(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 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) Texas Standards of Practice Module, total 24 hours; and
    (E) Texas Practicum, total 40 hours; and
  (2) pass the licensure examinations set out in §535.209 of this subchapter; and
  (3) 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 194 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
    (G) Texas Practicum, total 40 hours; and
  (2) 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.

Source Note: The provisions of this §535.214 adopted to be effective August 31, 2020, 45 TexReg 6117; amended to be effective June 11, 2023, 48 TexReg 2948