North Carolina Administrative Code

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…

11 NCAC 08 .1204 INVESTIGATION (a) On receipt of a complaint conforming to this Section, the Engineering and Codes Division shall conduct an investigation. (b) A copy of the complaint and supporting information as set forth in Rule .1202(d) and (f) of this Section shall be mailed…

11 NCAC 08 .1205 DISCIPLINARY HEARING The disciplinary hearing shall be held in accordance with G.S. 150B, Article 3A and this Section. History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49; 143-151.56; 150B-38(h); Codifier determined that agency findings did not meet criteria for temporary ru…

11 NCAC 08 .1206 PRESIDING OFFICER In all contested case hearings before the Board, the Chairman of the Board shall serve as presiding officer. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman shall serve as presiding officer, or a presiding officer shall be elected by the Board…

11 NCAC 08 .1207 PREHEARING CONFERENCE Upon the request of any party or upon the presiding officer's own motion, the presiding officer may hold a prehearing conference before a contested case hearing. A prehearing conference on the simplification of issues, amendments, stipulatio…

11 NCAC 08 .1208 CONSENT AGREEMENT (a) The Board's staff and the home inspector may attempt to resolve the complaint by means of a consent agreement. Such consent agreement may impose upon the licensee a penalty, or penalties, including the following: requiring the licensee to ta…

11 NCAC 08 .1209 FINAL BOARD ORDER (a) After the close of a contested case hearing, the Board shall meet and determine if the licensee engaged in the conduct alleged and the appropriate penalty, including requiring the licensee to take training or education courses, probation, le…

SECTION .1300 - HOME INSPECTOR CONTINUING EDUCATION 11 NCAC 08 .1301 DEFINITIONS (a) As used in this Section: (1) "Credit hour" means one continuing education course hour, comprising at least 50 minutes of instruction. (2) "License period" means October 1 through the following Se…

11 NCAC 08 .1302 CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIRED FOR RENEWAL OF ACTIVE LICENSE (a) In order to renew an active home inspector license, for the licensee shall complete 12 credit hours during the license renewal period, except as described in Paragraph (b) of this Rule. (b) In order …

11 NCAC 08 .1303 INACTIVE LICENSE A person holding an inactive license is not subject to this Section. In order to change a license from inactive status to active status, the licensee must complete the same number of continuing education credit hours that would have been required…

11 NCAC 08 .1304 COURSE REQUIREMENTS (a) The same elective continuing education course may be taken only once for continuing education credit during any three year period. (b) A licensee may carry over up to eight elective credit hours per year until the next year. History Note: …

11 NCAC 08 .1305 ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS In order to receive any credit for completing a continuing education course, a licensee must attend at least 90 percent of the scheduled credit hours for the course, regardless of the length of the course, and must comply with student part…

11 NCAC 08 .1306 EXTENSIONS OF TIME A licensee may request and be granted an extension of time to satisfy the continuing education requirement for a particular license period if the licensee provides evidence to the Board that the licensee was unable to obtain the necessary educa…

11 NCAC 08 .1307 DENIAL OR WITHDRAWAL OF CREDIT (a) The Board shall deny continuing education credit claimed by a licensee, and shall withdraw continuing education credit previously awarded by the Board to a licensee if: (1) The licensee provided incorrect or incomplete informati…

11 NCAC 08 .1308 DUTIES OF LICENSEES TO SHOW PROOF OF COMPLIANCE History Note: Authority G.S. 143-151.49; 143-151.55; Eff. August 1, 1998; Repealed Eff. July 18, 2002.

11 NCAC 08 .1309 UPDATE COURSE COMPONENT (a) To keep a license on active status, a licensee shall complete a Board-developed update course within one year preceding license expiration. This course is in addition to the continuing education elective requirement described in Rule .…

11 NCAC 08 .1310 APPLICATION FOR ORIGINAL APPROVAL OF UPDATE COURSES An entity seeking original approval to sponsor a Board-developed update course shall make application on a form prescribed by the Board. An applying entity that is not a resident of North Carolina shall also fil…

11 NCAC 08 .1311 CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL OF UPDATE COURSE SPONSOR Approval to sponsor a Board-developed update course shall be granted to an applicant upon showing to the satisfaction of the Board that: (1) The applicant has submitted all information required by the rules in this S…

11 NCAC 08 .1312 STUDENT FEE FOR UPDATE COURSES A sponsor of an update course may establish the amount of the fee to be charged to students taking the course. The established fee shall be an all-inclusive fee, and no separate or additional fee may be charged to students for provi…

11 NCAC 08 .1313 NATURE AND SCOPE OF APPROVAL OF UPDATE COURSE INSTRUCTORS Approval of update course instructors shall be accomplished on a calendar year basis separate from the approval of update course sponsors. Approval of an update course instructor authorizes the instructor …

11 NCAC 08 .1314 APPLICATION AND CRITERIA FOR ORIGINAL APPROVAL OF UPDATE COURSE INSTRUCTORS (a) A person seeking original approval as an update course instructor shall make application on a form prescribed by the Board. An applicant who is not a resident of North Carolina shall …

11 NCAC 08 .1315 RENEWAL OF APPROVAL OF UPDATE COURSE INSTRUCTORS Board approval of update course instructors expires on December 31 following issuance of approval. In order to assure continuous approval, approved instructors shall file applications for renewal of approval on a f…