Section 535.214 - Education and Experience Requirements for a License(a) Sponsored Experience and Education Requirements for a Real Estate Inspector License. To become licensed as a real estate inspector a person must:(1) satisfy the 90-hour education requirement for licensure by completing the following coursework:(A) Property and Building Inspection Module I, total 40 hours;(B) Property and Building Inspection Module II, total 40 hours; and(C) Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module, total 10 hours;(2) have been licensed as an apprentice inspector on active status for a total of at least three months within the 12 month period before the filing of the application;(3) complete 25 inspections; and(4) pass the licensure examinations set out in § 535.209 of this subchapter (relating to Examinations).(b) Sponsored Experience and Education Requirements for a Professional Inspector License. To become licensed as a professional inspector, a person must:(1) satisfy the 134-hour education requirement for licensure by completing the following coursework:(A) Property and Building Inspection Module I, total 40 hours;(B) Property and Building Inspection Module II, total 40 hours;(C) Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module, total 10 hours;(D) Texas Law Module, total 20 hours; and(E) Texas Standards of Practice Module, total 24 hours;(2) have been licensed as a real estate inspector on active status for a total of at least 12 months within the 24 month period before the filing of the application;(3) complete 175 inspections; and(4) pass the licensure examinations set out in § 535.209 of this subchapter.(c) Sponsored Experience Criteria. To meet the experience requirements for licensure under subsections (a) or (b) of this section, or to sponsor apprentice inspectors or real estate inspectors: (1) the Commission considers an improvement to real property to be any unit capable of being separately rented, leased or sold; and(2) an inspection of an improvement to real property that includes the structural and equipment/systems of the unit constitutes a single inspection.(d) Substitute Experience and Education Requirements for a Real Estate Inspector License. As an alternative to subsection (a) of this section, to become a licensed real estate inspector, a person must:(1) complete a total of 114 hours of qualifying inspection coursework, which must include the following: (A) Property and Building Inspection Module I, total 40 hours;(B) Property and Building Inspection Module II, total 40 hours;(C) Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module, total 10 hours; and(D) Texas Standards of Practice Module, total 24 hours; and(2) complete the Texas Practicum, as defined by subsection (h) of this section; and(3) pass the licensure examinations set out in § 535.209 of this subchapter; and(4) be sponsored by a professional inspector.(e) Substitute Experience and Education Requirements for a Professional Inspector License. As an alternative to subsection (b) of this section, to become a licensed professional inspector, a person must:(1) complete a total of 154 hours of qualifying inspection coursework, which must include the following: (A) Property and Building Inspection Module I, total 40 hours;(B) Property and Building Inspection Module II, total 40 hours;(C) Business Operations and Professional Responsibilities Module, total 10 hours;(D) Analysis of Findings and Reporting Module, total 20 hours;(E) Texas Law Module, total 20 hours;(F) Texas Standards of Practice Module, total 24 hours; and(2) complete the Texas Practicum as defined by subsection (h) of this section; and(3) pass the licensure examinations set out in § 535.209 of this subchapter.(f) Courses completed for a real estate inspector license under this section shall count towards the identical qualifying inspection coursework for licensure as a professional inspector.(g) Experience Credit. The Commission may award credit for education required under subsections (d) and (e) of this section to an applicant who: (1) has three years of experience in a field directly related to home inspection, including but not limited to installing, servicing, repairing or maintaining the structural, mechanical and electrical systems found in improvements to real property; and(2) provides to the Commission two affidavits from persons who have personal knowledge of the applicant's work, detailing the time and nature of the applicant's relevant experience.(h) Texas Practicum. (1) To receive credit for completion, the Texas Practicum must:(A) be supervised by a licensed inspector who has:(i) been actively licensed as a professional inspector for at least five years; and(ii) at least three years of supervisory or training experience with inspectors; or(iii) performed a minimum of 200 real estate inspections as a Texas professional inspector;(B) consist of: (i) a minimum of five complete and in-person inspections, totaling 40 hours, including the preparation by the applicant of a written inspection report for each completed inspection; and(ii) no more than four students per supervising inspector; and(C) include a review of each inspection report prepared by the applicant in which the supervising inspector must find that each report:(i) is considered satisfactory for release to an average consumer; and(ii) demonstrates an understanding of: (III) personal property protection; and(IV) concepts critical for the positive outcome of the inspection process.(2) An applicant may request credit for completing the Texas Practicum by submitting to the Commission the credit request form approved by the Commission.(3) Audits. (A) The Commission staff may conduct an audit of any information provided on the credit request form, including verifying that the supervising inspector meets the qualifications in paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection.(B) The following acts committed by a supervising inspector conducting the Texas Practicum are grounds for disciplinary action:(i) making material misrepresentation of fact;(ii) making a false representation to the Commission, either intentionally or negligently, that an applicant completed the Texas Practicum in its entirety, satisfying all requirements for credit.22 Tex. Admin. Code § 535.214
Former §535.214 adopted to be effective January 1, 2011, 35 TexReg 11693; amended to be effective November 21, 2013, 38 TexReg 8237; repealed by Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 50, December 12, 2014, TexReg 9695, eff. 1/1/2015; Current section adopted by Texas Register, Volume 45, Number 35, August 28, 2020, TexReg 6117, eff. 8/31/2020; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 48, Number 23, June 9, 2023, TexReg 2951, eff. 6/11/2023; Amended by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 36, September 6, 2024, TexReg 7042, eff. 9/11/2024