North Carolina § 143-151 - 51. Requirements to be licensed as a home inspector.

§ 143-151. 51. Requirements to be licensed as a home inspector.

Licensure Eligibility. - To be eligible to be licensed as a home inspector, an applicant must do all of the following: Submit a completed application to the Board upon a form provided by the Board. Pass a licensing examination prescribed by the Board. Repealed by Session Laws 2009-509, s. 2.2, effective October 1, 2011. Pay the applicable fees. Meet one of the following three conditions: Have a high school diploma or its equivalent and satisfactorily complete an education program approved by the Board. The program must be completed within three years of the date the applicant submits an application for licensure under this section. Have education and experience the Board considers to be equivalent to that required by sub-subdivision a. of this subdivision. Be licensed for at least six months as a general contractor under Article 1 of Chapter 87 of the General Statutes, as an architect under Chapter 83A of the General Statutes, or as a professional engineer under Chapter 89C of the General Statutes. A person qualifying under this sub-subdivision on or after October 1, 2011, must remain in good standing with the person's respective licensing board. License. - Upon compliance with the conditions of licensure under subsection (a) of this section, to be eligible to be licensed as a home inspector, an applicant must meet all of the insurance requirements of this subsection. General liability insurance in the amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), which insurance may be individual coverage or coverage under an employer policy, with coverage parameters established by the Board. One of the following: Minimum net assets in an amount determined by the Board, which amount may not be less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). A bond in an amount determined by the Board, which amount may not be less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Errors and omissions insurance in the amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), which insurance may be individual coverage or coverage under an employer policy, with coverage parameters established by the Board. History (1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 724, s. 1; 2009-509, s. 2.2.) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2009-509, s. 1.2, provides: "The North Carolina Home Inspector Licensure Board has the authority under G.S. 143-151.49(a)(12) and G.S. 143-151.55(a) to establish continuing education requirements as a condition of licensure renewal. Under that authority, the Board must require home inspectors and associate home inspectors licensed on or before September 30, 2011, to complete a continuing education program that focuses on inspection techniques and reporting requirements. The program must consist of 48 hours of instruction, composed of three separate 16-hour segments. A separate segment must be offered each renewal period. A licensee must complete one segment of the program for each of the three license renewal periods beginning with the license renewal period that starts on October 1, 2011. A licensee must complete the three-year program by October 1, 2014. Completion of each program segment satisfies the continuing education requirements under G.S. 143-151.64 for the renewal period in which it is completed. The Board may not allow continuing education credit for an unapproved course under G.S. 143-151.6 4(c) to be substituted for the continuing education requirements of this section." Session Laws 2009-509, s. 3.1, provides: "The Board may not accept an application for licensure as an associate home inspector after April 1, 2011. The Board may not issue a license for an associate home inspector on or after October 1, 2011. The Board may not renew an associate home inspector license on or after October 1, 2013." Session Laws 2009-509, s. 3.2, provides: "Notwithstanding G.S. 143-151.51 , as rewritten by Section 2.2 of this act, a person who holds a license as an associate home inspector on October 1, 2011, may satisfy the education program requirement for licensure as a home inspector by being engaged as a licensed associate home inspector for one year and completing 100 home inspections for compensation. A person licensed as a home inspector under this section must complete the continuing education requirements of Section 1.2 of this act. An associate home inspector may take one or more of the program segments required under Section 1.2 of this act while licensed as an associate home inspector." Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2009-509, s. 2.2, effective October 1, 2011, redesignated the former section as subsection (a) and added subsection (b); and, in present subsection (a), inserted the subsection heading, inserted "eligible to be" in the introductory language, deleted subdivision (a)(3) which read: "Have minimum net assets or a bond in an amount determined by the Board. The amount may not be less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000)", substituted "equivalent and satisfactorily complete an education program approved by the Board" for "have been engaged as a licensed associate home inspector for at least one year, and have completed 100 home inspections for compensation" in the first sentence and added the second sentence in subdivision (a)(5)a., substituted "sub-subdivision a. of this subdivision" for "subpart a. of this subdivision" at the end of subdivision (a)(5)b., and inserted "for at least six months" in the first sentence and added the second sentence in subdivision (a)(5)c.