How to Start a Home Inspection Business in Virginia: 15-Point License System, $80 Application, $45 Renewal

October 29, 2026

Virginia home inspectors are licensed by the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, which operates within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The governing rules are in 18VAC15-40. Getting a virginia home inspection license takes five steps: qualify under the 15-point system, pass the National Home Inspector Examination (NHIE), carry the required insurance, pay the Board's fees, and then handle the business side, which covers your entity, any local license, and the optional new residential structure (NRS) specialty.

This guide follows that order. It is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees and rules can change, so confirm every figure with the agency named before you pay or file.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you open an application. Most are records you already have or can request from past employers and schools.

• Basic identifying information. You must be at least 18.
• A list of any felony or non-marijuana misdemeanor convictions from the last 3 years, since you must disclose them.
• Transcripts or certificates for every education item you plan to count, such as a board-approved prelicense course certificate or a college transcript.
• Written proof of experience: supervised inspection logs, employer or supervisor confirmations, and copies of any contractor, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, architect or professional engineer licenses you held or were the qualified individual on.
• Your NHIE score report once you pass.
• A certificate of general liability insurance showing at least $250,000 per occurrence.
• If you plan to form an entity, your State Corporation Commission (SCC) filing confirmation.

Step 1: Confirm the Basic Qualifications

Under 18VAC15-40-30, an applicant must be at least 18 and must disclose felony and non-marijuana misdemeanor convictions from the last 3 years. Disclose every qualifying conviction on the application, and let the Board decide what it means for your eligibility. An incomplete answer creates a bigger problem than most convictions do, so answer completely and keep a copy of what you submitted.

Step 2: Build 15 Qualifying Points

Since October 1, 2025, applicants need 15 qualifying points. At least 5 must come from education and at least 5 from experience. The points come from a menu of activities, not from a fixed package of hours. A 35-hour course is worth 5 points, which meets the education minimum on its own. It does not make you licensed by itself, because you still need 10 more points from experience and the other qualifications.

Start a spreadsheet on day one. Log each course, college class, month of work, and inspection with its date and proof. The same activity cannot be counted twice, so map each record to one line before you add up your total.

Education points (minimum 5)

Activity	Points
35-hour board-approved prelicense course	5
70-hour board-approved prelicense course	10
College home inspection class of at least 3 credit hours	5
College class in construction, remodeling, engineering, architecture, building design, building technology or real estate	1 each, up to 3
Four-hour course on inspection contracts, reports or exam topics	1 each, up to 3

Experience points (minimum 5)

Activity	Points
Each month of full-time qualifying experience	2 each, up to 12
Every five inspections under supervision, or unsupervised where lawful	1 each, up to 12
Membership in a trade association	1 each, up to 2
A year of teaching related subjects for pay	2 each, up to 6
Serving as qualified individual on a residential building, home improvement or commercial building contractor license	2
Serving as qualified individual on an electrical, HVAC or plumbing license	1
Licensed as an architect or professional engineer	2

Tip: if your experience is mostly supervised inspections, log the inspection count separately from your months of employment, then confirm with your supervisor that each entry is one you can document.

Step 3: Pass the National Home Inspector Examination

Virginia applicants must pass the National Home Inspector Examination, which is run by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors. That body sets the registration fee, scheduling rules and passing standard. Check its current terms directly and ignore any price quoted by a third-party website, since those figures often go stale.

Schedule the exam once your education and experience plans are concrete. Studying the published content areas is the most useful preparation, and your prelicense course materials are a good place to start.

Step 4: Secure General Liability Insurance

Before the license issues, you must provide proof of general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence (18VAC15-40-30 G). If you work under a business or commercial general liability policy, that policy can satisfy the requirement when you are named as an additional insured. Ask the insurer for a certificate that shows the per-occurrence limit. Premiums are set by carriers, not the Board, so get quotes from licensed agents and compare what each one covers.

Step 5: Submit the Board Application and Pay the Fees

File your application with the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors through DPOR. The application fee is $80. A license lasts 2 years, and renewal costs $45. The Board's fees under 18VAC15-40-50, -60 and -72 are summarized below.

Item	Fee
Initial application	$80
Renewal (every 2 years)	$45
Reinstatement after lapse	$125
NRS specialty application	$80
Renewal with NRS specialty	$90
Reinstatement with NRS specialty	$170

Renewal also requires 16 contact hours of continuing education per 2-year cycle, on topics tied to the NHIE content areas. Calendar your renewal date when you are first licensed. A lapse triggers the reinstatement fee, which is $125 without NRS and $170 with it.

Step 6: Decide Whether to Add the NRS Specialty

New construction inspections in Virginia can only be performed by NRS-endorsed inspectors (18VAC15-40-20 B). If your business will inspect newly built homes, the endorsement is not optional. The NRS specialty requires an approved training module. This guide does not state that module's length or price, so check with the Board for the current details before you enroll in anything. The NRS application fee is $80, and renewal with NRS is $90.

If your work is only resale inspections of existing homes, you can focus on the core license first and add NRS later, once you know your client mix.

