Texas safety inspector license

Frequently Asked Questions. What happens if a license holder is convicted of a crime? Online Services is not accepting my temporary password. What do I do? Is a starter course tab that is not sealed material, deficient and a required reporting item per TREC? I am licensed as a real estate sales agent and as a professional home inspector. Can my broker's real estate office offer my inspection services to their clients? I wish to file a complaint with TREC regarding a home inspector.

What must I do? If a licensed professional inspector is conducting a commercial inspection, is he or she required to use the inspection report form promulgated by TREC?

Do the Standards of Practice apply? Is a water heater covered by an insulation cover deficient and a required reporting item? Is the inspector required to inspect a water metering device to determine if a leak may exist?

Is the inspector required to perform any inspection of the meter? Is the inspector required to inspect to trade or industry association standards? Are gas ranges, built-in wall ovens, or clothes dryers considered to be large, heavy, fragile objects which could be damaged or cause damage while being moved, and an undue hazard and risk to the inspector?

Are inspectors required to inspect underground drainage systems or to test gutters or downspouts? Are inspectors required to mark and or comment as deficient the absence of tamper resistant receptacles?

The Standards of Practice do not address tamper-resistant receptacles. As a licensed inspector I would like to advertise that my company performs wood destroying insect inspections. Neither I nor anyone in my company is a licensed wood destroying insect inspector, but we recommend or provide one if requested by the client. As a licensed inspector in the State of Texas, am I supposed to charge a sales tax on the amount of my inspection fee?

Can a licensed inspector perform a hydrostatic test? No, only a licensed plumber may perform a hydrostatic test on a system within a home. Do I have any recourse against the inspector for failing to note on his report that there was a gas leak outside the home due to a corroded gas line? Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to comment on the way a gas pipe enters a crawl space? Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to determine the headroom clearance on stairs or to report inadequate clearance as a deficiency?

Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient a gas log fireplace with a damper that has not been blocked open? If so, what is the minimum distance the damper should be open? Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient a plumbing fixture that does not fully drain, retaining a slight amount such as a few cups of residual water?

Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient evidence of a past attic fire? Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient the absence of weep holes along the bottom course of brick and above steel lintels? Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient the lack of a dishwasher power receptacle in an adjacent cabinet for example, under a kitchen sink?

Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report as deficient the presence of a transite pipe to be reported? Inspectors are not required to report the presence of transite pipe as a deficiency. Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report copper gas lines as deficient?

Do the Standards of Practice require inspectors to report double-tapped neutral wires on a panel box terminal as deficient? Does TREC consider a roof with roofing felt ending short of the drip edge and the rake not overlapped over the drip edge a required reporting deficiency? How do I change my business physical address? From the Start Menu page, click on the dropdown menu under the "Change your license information and manage relationships" category.

On the Statement of Applicant page, select "Yes" to certify the address information is accurate and correct, and click "Next" to process the request. How shall an inspector ascertain with any degree of accuracy if the fire separation between a residence and its attached garage is in place?

I am a licensed professional inspector. I am also a licensed real estate sales agent. May I both inspect the home for and sell to the same person? I am not currently performing inspections, but I'd like to maintain my license.

Is there a way for me to do that without going to the expense of obtaining insurance? I recently purchased an older home that was inspected before the purchase.

After living in the home a few weeks, the dishwasher started leaking and had to be replaced. My brother-in-law says I might be able to recover a judgment.

Do I have to file a complaint first? If a homeowner wanted to hire a consultant to perform a cursory, major defect visual inspection, including the foundation, roof, plumbing, electrical, and major appliances, would TREC require any written report? Is a corroded bathroom fixture that remains operable a defect and required reporting item per TREC? Purely cosmetic corrosion is not required to be reported as a deficiency.

Is a hand rail that is not continuously deficient a required reporting item per TREC? Is a keyed deadbolt on the interior of an exterior egress door deficient and a required reporting item per TREC? Is an egress window with a sill greater than 44 inches from the floor a required reporting item and deficient? Will advising the client to place a climbable object such as the chest supersede the need to identify the item as deficient?

Is an inspector required to determine if a light fixture is approved for its location over a bathtub or shower? Is an inspector required to report as deficient an electronic sensor in a garage door that is more than six inches above the garage floor even though the general limitations section states that an inspector is not required to inspect a photoelectric sens Yes.

