Attention Education Providers

For those of you that wish to offer qualifying education approved by the Division for an Ohio Home Inspector License, applications are now available on the Division’s website. The application forms are listed below:

For the Classroom Qualifying Education Course Application click here.
For the Online Qualifying Education Course Application click here.
For the Instructor Certification Application click here.
For the Qualifying Education Substantial Change Application click here.

FAQ’s – for Ohio Home Inspector Qualifying Education


1.   Q: When can I submit a completed application to the Division? 
A: The Division will begin accepting and reviewing completed applications on January 4, 2021.

2.   Q: How do I submit a completed application to the Division?
A: Completed applications and corresponding course materials should be mailed to:

Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing
77 South High Street, 20th Floor,
Columbus, Ohio 43215

3.   Q: What education providers are eligible to submit an application?
A: The statute provides for the following entities:
  • A college or university that is a degree-granting institution accredited by the commission on colleges; a regional or national accreditation association or accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. secretary of education;
  • A community or junior college;
  • A proprietary school approved by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools; or
  • A professional organization.

4.   Q: What constitutes an acceptable professional organization?
A: A professional organization consists of an organization that:

  • Offers instruction in home inspector subjects found in question 7;
  • Offers an organization designation to home inspectors upon the completion of home inspector education and experience; and
  • Has established a standard of practice and code of ethics for its organization members that is consistent with the Ohio board’s standard of practice and code of ethics.

5.   Q: How much is the application fee? 
A: The fee is $600.00. The fee is the same for either an in classroom offering or one offered in an online setting. The Division only accepts checks or money orders. Payment should be made to the Ohio Division of Real Estate.

6.   Q: What type of materials would be typically submitted with a completed application? 
A: Types of materials may vary depending on whether the class is offered in a classroom setting or an online setting. In a classroom setting, the Division would be looking for, among other things:

  • A timed outline
  • A course syllabus
  • A sample attendance certificate
  • Sample advertisement for the course
  • Course materials and/or presentation
  • An Instructor application and
  • A student identity verification policy. 

For online classes, the Division would be looking for all of the previously mentioned items for classroom education, a copy of the course in the medium that is to be utilized and the certification of IDECC approval (if obtained).

7.   Q: How many hours of education is necessary for an Ohio Home Inspector license? 
A: Eighty (80) hours of home inspector education, in either an online setting or a classroom setting, is required for an Ohio home inspector license. Qualifying education must cover the following topics:
  • Building enclosures
  • Report writing
  • Plumbing systems
  • Foundations
  • Heating and cooling systems
  • Electrical systems
  • Appliances
  • Ohio laws & rules, including the Canons of Ethics
  • Roof systems
  • Framing and
  • Ohio Standards of Practice. 
More details on each topic is can be found in the Home Inspector Qualifying Education rule located here. 

8.   Q: How long is a “classroom hour”? 
A: Whether the course is offered online or in a traditional, classroom setting, a classroom hour is 60 minutes of instruction in a 60-minute segment. Students must be present for at least 90% of the class to receive full credit for the class.

9.   Q: Is the approval valid for the entire course or for one offering? 
A: The approval is valid for all offerings of the course throughout a 3-year approval term. For example, if you initially offer the course starting on February 4, 2021, you could offer the same course again on February 18, 2021 without getting Division approval, provided the course remains substantially the same and the qualifications of all instructors have been reviewed and approved for that course.

10. Q: What type of instructor qualifications are required? 
A: An instructor must meet at least one of the following requirements for either a classroom or online class:

  • The instructor possesses a bachelor's degree or higher in a related field to that which the person is to teach, from a school listed as an institution of higher learning by the United States department of education, or from a comparable school of a foreign country;
  • Possess a valid teaching credential or certificate from Ohio or another state authorizing the holder to teach in the field of instruction which the person is to teach;
  • Possess five years full-time experience in a profession, trade, or technical occupation in the applicable field; or
  • Possess any combination of at least five years of full-time experience relevant to the applicable field and college level education.

11. Q: How long does the Division approval of my course last? 
A: A course approval is valid for three years from the date of the Superintendent’s approval of the course offering. At the conclusion of the three-year term, a new application will need to be submitted to the Division.

12. Q: Once I receive approval for my course, what are some of the responsibilities that are expected from me as an education provider?
A: A complete list of responsibilities can be found in the Home Inspector Qualifying Education rule located here. Some of the responsibilities outlined include the following:

  • An education provider must issue certificates of completion to an attendee within, at most, 15 days from the date of the student’s completion of the course using the correct course certification number provided by the division. If an error is discovered in the certificate, the education provider must send the student a corrected certificate within 30 days of discovery of the discrepancy. 

  • Education providers must provide the Division within 15 days of the course completion a list of students who have completed the course. 

  • Education providers must not award course completion certificates to students who have not completed the course. 

  • Education providers have a record keeping requirement – see paragraph G in the rule link above.

13. Q: Am I required to administer a test at the end of the course? 
A: No. A comprehensive exam is not a requirement. However, an education provider may administer quizzes or examinations in an online qualifying education course for the purpose of verifying participation, and while a final course examination may be offered, it is not a requirement.

14. Do I need approval for every instructor I may use as an instructor for the course?
A: Yes.

15. What happens to my approval if I want to add an instructor in the middle of my three-year approval term or need to change the course content because of a change to industry practice? 
A: If a new course instructor is added, you will need to complete a substantial change application and an instructor certification application prior to the new instructor being allowed to instruct the course. A substantial change application will need to be filed with the Division along with corresponding materials if more than one-third of the class content, which was previously reviewed and approved, is changing. The application fee in either circumstance is $50.00.

16. Q: Where can I find the Ohio Home Inspector’s Standards of Practice and Canons of Ethics? 
A: Please review the following links:
Click here to review the Ohio Home Inspector’s Standards of Practice rule.
Click here to review the Ohio Home Inspector’s Canons of Ethics rule.


17. Q: What types of education offerings will not qualify as qualifying education?
A: None of the following will be approved:
  • Examination preparation courses;
  • Sales promotion or meetings held in conjunction with the general business of the attendee or the attendee’s business associates;
  • Meetings which are a normal part of in-house staff training; or
  • That portion of any offering devoted to meals or other refreshment.

18. Q: When can I expect a decision on my application? 
A: The length of the review will be dependent on whether additional follow up is required with the applicant. All attempts will be made to conduct an expedient and thorough analysis of the application.
 
19. Q: When can I submit course approval for home inspector continuing education? 
A: Continuing education course approval applications are going to be published in the next few months. At this point, the only education for a home inspector license being reviewed and approved is qualifying education. Please continue to monitor the Division’s website for updates.

20. Q: Can I submit a grandfathered home inspector license application now? 
A: The grandfathering period ended on January 10, 2020. The Division is not currently permitted to accept grandfathered applications and would not be permitted to do so unless the Ohio Legislature enacts a new law or revises the current law. 

21. Q: With this application being offered to qualifying education providers, can I apply for an initial home inspector license now? 
A: Only qualifying education applications are being reviewed and approved by the Division at this time. The license application will be published in 2021.

22. Q: Can I continue to perform home inspections without a home inspection license? 
A: Currently, yes. A licensing deadline has not yet been announced. Please continue to monitor the Division’s website for further developments on this matter.

23. Q: How do I contact the Division if I have any questions? 
A: The best way to reach the Division is to send an email to: