1301:17-1-07. Home Inspector Qualifying Education

(A) For purposes of this rule, to be considered "online", the course must satisfy the requirements found in paragraph (B) of rule 1301:17-1-11 of the Administrative Code and refers to educational programs in which instruction is accomplished through the use of interactive, electronic media and where the teacher and student are not physically in the same location at the time the course is being taught. "Qualifying education" means education necessary to obtain an Ohio home inspector license as required by section 4764.07(D)(5) of the Revised Code. "Qualifying education" for this rule shall be completed in a classroom or online setting.

(1) An education provider who is an applicant for initial qualifying education course approval shall submit to the division of real estate for approval of home inspector qualifying education courses on a form prescribed by the superintendent along with the nonrefundable fee as specified in rule 1301:17-1-03 of the Administrative Code. The application form and fee must be submitted to the division at least thirty days prior to the proposed initial date of the course offering. Upon notice from the superintendent that an application is incomplete or incorrect as filed, the applicant shall, within thirty days of the date of the last such notice, submit to the division the additional requested information or the corrected application. Failure to timely submit the additional requested information or the corrected application shall constitute just cause for the superintendent to void the application.

(2) Qualifying education approved for this rule shall be valid for three years from the date of issuance by the superintendent provided the superintendent approves any substantial changes made to the course, and the education provider and its instructors comply with the requirements of this rule and chapter 4764 of the Revised Code. Changes to the course instructor or to the course syllabus, description or content consisting of more than one-third of the course hours shall be considered a substantial change. Each education provider of approved qualifying education shall file an application with the division at least ten days in advance of any substantial changes to a course.

(B) An applicant for an initial home inspector license shall successfully complete at least eighty hours of qualifying education in the following topics, and the superintendent may approve course offerings for qualifying education which fall within the following topics:

(1) Foundations, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Site analysis/location;

(b) Grading;

(c) Foundations;

(d) Flat work;

(e) Material;

(f) Foundation walls;

(g) Foundation drainage;

(h) Foundation waterproofing and damp proofing;

(i) Columns; and

(j) Under floor space.

(2) Framing, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Flashing;

(b) Wood frame - stick/balloon;

(c) Roof structure - rafters/trusses;

(d) Floor structure;

(e) Porches/decks/steps/landings/balconies;

(f) Doors;

(g) Ceilings;

(h) Interior walls;

(i) Stairways;

(j) Guardrails/handrails/balusters;

(k) Fireplace/chimney;

(l) Sills/columns/beams/joist/sub-flooring;

(m) Wall systems/structure - headers;

(n) Rammed earth;

(o) Straw bale;

(p) ICF;

(q) Panelized;

(r) Masonry;

(s) Wood I joist;

(t) Roof sheathing;

(u) Wood wall;

(v) Steel wall;

(w) Wood structural panel; and

(x) Conventional concrete.

(3) Building enclosure, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Review of foundation and roofing relation;

(b) Review of flashing;

(c) Cladding;

(d) Windows/glazing;

(e) Weather barriers;

(f) Vapor barriers;

(g) Insulation; and

(h) Ingress/egress.

(4) Roof systems, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Review - rafters, roof joist, ceiling joist, collar ties, knee walls, purling, trusses, wood I joist, roof sheathing, steel framing;

(b) Roof water control;

(c) Skylights;

(d) Flashing;

(e) Ventilation/non-ventilation;

(f) Attic access;

(g) Re-roofing;

(h) Slopes - step roof/low slope/near flat;

(i) Materials - asphalt, fiberglass, wood shake, wood shingle, slate, clay tile, concrete tile, fiber cement (asbestos cement, mineral cement), metal, roll, build up, modified bitumen, synthetic rubber (EPDM), plastic (PVC); and

(j) Valleys.

(5) Plumbing systems, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Water supply systems;

(b) Fixtures;

(c) Drains;

(d) Vents;

(e) Water heaters (gas and electric); and

(f) Gas lines.

(6) Electrical systems, which shall include the following topics:

(a) General requirements, equipment location and clearances;

(b) Electrical definitions;

(c) Services;

(d) Branch circuit and feeder requirements;

(e) Wiring methods;

(f) Power and lights distribution;

(g) Devices and light fixtures; and

(h) Swimming pool.

(7) HVAC systems, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Heating;

(b) Ventilation;

(c) Air conditioning; and

(d) Evaporative coolers.

(8) Appliances, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Dishwasher;

(b) Food waste disposer;

(c) Kitchen exhaust hood;

(d) Range, cooktop, and ovens (electric and gas);

(e) Microwave cooking equipment;

(f) Trash compactor;

(g) Bathroom exhaust fan and heater;

(h) Garage door operator;

(i) Doorbell and chimes; and

(j) Dryer vents.

(9) Ohio standards of practice, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Review of general principles and specific Ohio practice standards;

(b) Inspection guidelines for structural systems;

(c) Inspection guidelines for electrical systems;

(d) Inspection guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems;

(e) Inspection guidelines for plumbing systems;

(f) Inspection guidelines for appliances; and

(g) Inspection guidelines for optional systems.

(10) Ohio home inspector law, which shall include the following topics:

(a) Chapter 4764 of the Revised Code;

(b) Rules of the board related to Ohio licensed home inspectors.

(11) Ohio report content /Report writing, which shall include the following topics:

(a) The required inspection report content as defined in section 4764.01(D) of the Revised Code;

(b) Allowed reproductions and distributions;

(c) Allowed changes;

(d) Review of typical comments for each heading in the report; and

(e) Review of generally accepted technical writing techniques.

