If you’re in the Palmetto state, getting a home inspection license is mandatory. South Carolina is one of the thirty-four states where the profession is regulated. The body responsible for registration and licensure is the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (SCRBC). The commission operates under the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, the LLR.

Steps to become a certified home inspector in South Carolina:

  • Familiarize Yourself With The State’s Basic
  • Do A Home Inspection Course
  • Pass the Exams
  • Get The Experience You Need
  • Submit Your Application

Read about my home inspector career journey.

Become certified home inspector in south carolina
Here are the steps to becoming a certified home inspector in South Carolina:
Step 1

You can obtain license in two ways:

  • By examination

In South Carolina, you are expected to take a two-part exam. One of them is the NHIE (National Home Inspection Examination), the standard for most regulated states and administered by the PSI. The other is a state-specific technical examination, which comprises of 100 multiple-choice questions.

Behind successful examinations is exceptional home inspection competency, which you can get from an approved institution.

Even with the tests done, the LLR will require you to submit proof of having been supervised by a licensed home inspector for at least a year within the past five years. Your supervisor/employer will need to complete a Home Inspectors Affidavit to verify your working one year.

  • By experience

You need to have done at least 50 home inspections. This requirement is applied if you are making your application based on examination exemption. If this is your case, I presume that you have the relevant education, so skip to step 5.

Step 2

Home inspection education is mandatory. You will need to produce a copy of the approved certification course during the licensure application. You need to take the program from one of the institutions approved by the state. See the schools’ list from the home inspection application form.

The LLR does not specify the number of hours you should have completed on the home inspection course. What matters is a course completion certification form, or a notarized application, as there is an Affidavit of Legibility section.

Step 3

You may need to schedule your exam with the PSI, or your institution of training may do that for you. The exam takes around 240 minutes and costs $225. For the state-specific technical examination, email the SCRBC or call them for appropriate guidance.

Step 4

You can get a South Carolina licensed home inspector from reputable platforms such as ASHI’s Find an Inspector platform. Your school can also connect you to one of its alumni to give you the pre-licensing pupillage you need.

Step 5

Whatever the mode of application (online or via an electronic form), you must provide copies of the following documents:

  • Social security card
  • State-issued ID, passport, or a valid Driver’s License
  • Home Inspector Affidavit (from your supervisor)
  • If your application is by experience (examination exemption), 50 home Inspection reports

Also, you will answer a few disciplinary questions. If you give a Yes to any of them, you will accompany the application with written explanations.

As you finish the application, you will need to write a check or buy a money order worth $80. This fee will cater for application processing and is to be paid to the SCRBC.

Here’s the detailed requirements of becoming a certified home inspector. Hope to see you on the other side.

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