---
title: "West Virginia home inspector license | InspectDay"
description: "Who certifies West Virginia's home inspectors, and what an applicant needs for instruction, the examination, insurance, renewal, continuing education and out-of-state certifications."
---

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4. West Virginia home inspector license

License

# West Virginia home inspector license

The State Fire Marshal certifies West Virginia home inspectors, who need 80 hours of instruction, the National Home Inspector Examination or a designated comparable exam, and $250,000 of general liability insurance.

West Virginia's certification rule, checked on October 9, 2026

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

<dl>

<dt>Who licenses</dt>
<dd>The State Fire Marshal, through the Regulatory and Licensing Division.</dd>

<dt>Who can apply</dt>
<dd>A high school diploma or its equivalent, and fingerprints checked by the West Virginia State Police and the FBI.</dd>

<dt>Education</dt>
<dd>At least 80 hours of instruction.</dd>

<dt>Exam</dt>
<dd>The National Home Inspector Examination, or a comparable exam the State Fire Marshal designates.</dd>

<dt>Insurance</dt>
<dd>General liability insurance of $250,000, maintained, with proof to the State Fire Marshal at renewal.</dd>

<dt>Application</dt>
<dd>A valid West Virginia business license, and the fee.</dd>

<dt>Term</dt>
<dd>The certificate expires on the last day of the anniversary month, 12 months after issue.</dd>

<dt>Renewal</dt>
<dd>Renew up to three years after expiry, with continuing education. After three years, apply again under the initial requirements.</dd>

<dt>Continuing education</dt>
<dd>16 continuing education units each year, counted at one unit per hour of instruction, where an hour is 50 minutes.</dd>

<dt>Out-of-state applicants</dt>
<dd>A certificate may be issued to a holder of a valid certification, license or registration from a jurisdiction whose standards the State Fire Marshal finds substantially equivalent to or higher than this rule.</dd></dl>

## Related

- [National home inspector exam](/national-home-inspector-exam/)

## Sources

- [West Virginia Secretary of State, “Certification of Home Inspectors”](https://apps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspx?DocId=57109&Format=PDF)
- [West Virginia Office of the State Fire Marshal, “Regulatory and Licensing Division”](https://firemarshal.wv.gov/regulatory-and-licensing-division)

## New to inspecting? Try the Free plan.

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