New York
Legislative Summary
New York Licensure (Chapter 461 of the Laws of 2004) The "Home Inspector Professional Licensing Act" http://www.nysahi.com/S06100.html takes effect December 31, 2005 and requires that all home inspectors obtain a license. Home inspectors will be licensed for two years and must pay an initial fee of $250.00 and renewal fees of $100.00 thereafter. The basic provisions of the law include requirements for obtaining a license, including classroom education and on site inspection training, confirmation of an appropriate knowledge base via testing, the development of a required standard of practice and code of ethics, continuing education requirements for license renewal, and a duty of care of all license holders to the client. There are two routes to obtaining a license. An applicant must complete 140 hours of approved training, including 40 hours of unpaid inspection experience under the direct supervision of a licensed inspector, or have 100 hours of paid or unpaid inspection experience under the direct supervision of a licensed inspector. The applicant must also pass an approved written exam. Additionally, there are grandfathering provisions in the law that recognize the value of prior experience. To receive a license under this provision, an inspector must have inspected at least 100 homes within the last two years and pass an approved exam (currently believed to be the National Home Inspector Exam, www.homeinspectionexam.org), or have inspected at least 250 homes for compensation and have been a practicing inspector for at least three years, prior to the enforcement of this law.
Contact Info
For more information contact Keith W. Stack, Deputy Secretary of State for Business and Licensing Services, New York State Department of State Division of Licensing Services, (518) 474-4429, (518) 473-6648 fax, e-mail licensing@dos.state.ny.us.
