11 NCAC 08 — Engineering and Building Codes Division

SECTION .1000 - N.C. HOME INSPECTOR LICENSURE BOARD 11 NCAC 08 .1001 OFFICERS The term of each officer shall be one year. Officers shall serve until a successor is elected and installed. Officers shall be eligible for re-election. History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.48(a); Codif…

11 NCAC 08 .1002 MEETINGS History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.48(a); Codifier determined that agency findings did not meet criteria for temporary rule Eff. October 15, 1996; Temporary Adoption Eff. October 24, 1996; Eff. July 1, 1998; Repealed Eff. March 1, 2010.

11 NCAC 08 .1003 PERSONS AND PRACTICES NOT AFFECTED Registered architects, professional engineers, and licensed general contractors do not need home inspector licenses to make on site inspections of residential buildings for which they are preparing plans, designs, specifications…

11 NCAC 08 .1004 EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE (a) The Board shall consider equivalent experience of applicants who do not meet the experience requirements of G.S. 143-151.51(5)a. Any one of the following descriptions of experience is considered sufficient to meet the equivalent experien…

11 NCAC 08 .1005 RECIPROCITY If an applicant is licensed as a home inspector in another state that has laws and rules that are similar to G.S. 143, Article 9F and to the rules of the Board, the Board shall accept that license as evidence of experience. However, the applicant shal…

11 NCAC 08 .1006 insurance requirements (a) To be licensed as a home inspector, an applicant must meet the requirements set forth in G.S. 143-151.51(b) including general liability insurance that meets the following requirements: (1) The general liability insurance policy must cov…

11 NCAC 08 .1007 EXAMINATION An applicant must pass an examination administered by the Board. The examination shall be administered at least twice each year. The applicant must answer 70% of the questions correctly to receive a passing grade. The examination shall include questio…

11 NCAC 08 .1008 APPLICATIONS FOR LICENSES Persons may obtain license applications from the Board after they pay the appropriate fee. Applicants shall return a completed application form and any supporting documentation to the Board at least 30 days before the next scheduled exam…

11 NCAC 08 .1009 DISPLAY OF LICENSE Home inspectors shall display their licenses at their places of business. If a home inspector works out of his or her home, the inspector shall keep the license on file in the home. History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49; 143-151.51; Codifier …

11 NCAC 08 .1010 APPEALS OF DENIALS The initial evaluations of license applications shall be made by the Board's staff. Any applicant wishing to appeal the staff's decision to deny his or her application shall make a written request for a review to the Board's Application Evaluat…

11 NCAC 08 .1011 FEE SCHEDULE (a) The following fees apply to the licensure of home inspectors: Application for Home Inspector License $ 35.00 Home Inspector Examination $ 80.00 Issuance or Renewal of Home Inspector License $160.00 Late Renewal of Home Inspector License $ 30.00 C…

11 NCAC 08 .1012 SUSPENSION OF AUTHORITY TO EXPEND FUNDS In the event that the Board's authority to expend funds is suspended pursuant to G.S. 93B-2(d), the Board shall continue to issue and renew licenses. All fees tendered shall be placed in an escrow account maintained by the …

11 NCAC 08 .1013 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1014 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1015 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1016 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1017 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1018 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1019 reserved for future codification

11 NCAC 08 .1020 DEFINITIONS (a) As used in Rules .1020 through .1028 of this Section: (1) "Course Sponsor" means a person approved by the Board to conduct home inspection prelicensing courses. (2) "Credit hour" means one continuing education course hour, comprising at least 50 m…

11 NCAC 08 .1021 PROGRAM STRUCTURING AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS The home inspection prelicensing education program shall consist of a minimum total of 200 hours consisting of classroom and field training as follows: (1) Academic education consisting of at least 120 hours classroo…

11 NCAC 08 .1022 PROGRAM SPONSORS The course sponsor of a home inspection prelicensing program shall obtain approval of the Board for its educational program. History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49; 143-151.51; 143-151.64; Eff. October 1, 2011; Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule …

11 NCAC 08 .1023 APPLICATION FOR PROGRAM SPONSOR APPROVAL (a) An entity seeking approval to sponsor a home inspection prelicensing education program must make written applications to the Board upon a form provided by the Board. (b) An applying entity that is not a resident of Nor…

11 NCAC 08 .1024 COURSE REQUIREMENTS (a) Prelicensing programs shall be comprised of the following subject areas: (1) Introduction to Home Inspection N.C. General Statutes, Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, and (2) Inspection defect and report writing including: (A) Struc…

11 NCAC 08 .1025 COURSE COMPLETION STANDARDS (a) An applicant must attend at least 90 percent of all scheduled classroom hours. (b) A student's grade shall be based solely on his performance on examinations, on graded homework and class work assignments. (c) An applicant for lice…

11 NCAC 08 .1026 COURSE SCHEDULING (a) All courses must have fixed beginning and ending dates. (b) Sponsors may not utilize a scheduling system that allows students to enroll late for a course and then complete their course work in a subsequently scheduled course. (c) Late enroll…

11 NCAC 08 .1027 TEXTBOOKS (a) Each course shall utilize a textbook or course materials which are approved by the Board (b) A request for Board approval of a proposed textbook or similar course materials shall be submitted in writing to the Board and accompanied by two copies of …

