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How do I get a home inspector license in Texas?

If you have never held a Texas inspector license, the usual path starts at apprentice inspector, sponsored by a professional inspector, unless the agency's rules for swapping in work history or an out-of-state waiver may let you skip it. You then move up to real estate inspector and professional inspector. The higher levels ask for time, supervised jobs and classroom hours.

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The rule, fact by fact

Agency
The Texas Real Estate CommissionThe Texas statute calls this body the commission. This page calls it the agency.
Verified. tcss.legis.texas.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Who needs it
Apprentice license: at least 18, a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alienThis is the first rung. You also need a professional inspector as sponsor.
Same source and date as above
Course hours
At least 90 classroom hours, three months as an apprentice and 25 inspectionsThis is the second rung, the real estate inspector license.
Same source and date as above
Cost
Reasonable and necessary fees for applications, renewals, the exam and other itemsA change of sponsor, a name change or a lost license also carries a fee.
Same source and date as above
Valid for
A license term may not exceed 24 monthsFigured per year, a renewal fee may not exceed the fee the agency sets for it.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Know which license you need. Acting for a buyer or seller of real property takes a license at each level. An apprentice works under direct supervision. A real estate inspector works under a professional inspector's indirect supervision. A professional inspector needs a professional license.

  2. Step 2. Meet the apprentice rules and apply. You must be at least 18, a citizen of the United States or a lawfully admitted alien, sponsored by a professional inspector, and able to show the agency your honesty, trustworthiness and integrity. File the agency's form, with a complete and legible set of fingerprints for the criminal history check.

  3. Step 3. Choose courses that count. The agency may set the length and content of the required courses by rule, so ask the school whether its course matches the rule before you pay.

  4. Step 4. Earn the real estate inspector license. Hold the apprentice license for at least three months and do at least 25 supervised real estate inspections. Send proof of at least 90 classroom hours of core courses. Be sponsored by a professional inspector and satisfy the agency as to your honesty, trustworthiness, integrity and competence.

  5. Step 5. Earn the professional inspector license. Hold a real estate inspector license for at least 12 months and do at least 175 inspections under indirect supervision. Send proof of at least 40 more classroom hours of core courses, and satisfy the agency as to your honesty, trustworthiness, integrity and competence.

  6. Step 6. Pass the exam for the real estate inspector and professional inspector licenses. The agency prescribes it and prepares it or contracts for it. Pass within one year after you file, or you apply again and pay another exam fee.

  7. Step 7. Keep the required financial backing and plan your renewals. An inspector must keep a policy that specifically covers professional liability, with at least $100,000 per occurrence and $100,000 a year in total, from an insurer authorized in Texas, a risk retention group or an eligible surplus lines insurer; or a bond or other security the agency accepts. To renew, show at least 16 classroom hours for each year of the license period.

Before you pay

We couldn't read the Texas Real Estate Commission's own pages, so this page rests on the Texas statute alone.

Before you pay a school, ask its price. Ask whether its course counts with the agency and whether it is offered online. Check the agency's fees on its own pages, and whether the apprentice level needs classroom hours.

Questions

Do I need a sponsor?

Yes, at the first two levels. Apprentice and real estate inspector applicants must be sponsored by a professional inspector. A professional inspector may sponsor only after proving at least 200 real estate inspections as a professional inspector. Ask any sponsor you are considering about that history.

Can my work history replace some steps?

It can. The agency must provide by rule for swapping in relevant experience and extra education for some required inspections and for the earlier license steps. Those rules can't require more than 320 additional hours of core courses, more than 40 hours of field work for a course taken by alternative means, or more than seven years of relevant work.

I am licensed in another state. Can I skip steps?

Maybe. The agency may waive any license requirement for an applicant who holds a license from another state whose rules are substantially equivalent to those of Texas. The statute says may, so a waiver is up to the agency.

What if my license expires?

Within 90 days after it expires, you can renew by paying one and a half times the renewal fee. After 90 days but before six months, the fee is two times. At six months or longer you can't renew. You get a new license by meeting the original rules, with a new exam if required.

What if I fail the exam?

You may ask to retake it by filing a request and paying another exam fee. After three consecutive failures you can't reapply or send a new filing until you finish the extra study the agency prescribes and send proof.

What to do next

Start with the Texas statute on real estate inspectors. Then look for the Texas Real Estate Commission's own pages on courses and fees.

tcss.legis.texas.gov

Sources we read