Regarding becoming a home inspector in Pennsylvania:
Is there a difference between certification and being licensed?
For instance, if I take InterNACHI’s home inspection course and pass the final examination, does that mean I am now certified to perform home inspections as a business?
Where does the inspecting 100 homes come into play?
Is it that after completing the final examination I would be certified but would only be licensed after inspecting 100 homes? Does this mean I can inspect homes as a professional after passing the final examination and then after 100 homes inspected I move up to being actually licensed?
I’m having trouble understanding how this works.
It seems to be a catch-22 but perhaps I’m missing something. If it is somewhat of a catch-22 how do prospective inspectors meet this criteria? By doing it on their own, shadowing a master inspector?
The first thing you want to do is contact PA state government (licensing) regarding their requirements for Home Inspectors. Licensing when applicable (i’m in MD) is a state requirement. Certification is a voluntary accreditation to demonstrate trade competence.
Thanks Ben,
Looking at this is actually what prompted my question.
I see that sending in 100 home inspections comes after passing the accredited exam.
How do most folks who go through the program complete this requirement? Is it done as part of their normal inspection business? In other words, after passing the exam do folks get their business up and running and just start that way, and then after they’ve completed 100 inspections they become licensed? This hasn’t been easy for me to understand.
Sorry, Nicholas. I edited that page and removed the sequential numbering. There’s actually no order to what is required by the state. So, it’s now just a bulleted list.
And the state law on home inspections was not written well at all. You are correct in that there’s an apparent catch-22. I agree and suspect it may have been written that way in order to protect the inspectors who pushes this law through. We have many home inspectors in PA who completed the requirements listed at How to Become a Licensed Home Inspector in Pennsylvania - InterNACHI®. You may want to reach out to them for some details and guidance. Certified Home Inspectors in Pennsylvania - InterNACHI®
I just had a mini panic attack too. Any luck on your end?
I just called ICA school that I did some course with and they said I’m good to go now that I’m a member with InterNachi. Its very confusing since PA is not a licensed state but to get “licensed” seems like you need to work under someone else. Maybe we just have to settle with just being certified? Still should keep track of all inspections and send to InterNachi once you get 100.
Another question for Ben, would be if InterNACHI sends the list of 100 inspections to anyone affiliated with the state or does it just stay in house? Because who or where would we send the proof to other than our association?
