Q&A: Do home inspectors need to be licensed in Minnesota? And my two cents on licensing.

Today’s topic is a frequently asked question about home inspections in Minnesota. In short, no. Home inspectors do not need to be licensed in Minnesota. Those cheeseheads in Wisconsin require licensing, but we don’t.  It has always been this way in Minnesota, and I hope it stays this way.

Yep, you heard me right. I’m not a fan of licensing. As the owner of a professional home inspection company operating in this state for over 30 years, you’d think I might be a fan of licensing. If licensing came, it would eliminate a bunch of weekend-warrior home inspectors who do this as a side gig and don’t take the profession seriously, right? Yeah, it would probably eliminate a few of those folks, but that’s only one side of the coin.

Licensing doesn’t make things better

I’ve heard from far too many home inspectors all over the country who tell the same story about what happened when licensing came to their state. The hoops needed to jump through are almost always very simple because of the pressure on lawmakers. They don’t want to create barriers to entry for a profession. Or to put it more simply, they don’t want to make it too hard for people to become a home inspector. And the day that licensing comes, you quickly go from 500 “practicing” home inspectors to 1500 “licensed” home inspectors.

Home inspection licensing often creates a well-publicized portal anyone can easily pass through. I’ve read dozens of home inspection reports from home inspectors in licensed and unlicensed states, and you can’t tell any difference between the two. In fact, some of the most atrocious home inspection reports I’ve ever read came from home inspectors in one particular licensed state… and from fast-growing companies to boot. People sometimes think licensing will equate to superior knowledge, competence, and high-quality work, but when you stop to think about it, you know that’s unrealistic. You have clowns in every profession, whether they’re licensed or not.

Licensing does not improve the quality of home inspectors or home inspections, and it doesn’t level the playing field. If you plan to hire a home inspector, research the individual or company before you hire them. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a licensed state or not. And if you’re curious about licensing requirements in other states, check out the map below, courtesy of the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI):

Home Inspector licensing for the rest of the United States

If you want more details about any of the states, click on the map. It’ll take you to the EBPHI website, where they have an interactive map with links for each state. I’m not that fancy; I just copied the image from their site.

p.s. – I find it interesting how a “blue” state like California, known for their high level of government control and regulation, is an unlicensed state. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, think of a red state like Texas. I think of guns, freedom, flags, and opposition to all forms of government control and intervention. And yet Texas probably has the most strict government regulation and oversight of any state when it comes to home inspections. Go figure.