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State Cert Guide

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How do I get a home inspector license in New Hampshire?

If you have never held a home inspector license and your work is not exempt, New Hampshire asks for 80 hours of board-approved courses, a passing exam score, liability coverage and a criminal history check, among other things. You mail the paperwork to the Office of Professional Licensure & Certification. A license in good standing from a qualifying state opens a separate route.

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The rule, fact by fact

Agency
The Board of Home InspectorsThis page calls it the board. It develops the ethical, professional and educational standards for licensure.
Verified. www.oplc.nh.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Who needs it
At least 18, with a high school education or the equivalentThe checklist states both as rules for candidates.
Verified. www.oplc.nh.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Course hours
80 hours of board-approved pre-licensing educationCore areas include heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems, among others.
Same source and date as above
Cost
Application, renewal and reinstatement: $220.00 eachThe fee page gives a separate line for each of the three.
Verified. www.oplc.nh.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check that you qualify. You must be at least 18 and have a high school education or the equivalent. The statute also gives the Board discretion to reject an applicant who is not of good professional character, as evidenced by being convicted of a felony, misstated facts on the application, a breach of the standards of practice or code of ethics, or inspecting homes without a license in breach of the law where you worked.

  2. Step 2. Pick a course on the Board's approved list. The Board's courses page sends you to CE Broker for all approved courses and course providers. You need 80 hours of board-approved pre-licensing coursework.

  3. Step 3. Take the course and pass the exam. Finish the 80 hours and pass the board-adopted exam required for licensure. Arrange for the third-party testing organization to send your scores directly to the OPLC Licensing Bureau.

  4. Step 4. Line up coverage and the background check. Get proof of liability coverage that shows the insurer's name and address, the certificate holder's name and address, the category and minimum amounts of coverage, and the policy's terms for canceling. Also send the state police form that authorizes release of your public criminal history record. You bear the cost of that check.

  5. Step 5. Mail the packet with the fee. Among other papers, send the Universal Application and the Application for Licensure as a Home Inspector to the Office of Professional Licensure & Certification in Concord, with the non-refundable fee of $220.00. You pay by personal check, money order or cashier's check, and checks are payable to Treasurer State of New Hampshire. Until the agency posts updated forms, it says to disregard the fees printed on the existing forms and use the $220 it lists instead.

Before you pay

Before you pay a school, ask its price and confirm on CE Broker that the course is approved.

The passages this page credits to the statute come from an archived copy of the law, so read the legislature's current text before you rely on them.

Questions

Which exam do I take?

The checklist calls it only the board-adopted exam. The agency's Home 300 licensure rule, which it lists as effective December 14, 2026, names it: candidates must have passed the National Home Inspectors exam, created and graded by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors.

I am licensed in another state. Do I start over?

Not necessarily. If you hold an active license in good standing from a qualifying jurisdiction, you can apply by endorsement. Among other papers, you send a Universal Application for Initial Licensure, primary source verification, the fee and a New Hampshire-only criminal history records check. The agency's list for home inspectors includes Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York and Texas, among others.

How do I renew my license?

Renewals are done online only, through the agency's portal. Under the statute, each 2-year renewal period takes at least 20 hours of continuing education, and one of those hours must come from a board-approved course on building regulations. CE Broker is now mandatory for home inspectors.

Are any home inspections exempt from licensing?

The statute names four cases it does not prevent or affect. One is a government employee who inspects residential buildings within the job's duties. Another is a home inspection used only by a bank, savings and loan association or credit union to monitor construction progress. The others are a property manager whose duties include inspecting the building and who gets no separate pay for it, and a person regulated in another profession acting within that license, registration or certification.

What if my license expires?

If it has been expired less than 1 year, complete the paper Universal Application for License Renewal and mail it with your reinstatement fee. If it has been expired or lapsed more than 1 year, complete the paper Universal Application for Initial Licensure and the corresponding license form found in the Initial License section of the Board's page for applicants, with your initial fee.

What changes on December 14, 2026?

The Home 300 rule, listed as effective that day, has each applicant submit a signed addendum to the Universal Application for Initial Licensure. In it you attest that you provided, among other items, proof of liability coverage with the policy's effective dates and evidence of 80 hours of board approved coursework.

What to do next

Start with the Board of Home Inspectors' page for applicants. Then read the Board's laws and rules page for the statute and rule text.

www.oplc.nh.gov

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