Is it true that home inspectors licensed in Texas, cannot inspect plumbing in a home nor report plumbing deficiencies in the TREC inspection report? Can the inspector advertise that he inspects plumbing? Is observance of gas shut-off valves and connections with a digital camera placed behind or under appliances considered a reasonable method for discovering deficiencies in inaccessible areas?

Is removal of the blanket required by TREC for inspection reasons? Is the absence of a dirt or drip leg, 1. Is the absence of an anti-entrapment cover in a spa deficient and a required reporting item per TREC? Is the presence of a single drain or suction opening in a pool spa deficient and a required reporting item per TREC? Is the absence of combustion air in the bottom of the closet a required reporting deficiency? Is a screen combustion air opening a required reporting deficiency?

Is the proximity of the return to the gas fired appliances a required reporting deficiency? The training officer will demonstrate thorough knowledge and expertise in their understanding, application, and interpretation of the TFER, food-borne illness risk factors, public health interventions, and HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles.

They will also demonstrate the proper use of essential inspection equipment and the necessary communication skills to conduct a retail food establishment inspection. After the successful completion of the standardization exercise, the training officer will be certified to train and standardize their food safety inspectors. Skip to content 3. A properly constructed and properly functioning bathtub or shower should drain virtually all water with the exception of minimal amounts that remain due to the surface tension of the water.

Amounts beyond this that remain due to indentations or improper slope in the tub or shower including shelves, ledges, etc. Evidence of a past fire is not, in itself, a deficiency. Accordingly, inspectors are not required to report mere evidence of a past fire or the presence of paint in the attic. If there are any deficiencies due to fire or other causes, those deficiencies must be reported. Lack of weep holes is only required to be reported as a deficiency when there is visible evidence of water penetration or a structural issue that may be related to the lack of weep holes.

Inspectors are not required to determine utility sources or to research codes and ordinances related to this issue. As copper gas line material is only a concern in areas where there may be corrosive additives in the gas supply, the presence of copper gas line material is not required to be reported as deficient. Yes, double-tapped grounded conductors neutrals are a deficiency and must be reported as such, unless otherwise approved and listed by the manufacturer.

Drip and rake edge flashing materials are recommended by most shingle manufacturers but are not required. If installed and if visible, the installation described in your question is required to be reported as a deficiency. Log on to your My License Services account. From the Start Menu page, click on the to change your business physical address.

If you prefer, you can also submit the Change of Main Address form by email. The Standards of Practice require inspectors to perform a visual inspection. If it is not visibly apparent whether proper fire separation is present, the inspector must make clear to the client that he or she was not able to ascertain whether proper fire separation was in place. An inspector may request inactive status in writing at any time. An inspector who meets all other renewal requirements but does not show proof of insurance will receive an inactive license which does not permit the inspector to perform inspections.

To become active, a professional inspector would need to send in the Return to Active Status form or, for apprentice or real estate inspectors, the sponsorship form along with the applicable fee and the required proof of insurance.

Mechanical components like dishwashers can and will break down. A home inspection tells you the condition of the component at the time of the home inspection. The inspector is not required to determine life expectancy of any system or component. Disciplinary action by TREC is not a prerequisite for pursuing a lawsuit against a license holder. Your rights against the license holder may be subject to a two-year statute of limitations. You should consult with a private attorney to determine whether you have a claim and what deadlines may apply to your claim.

If the inspection you are proposing relates to a purchase or sale transaction, then TREC's Standards of Practice would apply, and a written report would be required. If the inspection you are proposing is not in anticipation of a purchase or sale, then TREC's requirements would not apply, and the parameters of the inspection would be governed by the agreement between the inspector and his or her client.

For further information, please see Sections The mere presence of corrugated stainless steel tubing CSST is not, in itself, required to be reported as a deficiency, nor are inspectors required to notify the client of the litigation history or the risks associated with CSST.

In some circumstances, a break in a handrail would be considered a deficiency; however, this would depend on the specific design of a particular set of stairs e. The Standards of Practice do not require double-cylinder deadbolts to be reported as deficient unless such a deadbolt would impede functional emergency escape from a sleeping room. Note, however, that the Inspector Committee may consider a change to the Standards to create an exception for garage ceiling receptacles serving garage door openers.

The standards of practice are not based on a specific requirement such as those promulgated by model building codes.

The requirements for emergency escape and rescue openings in sleeping rooms and the sill heights and sizes of the emergency escape openings in sleeping rooms have varied through the years.

