Nevada home inspectors to be licensed

Steve Humm

Wednesday, July 1, 1998 | 11:18 a.m.

Beginning today, becoming a home or building inspector in Nevada will require more than printing up business cards.

The Nevada Division of Real Estate is enforcing a new law mandating the licensing of home and commercial building inspectors. Nevada is now one of just a handful of states that licenses home inspectors, said Barry Penzel of the agency.

The law aims to protect consumers by ensuring inspectors have a verified level of knowledge.

Joan Buchanan, administrator of the Real Estate Division, said she's excited the program is up and running, on time and under budget.

Limited regulation of inspectors began in October 1997, requiring them to maintain liability insurance.

Beginning today, home inspectors must meet standards developed by the state agency, professional home and builder inspector associations and other parties.

The minimum requirements are 40 hours of education and some experience in a related field, Penzel said.

With the basic license, an individual can inspect residential homes or commercial buildings of less than 10,000 square feet.

After additional hours of instruction, inspectors can receive higher levels of certification. General inspectors can inspect all properties while master level inspectors are qualified to teach as well.

Verification of 200 fee-paid inspections is required for a general license, while 400 inspections are required to become a master, Penzel said. A certain portion of these inspections must be commercial.

Renewal requires 20 hours of continuing education over the license's two-year period, Penzel said.

The fee for obtaining a license is $350. Penzel said the cost of training varies widely, ranging from hundreds of dollars to thousands.

If all of their final paperwork is completed, 45 inspectors will be certified today in Southern Nevada and 25 will be licensed in Northern Nevada, Penzel said.

Even with the licensing program in place, Penzel warns consumers to be careful when choosing an inspector.

He advises buyers to ask for a license certificate, to look at the contract outlining the work to be done and to ask about experience.