Step 7: Form Your Business Entity

Your inspector license and your business entity are separate filings with separate agencies. The SCC forms entities but issues no business license. Most sole operators in Virginia choose an LLC, so the rest of this step covers that path.

• Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011): The filing fee is $100. File online through the SCC Clerk's Information System at cis.scc.virginia.gov.
• Name rules: The name must contain “limited company,” “limited liability company,” “LC,” “L.C.,” “LLC” or “L.L.C.” and must be distinguishable from names already on file.
• Name reservation: You can reserve a name for $10 for 120 days. The reservation can be renewed during the 45 days before it expires.
• Expedited service: Online filings can be expedited. Next-day service costs $50 or $100 if submitted by 2:00 PM Eastern, with a response by 4:00 PM the next business day. Same-day service costs $200 if submitted by 10:00 AM Eastern, with a response by 4:00 PM. Expedited service is nonrefundable.
• Registered agent: You must keep a registered agent who is a Virginia resident with a Virginia street registered office, is available during business hours, and is either a Virginia State Bar member or a member, manager, officer, trustee or general partner of the entity. The entity cannot serve as its own agent.
• Annual registration fee: Virginia LLCs pay a $50 annual registration fee and file no annual report. The fee is due the last day of the 12th month after the month the LLC was organized, then every year. The SCC assesses it about two months ahead. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC is canceled at the end of the third month after the due date.

If you choose a corporation instead, the Articles of Incorporation (Form SCC619) cost $75. The annual report and annual registration fee are $100 for up to 5,000 authorized shares, plus $30 for each additional 5,000 shares. Confirm the current schedule on the SCC annual fee page before you budget for it.

If you operate under a name other than your legal name, file an Assumed Name Certificate with the SCC Clerk's Office for $10. It is not filed with the circuit court, and Virginia does not require newspaper publication. Business guidance is at scc.virginia.gov/businesses.

Step 8: Check the Local Business License (BPOL)

Virginia has no general statewide business license. The local Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax is imposed under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq. and administered by each city or county, usually through the Commissioner of the Revenue. BPOL is a local tax, not a state license, and not every locality levies a general one. Va. Code 58.1-3704 allows a locality to levy none. Stafford, Rockingham, Bedford County, Washington County, Montgomery County, Louisa and Fluvanna are examples of localities without a general county license. Towns inside a county can have their own tax that displaces the county tax, so check the town as well.

The statute sets a population-based floor on what a locality may require for gross receipts:

• Localities over 50,000 people cannot require a license for gross receipts under $100,000. Those localities may waive the license up to $200,000, though you should verify that waiver ceiling with the locality.
• Localities of 25,000 to 50,000 people cannot require a license for gross receipts under $50,000.
• No floor applies in localities under 25,000 people.

Home inspectors do not appear in the statute's short list of professional services, so the locality decides which category applies and what rate it charges. Localities set their own rates and filing deadlines, and one county's rate tells you nothing about another's. Read the locality's code and call the Commissioner of the Revenue's office to confirm.

Two related items also depend on your setup. Workers' compensation coverage applies only once an employer has three or more employees regularly in service (Va. Code 65.2-101). If you charge for taxable items or services, register with Virginia Tax and confirm whether any of your charges are taxable at tax.virginia.gov/sales-and-use-tax.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Calling Virginia's license a state business license. The Board licenses you as an inspector, the SCC forms your entity, and BPOL is a local tax.
• Assuming your county levies BPOL. Some localities levy no general license at all.
• Counting one activity twice. The same course, month or inspection cannot earn points in two categories.
• Relying on the 35-hour course alone. It supplies 5 education points, and you still need 10 more points from experience.
• Doing new construction inspections without the NRS endorsement. The endorsement is required for that work.
• Filing an assumed name with the circuit court. Virginia uses the SCC for this, at $10.
• Assuming an LLC files an annual report. Virginia LLCs pay the $50 annual registration fee and file no report.
• Letting the license lapse. Reinstatement costs $125, or $170 with NRS.

What to Expect Once You Are Licensed

A complete, well-documented application may help you avoid delays, since missing records can stall a file. Once licensed, you may be able to start accepting inspection work, subject to your insurance, your entity status and any local license your locality requires. Results vary by market, local competition and how quickly you build a client referral base, so treat these outcomes as possibilities rather than promises.

For free help with planning, the Virginia Small Business Development Center network offers advising at virginiasbdc.org. The SBA's Richmond district office page is at sba.gov/district/richmond.

Final Checklist

1. Confirm you are 18 or older and gather your conviction disclosures.
2. Document 15 qualifying points, with at least 5 from education and at least 5 from experience.
3. Pass the NHIE through the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors.
4. Obtain general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence.
5. Submit the Board application with the $80 fee.
6. Decide on the NRS specialty, and confirm the module details with the Board.
7. File your entity with the SCC, and pay the $50 annual registration fee on an LLC.
8. Check the BPOL requirement with your locality's Commissioner of the Revenue.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and requirements change. Confirm each detail with the Virginia Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors, the SCC, Virginia Tax or your local Commissioner of the Revenue before you act. For complex situations, consult a qualified Virginia attorney and a certified public accountant.