The Standards of Practice do not require inspectors to determine if light fixtures are approved for wet locations or to report such installations as a deficiency.

The specific requirement to report the deficiency takes precedence over the general limitation against inspecting an photoelectric sensor. It depends. Under the Standards of Practice found in Rules Please see the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners TSBPE website to determine whether any of your activities may be in violation of their statutes or rules governing plumbers, such as advertising that you specifically inspect aspects of plumbing systems that may require a license from the TSBPE.

Also, please review the advertising rule for inspectors found at Rule Please note that an inspector is not required to designate a condition as safe. The absence of an anti-entrapment cover in a spa is not a required reporting item. None of the issues you listed would necessarily be required to be reported as deficiencies; this determination depends on several factors, such as the design of the system. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the Standards of Practice only address items that are present at the time of the inspection.

Yes, Section The Standards of Practice do not address insulating covers or blankets on water heaters. Inspectors are not required to remove water heater covers to inspect the water heater. However, if the cover is not removed, and its presence interferes with the inspection of any part of the water heater, the inspector must advise the client and report the resulting limitations of the inspection in accordance with the departure provision, Section Question is not clear. Some gas shut off valves are safety or emergency shut off devices and some are not.

As the type of valve in question is not defined, no answer can be provided. Neither loose carpet nor floor squeaks, without further evidence of deficient conditions, is required to be reported as deficient. In Texas, any person who reports on wood destroying insects in a home must be licensed by the state as a wood destroying insect inspector. Some TREC licensed home inspectors are also licensed wood destroying insect inspectors, and therefore, may inspect a home for termites, etc. They should comment on visible damage regardless of the underlying cause and note it as a deficiency on their report, but may not assess that the damage was specifically caused by wood destroying insects.

There are many different codes that can figure into the construction of a house, depending on when it was built and local amendments. TREC does not require inspectors to inspect to any of the various building codes and cannot assist you in determining what code provisions were applied in a particular situation. If you have questions about your inspection report, you should ask your inspector for the basis of his statement.

You may also wish to contact your local code enforcement authority for more information about relevant codes. In inspecting an attic with a powered ventilator, which is not required to be operated, the inspector should perform a visual inspection and consider the totality of the ventilation system. Information regarding fire ratings of doors is often obscured by paint. In that case, inspectors are required to do their best to determine whether the door is fire-rated and to report accordingly.

In some instances, the inspector will only be able to report that he or she was not able to determine whether the door was fire-rated or that the door appeared to be or did not appear to be fire-rated.

At a minimum, bathrooms and water closets that that do not have an operative window must be reported as deficient if they lack an exhaust fan that vents to outside air. We are unable to provide a general definition. TREC's jurisdiction over real estate inspections is limited to inspections performed for a buyer or seller of real property in connection with a transaction.

If you reside outside the service area of MorphoTrust you may request a Hard Card to get fingerprinted. MorphoTrust has details on how a Texas Non-resident can complete the fingerprinting process using a Hard Card. Texas does not have reciprocity with any state. To become licensed, you must satisfy all current Texas licensing requirements.

The certification inspection fee for Department personnel is collected at the time of the exit interview. Upon completion of the initial week of the certification inspection, the team leader shall evaluate the progress of the inspection and provide a written evaluation of the progress to the Department and the manufacturer.

Return trips to the facility will be scheduled as necessary to inspect all phases of construction and fully evaluate the facility. Any overages in payment shall be refunded to the manufacturer should the estimate exceed the actual statement. Billing statements for Department personnel for return trips to the facility to continue the inspection shall be processed in the same manner as for the initial trip. The deviation report summary shall document all uncleared deviations to date.

If no response is received within 30 days, the team leader shall inform the manufacturer in writing that the certification file will be closed unless a written response is received or written verification is received from the manufacturer of their desire to continue the certification process. The Department shall close the certification file and the manufacturer shall not be certified if verification is not received within the 30 day period.

In some cases, it may be necessary for the certification team to resume the in-plant phase of the inspection to verify compliance. The manufacturer shall be required to complete a new certification inspection to become certified. The report may include recommendations for improvement and shall include the following.

The certification report shall include the following. This inspection is in addition to the normal in plant inspection required by the in plant inspection procedures. The manufacturer shall notify the Department when construction other than that described in this report is to commence.