass. You take it with the national portion and must pass both to be licensed..
4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($300). Fee for both exam portions, paid to PSI when you schedule online or by phone at (855) 746-8168. Retakes cost $125 for the Washington portion, $250 for the national portion or $300 for both. Fees are not refundable or transferable, are forfeited if you do not test within one year of PSI receiving them, and are lost if you cancel less than two days ahead or miss the appointment..
5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($720). First home inspector license fee, which covers both the application and the initial license. Pay it to the Department of Licensing after you pass, with a copy of your pass report, online at professions.dol.wa.gov or by check or money order with the paper license application. Printing the license from your online account is free; a mailed copy costs $5..
6. 6Background check. Complete a background check. There is no fingerprinting. The exam and license applications ask whether, in the last five years, any professional or occupational license of yours has been disciplined and whether you have been convicted of, or pleaded no contest to, a gross misdemeanor or felony, not counting traffic offenses. A yes answer needs a written explanation. Before you pay for the course, you can file a Professional License Criminal Conviction Screening Request to find out whether a conviction would keep you from being licensed..
7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Not required. The Department states that there is no requirement to carry insurance or be bonded to be a home inspector, and neither the law nor the rules set any errors and omissions, general liability, bond or other financial responsibility requirement. Whether to carry coverage is a business decision..

Published fees on this path total $1,020, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.