Description
State Requirements
The 120-hour AL Professional Home Inspection Online Course is a comprehensive training program designed to prepare aspiring home inspectors for licensing exams (where required) and professional practice. This course equips learners with technical knowledge and the practical skills to evaluate residential properties, identify structural and system defects, and report findings with accuracy and integrity.
Beginning with an introduction to the home inspection profession and reporting standards, learners progress through systematic instruction on every major home system and component. Modules include detailed coverage of foundations, structures, roofs, ceilings, interiors, exteriors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling systems, as well as site conditions. Each section combines foundational knowledge with real-world examples of common defects, illustrated through images and videos, ensuring learners not only recognize conditions but also understand their implications for safety, performance, and long-term maintenance.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on professional responsibilities, including pre-inspection agreements, clear communication with clients, and adherence to requisite standards of practice. By the conclusion, learners are fully prepared to identify defects, document them effectively, and communicate findings to clients in a professional report format. Topics include:
- Comprehensive coverage of all major home systems
- Foundations, basements, crawlspaces, and structural components
- Roof and ceiling systems, including framing and sheathing
- Exterior inspection of siding, windows, doors, and grading
- Interior inspection of walls, ceilings, floors, stairs, and finishes
- Plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical systems
- Site conditions, drainage, and environmental considerations
- Identification of common and critical defects
- Emphasis on safety and structural performance issues
- Real-world examples drawn from inspection scenarios
- Guidance on when to recommend further evaluation
- Pre-inspection agreements and inspection limitations
- Clear client communication and professional reporting
- Adherence to industry ethics and standards of practice
- Preparation for licensing exams and professional success
- Alabama’s licensing laws and rules for home inspectors, including requirements for education, examination, insurance, renewal, and professional conduct under the Home Inspectors Registration Act
- Alabama’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, which outline the required inspection procedures, reporting standards, and ethical responsibilities all licensed inspectors must follow
State Requirements
For Alabama
Requirements to Become an Alabama Home Inspector
- Alabama home inspection education hours: 120 hours
- Inspections: Participation in 35 home inspections
- Exam Required: ASHI and NHIE
- Application Fee: $300 (other fees may apply)
- Other:
- Draft home inspection reports for 25 home inspections, 10 of which must be reviewed and corrected by a qualified home inspector
- Applicant must meet one of four professional qualifications:
- Membership in one of the following professional bodies:
- American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI)
- Housing Inspection Foundation (HIF)
- International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI)
- National Institute of Building Inspectors (NIBI)
- Approval or certification by on the following agencies to inspection residential construction:
- United States Veterans Administration
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Southern Building Code Congress International
- Council of American Building Officials
- High school diploma or equivalent plus work experience for one year as a home inspector and completion of at least 100 home inspections for compensation
- Alabama licensure on or after January 1, 1998, as a general contractor, registered professional architect, registered professional engineer, or residential home builder. Renewals of home inspector licensure previously supported by evidence of an acceptable professional license shall not require the applicant to repeat proof of such professional licensing.
Insurance Requirements: Obtain bodily injury and property damage liability insurance covering the applicant’s home inspection operations in the sum of not less than $20,000 for injury or damage to property; $50,000 for injury or damage, including death, to any one person; $100,000 for injury or damage, including death, to more than one person; and $250,000 of E&O coverage.
Notarized application is required
Background check and fingerprints are not required
Home Inspection License Expiration: 12/31 every year (filed by 10/1)
Alabama State Licensing Board