11 NCAC 08 .1028 COURSE COMPLETION REPORTING (a) Program sponsors shall submit to the Board verification of each student who completes a prelicensing course that is in compliance with Board rules. (b) Sponsors shall provide students a certificate of course completion upon complet…

SECTION .1100 - N.C. HOME INSPECTOR STANDARDS OF PRACTICE AND CODE OF ETHICS 11 NCAC 08 .1101 DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply to this Section: (1) "Abnormal" means nontypical or unusual conditions that could cause damage to systems and components of the home. (2) "Arc…

11 NCAC 08 .1102 STANDARDS OF PRACTICE This Section sets forth the minimum standards of practice required of licensed home inspectors. In this Section, the term "home inspectors" means licensed home inspectors. History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49(a)(2); 143-151.49(a)(13); Cod…

11 NCAC 08 .1103 PURPOSE AND SCOPE (a) Home inspections performed according to this Section shall provide the client with an understanding of the property conditions, as inspected at the time of the home inspection. (b) Home inspectors shall: (1) provide a written contract, signe…

11 NCAC 08 .1104 GENERAL LIMITATIONS (a) Home inspections done in accordance with this Section are not technically exhaustive. (b) This Section applies to buildings with four or fewer dwelling units, and individually owned residential units within multi-family buildings, and thei…

11 NCAC 08 .1105 GENERAL EXCLUSIONS (a) Home inspectors are not required to report on: (1) life expectancy of any component or system; (2) the causes of the need for a repair; (3) the methods, materials, and costs of corrections; (4) the suitability of the property for any specia…

11 NCAC 08 .1106 STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS (a) The home inspector shall inspect structural components including: (1) Foundation; (2) Floors; (3) Walls; (4) Columns or piers; (5) Ceilings; and (6) Roofs. (b) The home inspector shall describe the type of: (1) Foundation; (2) Floor stru…

11 NCAC 08 .1107 EXTERIOR (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) wall cladding, flashings, and trim; (2) entryway doors and a representative number of windows; (3) garage door operators, including automatic safety controls; (4) decks, balconies, stoops, steps, areaways, porche…

11 NCAC 08 .1108 ROOFING (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) Roof coverings; (2) Roof drainage systems; (3) Flashings; (4) Skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations; and (5) Signs of leaks or abnormal condensation on building components. (b) The home inspector shall: (1) D…

11 NCAC 08 .1109 PLUMBING (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) interior water supply and distribution system, including: piping materials, supports, and insulation; fixtures and faucets; functional flow; leaks; and cross connections; (2) interior drain, waste, and vent syste…

11 NCAC 08 .1110 ELECTRICAL (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) electrical service entrance conductors; (2) electrical service equipment, grounding equipment, main overcurrent device, and interiors of panelboard enclosures unless unsafe conditions are reported; (3) amperage…

11 NCAC 08 .1111 HEATING (a) The home inspector shall inspect permanently installed heating systems including: (1) Heating equipment; (2) Normal operating controls; (3) Automatic safety controls; (4) Chimneys, flues, and vents, where readily visible; (5) Solid fuel heating device…

11 NCAC 08 .1112 AIR CONDITIONING (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) Central air conditioning and through-the-wall ductless installed cooling systems including: (A) Cooling and air handling equipment; and (B) Normal operating controls. (2) Cooling distribution systems incl…

11 NCAC 08 .1113 INTERIORS (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) Walls, ceiling, and floors; (2) Steps, stairways, balconies, and railings; (3) Counters and a representative number of built-in cabinets; and (4) A representative number of doors and windows. (b) The home inspec…

11 NCAC 08 .1114 INSULATION AND VENTILATION (a) The home inspector shall inspect: (1) Insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces; (2) Ventilation of attics and foundation areas; (3) Kitchen, bathroom, and laundry venting systems; and (4) The operation of any readily acce…

11 NCAC 08 .1115 BUILT-IN KITCHEN APPLIANCES (a) The home inspector shall inspect and operate the basic functions of the following kitchen appliances: (1) Installed, dishwasher(s) through a complete cycle; (2) Range(s), cook top(s), and permanently installed oven(s); (3) Trash co…

11 NCAC 08 .1116 CODE OF ETHICS (a) Licensees shall discharge their duties faithfully, accurately, and impartially to the public and to their clients. (b) Opinions expressed by licensees shall be based only on their education, experience, and honest convictions. (c) A licensee sh…

SECTION .1200 - N.C. HOME INSPECTOR DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS 11 NCAC 08 .1201 DEFINITIONS (a) As used in this Section: (1) "Party" means the Board, the licensee, or an intervenor who qualifies under G.S. 150B-38(f). "Party" does not include a complainant unless the complainant is all…

11 NCAC 08 .1202 COMPLAINTS (a) Anyone who believes that a licensee is or has been engaged in any conduct set out in G.S. 143-151.56(a) may file a written complaint against that licensee. (b) A Complaint Memo containing instructions for filing the complaint is available through t…

11 NCAC 08 .1203 BOARD STAFF History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49; 150B-38(h); Codifier determined that agency findings did not meet criteria for temporary rule Eff. October 15, 1996; Temporary Adoption Eff. October 24, 1996; Eff. July 1, 1998; Amended Eff. April 1, 2005; Repe…