Inspector License Path: Education/Experience ("Fast Track")
GENERAL INFORMATION
A person wishing to become licensed as a Real Estate Inspector may substitute additional education and experience for the requirement to have previously been licensed as an Apprentice Inspector. Also, a person wishing to become licensed as a Professional Inspector may substitute additional education and experience for the requirement to have previously been licensed as a Real Estate Inspector.
Please note that the education requirement for each license must still be satisfied regardless of which variation is chosen.
Therefore, with the appropriate amount of education and experience, a person can apply directly for a Real Estate Inspector or Professional Inspector license as detailed below:
REAL ESTATE INSPECTOR
A Real Estate Inspector, with the sponsorship of a Professional Inspector, may bypass the Apprentice phase by either of the following methods:
Education/Experience Alternative Method
Individuals seeking a Real Estate Inspector license must complete and submit the following:
120 classroom hours of core inspector education. Of the 120 hours, 30 hours must include foundation systems, roof systems, electrical systems, HVAC systems, building enclosures, and appliances.
In addition to the 120 hours, one of the following requirements must be met:
60 hours in an experience training module (provide a letter from the education provider or a course completion certificate); or 60 hours inspecting with a licensed professional inspector who can provide a letter certifying attendance; or 2 years as an active licensed professional engineer, engineer-in-training, or licensed or registered architect (provide a license history); or 3 years of personal experience in a field directly related to home inspecting (provide 2 reference letters from persons other than the applicant who has personal knowledge of the applicant’s work).
PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR
A Professional Inspector may bypass the Apprentice and Real Estate Inspector phases by the following method:
Education/Experience Alternative Method
Individuals seeking a Professional Inspector license must complete and submit the following:
328 classroom hours of core inspector education. Of these hours, the following courses must be taken: 30 hours in Foundation Systems, 25 hours in Roof Systems, 30 hours in Framing, 25 hours in Electrical Systems, 25 hours in HVAC Systems, 25 hours in Plumbing, 12 hours in Building Enclosure, 6 hours in Appliances, 8 hours in Standards of Practice/Legal/Ethics, 8 hours in Standard Report Form/Report Writing, and 6 hours of other core inspection approved courses.
In addition to the 328 hours, one of the following requirements must be met: 120 hours in an experience training module (provide a letter from the education provider or a course completion certificate); or 120 hours inspecting with a licensed professional inspector who can provide a letter certifying attendance; or 3 years as an active licensed professional engineer, engineer-in-training, or licensed or registered architect (provide a license history); or 5 years of personal experience in a field directly related to home inspecting (provide 2 reference letters from persons other than the applicant who has personal knowledge of the applicant’s work).
This information is provided by the TREC website, additional information on the Inspector Programs can be found by clicking here