Licensing
Oregon home inspector licensing
Certification and business licensure are separate steps in Oregon, both handled by the Construction Contractors Board. Almost every published guide blurs them.
The two-step
ORS 701.445(1) states it in a single sentence: an individual may not undertake, offer to undertake or submit a bid to do work as a home inspector unless the individual is certified by the Board and is an owner of, or employed by, a business that is licensed by the board.
The conjunction is the whole story. An Oregon Certified Home Inspector certificate does not by itself permit work for a fee.
This certification must be associated with a CCB license in order to be active.
Oregon Construction Contractors Board
2
Separate steps
Certification of the person, licensure of the business.
2
Separate searches
The CCB built one lookup for each.
20
Eligibility points
Minimum to apply, by education or experience.
30
CE credits
Per two-year renewal.
Why it matters
The guides ranking for this question are published by the schools selling the coursework
Why almost everyone gets this wrong
The administrative rules themselves still cite statute numbers that were renumbered in 2015. The Secretary of State pages for several OAR 812-008 rules list ORS 701.350 and ORS 701.355 as implemented authority. Those sections became ORS 701.445 and ORS 701.450.
Writers copy the citation out of the rule and never notice. The error is inherited from an official source, which is exactly why it is so widespread.
Scope
Certification is triggered by two categories, not by the job title
The duty attaches to inspecting two or more of ten categories for a fee with a written report, and it reaches bidding and offering, not only performing.
A single-system specialist may sit outside the requirement entirely. That is a precise threshold and it is widely misstated.
Verified fields
The two step
Certification and licensure are separate, cumulative steps, both at the CCB. ORS 701.445(1) states it in one sentence: an individual may not undertake, offer to undertake or submit a bid to do work as a home inspector unless the individual is certified by the Board AND is an owner of, or employed by, a business that is licensed by the board.
Who must be certified
- trigger
- Inspecting TWO OR MORE of ten categories, for a fee, with a written report.
- reach
- The duty attaches to bidding and offering, not only performing.
Eligibility points
- minimum
- 20
- rule last amended
- CCB 1-2015, effective 2015-10-01
- drafting artifact
- OAR 812-008-0040(3)(d) cross-references approved providers under 812-008-0074(2), but providers are actually approved under 812-008-0074(3).
Exam
- name
- National Home Inspector Examination
- administrator
- PSI, at seven Oregon locations
- fee
- $225
- format
- 200 multiple-choice questions, four hours
- rule
- OAR 812-008-0050 names the exam and its sponsor (EBPHI) but states NO passing score. Do not publish a passing score.
- grandfathering
- Exams passed before 2015-10-01 remain usable. Inspectors certified before 2015-10-01 are exempt from the exam requirement.
Continuing education
- hours
- 30
- unit
- continuing education units (CEUs)
- cycle
- Each two-year renewal
- corroboration
- OCHI Certification Application p.2, Oregon Secretary of State License Directory entry 631
- exemption from general ce
- Home inspector certificate holders are EXEMPT from the regular CCB residential continuing education requirements.
- military waiver
- CE is waived entirely if the inspector served on active duty in the US armed forces during the two-year period. OAR 812-008-0070(2).
Ride along distinction
- finding
- The single CCB ride-along form has TWO separate boxes for two entirely different things, and they are routinely blurred.
- consequence
- At most 3 of the 30 CEUs can come from trade-contractor ride-alongs. Hosting CEUs appear uncapped.
- form
- https://www.oregon.gov/ccb/Documents/OCHI%20CE%20Ride-Along.pdf
Standards of practice
- location
- OAR chapter 812, Division 8
- range
- 812-008-0200 through 812-008-0214
- index url
- https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=3593
- ccb full text pdf
- https://www.oregon.gov/ccb/Documents/Home%20Inspection%20Standards.pdf
- scope framing
- OAR 812-008-0203: inspections undertaken in accordance with division 8 are visual and are not technically exhaustive.
Complaint deadline
- correction
- NOT ORS 701.355. That section was renumbered to ORS 701.450 in 2015 and is a 12-month repair-work conflict-of-interest bar.
- operative citation
- ORS 701.143
- period
- One year
- clock starts
- Delivery of the initial written inspection report.
- no exceptions
- CCB's dispute booklet states there are no exceptions to the time limits.
- rule text verbatim
- For the purpose of this rule, a home inspection shall be deemed completed when the initial written inspection report is delivered.
Ochi vs oic
- finding
- Two Oregon agencies each certify something called an inspector. Only CCB's covers home inspectors.
Energy audit exemption
- rule
- Persons performing energy audits are EXPRESSLY EXEMPT from home inspector certification.
- rule text verbatim
- A home inspection does not include energy audit, forensic evaluation or home performance testing.
- source correction
- This fact was cited to OAR 812-008-0030. The operative wording is in OAR 812-008-0205, the definitions rule. Re-pointed 2026-08-07.
Oar verification status
- status
- RESOLVED 2026-08-07 via Scraper-HIB.
- method
- Zyte browserHtml defeated the F5 JavaScript interstitial that blocked every direct request.
- rules confirmed
- 812-008-0030, 812-008-0040, 812-008-0050, 812-008-0201, 812-008-0202, 918-480-0010
- division listing
- OAR chapter 812 division 8 lists 31 rules; 812-008-0200 through 0205 all exist.
Contracts and reports rule
- rule
- OAR 812-008-0202 Contracts and Reports
- completion trigger verbatim
- For the purpose of this rule, a home inspection shall be deemed completed when the initial written inspection report is delivered.
- basis verbatim
- Home inspections undertaken according to Division 8 shall be based solely on the property conditions, as observed at the time of the home inspection.
Oar authority line is stale
- finding
- OAR 812-008-0203 still lists its statutory authority as ORS 670.310, 701.235, 701.350 and 701.355, and implements 701.350 and 701.355.