---
title: "Starting a home inspection business | InspectDay"
description: "The entity, EIN, state license, insurance, plan and tools that a first home inspection business sets up."
---

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# Starting a home inspection business

Set up the entity and EIN, check your state's license and insurance, and write a plan.

By InspectDay SBA, IRS and FinCEN pages, checked on October 9, 2026 1 min read

[For new inspectors](/for-new-inspectors/)

## Form the entity and get an EIN

If you form an LLC or a corporation, form it through your state’s secretary of state before you apply for an EIN. The IRS’s own tool gives an EIN directly, for free, in minutes.

U.S. companies no longer file beneficial ownership (BOI) reports with FinCEN.

## The state license

Each state sets its own license rules for a home inspector. Find yours on [Home inspector license by state](/home-inspector-license/), and check it before you take on work.

## Set up insurance

Insurance and bond rules differ by state. [Home inspector insurance](/blog/home-inspector-insurance/) gives the rule for each state whose license page sets one.

## Write the plan

The U.S. Small Business Administration describes two plan formats: traditional and lean startup. A lean startup plan can take as little as one hour to make and is typically only one page.

## Set up the tools

Set up a business phone and email, a business bank account, and an accounting system. Then choose the report software your inspections will use.

InspectDay’s Free plan covers one inspector, one template and unlimited inspections.

On this page

- [Form the entity and get an EIN](#form-the-entity-and-get-an-ein)
- [The state license](#the-state-license)
- [Set up insurance](#set-up-insurance)
- [Write the plan](#write-the-plan)
- [Set up the tools](#set-up-the-tools)

## Sources

- [U.S. Small Business Administration, “Plan your business”](https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/write-your-business-plan)
- [Internal Revenue Service, “Get an employer identification number”](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number)
- [Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, “Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting”](https://www.fincen.gov/boi)

## Start with one inspector and one template.

[For new inspectors](/for-new-inspectors/)