(C) The following offerings will not be considered by the Ohio home inspector board to meet qualifying education requirements:

(1) Examination preparation courses;

(2) Sales promotion or meetings held in conjunction with the general business of the attendee or the attendee's business associates;

(3) Meetings which are a normal part of in-house staff training; or

(4) That portion of any offering devoted to meals or other refreshment.

(D) Criteria for approval of offerings and instructors.

(1) For this rule, "classroom hours" shall mean the amount of time necessary to complete the course, without interruption. One classroom hour consists of sixty minutes of instruction out of a sixty-minute segment.

(2) Instructors who present a qualifying education course, shall submit documentation to the division through a form prescribed by the superintendent demonstrating the instructor meets at least one of the following qualifications:

(a) Possession of a bachelor's degree or higher in a related field to that which the person is to teach, from a school listed as an institution of higher learning by the United States department of education, or from a comparable school of a foreign country;

(b) Possession of a valid teaching credential or certificate from Ohio or another state authorizing the holder to teach in the field of instruction which the person is to teach;

(c) Five years full-time experience in a profession, trade, or technical occupation in the applicable field; or

(d) Any combination of at least five years of full-time experience relevant to the applicable field and college level education.

(3) Acceptable education providers of home inspector qualifying education include: a college or university that is a degree-granting institution accredited by the commission on colleges, a regional or national accreditation association or accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. secretary of education; a community or junior college; a proprietary school approved by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools; or a professional organization. A professional organization consists of an organization that offers instruction in home inspector subjects found in paragraph (B) of this rule; offers an organization designation to home inspectors upon the completion of home inspector education and experience; and has established a standard of practice and code of ethics for its organization members that is consistent with the board's standard of practice and code of ethics.

(4) Each qualifying education course shall be open to all on an equal basis.

(5) An education provider may administer quizzes or examinations in an online qualifying education course for the purpose of verifying participation but passing a course examination shall not be a requirement for successful completion of a qualifying home inspector education course.

(E) The education provider must issue certificates to an attendee using the correct course certification number provided by the division. Any certificate incorrectly issued must be reissued to each attendee within thirty days of receipt of notice of the defective certificate by the education provider using the valid certification number as assigned by the division.

(F) No approved education provider shall certify the attendance of a person who was not physically present during ninety per cent of the offering time. All offerings must be successfully completed.

(G) Record keeping.

(1) Education providers shall maintain for four years from the date of the course a record of attendance of each person attending the course disclosing the following information:

(a) Ohio home inspector board approval certification number;

(b) Name and business address of attendee;

(c) Course title, description of offering and name of course instructor;

(d) Classroom hours of attendance;

(e) Date of course offering; and

(f) Name, address, and signature of verifier in employ of the education provider.

(2) The education provider shall certify the items specified in paragraph (G)(1) of this rule on a certificate or transcript and furnish a copy to the attendee within fifteen days after successful completion of the offering.

(3) Each education provider shall submit to the division, in a format prescribed by the superintendent, within fifteen days after completion of each offering, a list of the students who successfully completed the course. The list shall include student names and addresses, the course certification number, the number of approved hours and the date the course was held.

(H) Denial or withdrawal of offering.

(1) The superintendent may deny or withdraw approval of the initial application for any proposed qualifying education offering if the offering does not meet the requirements of Chapter 4764 of the Revised Code or of the standards or criteria prescribed in this rule or rule 1301:17-1-11 of the Administrative Code.

(2) The superintendent may deny or withdraw the approval of a person as a qualifying education course instructor for any person who is found not to be honest, truthful and of good reputation, who has been disciplined by the board for a violation of Chapter 4764. of the Revised Code or has been disciplined by any state licensing board for home inspectors.

(3) If the superintendent determines an initial offering, an offering previously approved, or an instructor previously approved does not meet or no longer meets prescribed standards set forth in this rule, then a written notice of the denial or withdrawal of approval will be given stating the reasons therefore. The notice of withdrawal of approval will be effective ten days from the date of the notice of withdrawal.

(4) A party served with the notice in paragraph (I)(3) of this rule may file, within thirty days of the date of the notice, a written request for hearing before the board. If a request for hearing is timely filed, a hearing before the board will be held at the board's next regularly scheduled meeting.

(I) The division shall keep a current list of approved home inspector qualifying education courses which shall be available to the public.

(J) An education provider shall allow the division to audit a course approved pursuant to this rule and shall permit division investigators and auditors to audit, upon division request, an education provider's records related to that course during normal business hours. An education provider has a duty to ensure an approved course remains current with home inspector laws, rules and industry practice.

(K) Applicants of an initial home inspector license application must submit with the application a certificate, transcript, letter or other similar documentation properly issued from the education provider at which the course or courses of education were completed. The superintendent of the division of real estate & professional licensing may request supporting documentation to determine the acceptability of a particular course or courses.

(L) For applicants only applying to satisfy section 4764.07(D)(6)(a) of the Revised Code, a peer review session from the applicant's curriculum of experience is allowed by section 4764.05(D) of the Revised Code to satisfy the education requirements found in this rule. At maximum, one peer review session may be submitted as part of the education requirements for a home inspector license. One peer review session shall count towards ten hours out of the eighty hours of education required for a license. The peer review session must comply with the Ohio Administrative Code.

(M) Upon notice from the division of real estate & professional licensing that an application for an initial home inspector license application is incomplete or incorrect as filed, the applicant shall, within thirty days of the date of the last such notice, submit to the division the additional requested information or the corrected application. Failure to timely submit the additional requested information or the corrected application shall constitute just cause for the superintendent to void the application and impose a forfeiture of any application fee.

Effective: 1/1/2021
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 10/31/2025
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 4764.05
Rule Amplifies: 4764.07