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Home Inspections Before Buying in NH

Updated 2026-10-10 · 6 min read

What a licensed NH home inspection covers and leaves out, plus add-on tests NH buyers often need: radon, well water, septic, lead, oil tanks and chimneys.

NH licenses home inspectors

Since January 1, 2010, nobody can practice as a home inspector in New Hampshire without a license from the state Board of Home Inspectors (RSA 310-A:189). The board is part of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). License applicants must show proof of liability insurance (RSA 310-A:191).

Before you hire anyone, look them up with the OPLC license lookup. Choose "Home Inspectors" as the profession and search by name. A few people are exempt from the licensing law, such as government inspectors doing their official job and other licensed professionals working within their own license (RSA 310-A:201). For a pre-purchase inspection, though, you'd normally hire a licensed home inspector.

Rules that protect you as the client

NH's home inspector code of ethics (RSA 310-A:185) is meant to keep the inspector on your side. Among other things, an inspector may not:

Inspect a property they have, or expect to have, a financial interest in
Take a fee that depends on what they find or on whether the sale goes through
Pay real estate agents or others for referrals
Accept payment for recommending contractors or products
Repair, replace or upgrade, for pay, any system they inspected, for one year after the inspection

Expect a written agreement and a written report

The board's standards of practice are in the NH administrative rules, chapter Home 600 (Home 100-700). They apply to buildings with 4 or fewer dwelling units, plus individual condo units. Under the rules, the inspector gives you a written contract stating the inspection follows the NH standards. The report must be in writing and is confidential to you unless you authorize sharing it. It has to identify systems that aren't working properly, are significantly deficient, are unsafe, or are near the end of their service lives. It also has to give recommendations, and list anything that was present but not inspected, with the reason.

What a standard inspection covers

Under Home 603.02, the inspector visually examines readily accessible parts of the home, including:

Structure: foundation, framing, and floor, wall, ceiling and roof structure
Exterior: siding, flashing and trim, exterior doors, decks, porches and railings, and grading and drainage likely to affect the building
Roof coverings, drainage systems, flashing and penetrations
Plumbing supply and drain lines, water heating, vents and fuel storage inside the house, including where the main water and fuel shut-offs are
Electrical service, panels and a representative number of fixtures, switches and outlets, with missing smoke or CO detectors noted
Central heating and central air conditioning
Interior walls, ceilings, floors, stairs, railings, and a representative number of windows and doors
Insulation in unfinished spaces and attic and foundation ventilation
Built-in fireplaces, and the outside of chimneys and vents

What it leaves out

The standards list many things the inspector doesn't have to check. These matter most for NH buyers:

Wells, well pumps and water treatment equipment, and the quantity or quality of the water supply
Private waste disposal, which includes septic systems
Underground utilities, including buried fuel tanks, and the condition of underground storage tanks
The inside of chimney and fireplace flues, and wood or other solid fuel stoves
Environmental hazards, including toxins and contaminants in soil, water and air, and mold
Code compliance
Repair costs. The rules bar inspectors from estimating them

Radon in air and water

NH law requires sellers to give buyers a written notice, before a purchase contract is signed, that radon may be found in some areas of the state and can enter a home through the ground or in water from deep wells. The same notice warns that homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint (RSA 477:4-a). Testing is the only way to know. NH doesn't require radon testers to be certified, but NH DHHS recommends a nationally certified radon measurement professional, especially for a real estate transaction. For a sale, DHHS describes using two short-term test kits side by side and averaging the results. It also recommends testing well water for radon if the home has a private well.

If you need to fix radon in air, NH requires the person designing or installing the system to hold national certification through NRPP or NRSB (OPLC). More in our radon and well water guide.

Private well water

Since the inspection doesn't cover water quality, arrange a separate water test through a NH accredited lab. NHDES notes that arsenic and radon occur naturally in NH rock and soil, along with manganese and coliform bacteria, and that PFAS and MTBE are also found in groundwater. Sellers must give you a written disclosure about a private water supply, including the date of the most recent water test and any problems such as an unsatisfactory test (RSA 477:4-c). See our guide to well water testing and well drilling.

Septic system evaluation

Septic system evaluators are licensed by OPLC's Board of Septic System Evaluators, and a license has been required since 2017 (RSA 310-A:209). You can check one with the same OPLC license lookup.

On developed waterfront property, an evaluation is required by law. If any part of the septic system is within 250 feet of the reference line of a covered water body, the buyer must hire a NH-licensed septic system evaluator before the transfer, or may accept in writing a seller's evaluation done within 180 days of the transfer (RSA 485-A:39). The findings don't stop the sale, but there are extra steps if the system is failing. Elsewhere, an evaluation is optional but worth considering. The seller's disclosure under RSA 477:4-c covers the system's type, tank size, age, malfunctions and last service. See our septic system guide.

Lead paint in pre-1978 homes

For housing built before 1978, federal rules require the seller to disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, hand over any reports, give you EPA's lead pamphlet, and include a lead warning statement in the contract. You get 10 days to have a lead inspection or risk assessment done. That period can be changed by written agreement, or you can waive it (EPA). Our lead paint guide explains who can do that testing in NH.

Oil tanks

The inspector reports fuel storage inside the house, but buried tanks are excluded. Ask the seller whether there is or ever was an underground oil tank, and how old the current tank is. NHDES says home heating oil tanks with a combined capacity of 1,320 gallons or less are exempt from its aboveground tank rules, so upkeep is up to the owner. As of October 2026, NHDES's Safetank program can help income-qualified homeowners upgrade, replace or remove substandard heating oil tanks. NHDES strongly recommends dealing with a substandard tank before it leaks.

Chimneys and wood stoves

A home inspector looks at the outside of the chimney, not the inside of the flue, and isn't required to inspect wood or pellet stoves. NFPA advises having chimneys and heating systems inspected and cleaned each year before the heating season. If the house has a fireplace, wood stove or oil or gas appliance venting into a chimney, consider having a chimney contractor inspect it before closing. See our chimney and wood stove safety guide.

Questions to ask an inspector

What's your NH license number? (Then check it.)
Can I see a sample report?
Which add-on services do you offer, such as radon or water sampling, and are any done by a separate lab or specialist?
Will you walk the roof and enter the attic and crawl space? If not, how will you note it?
Can I attend, and when will I get the written report?
Will the agreement say the inspection follows the NH standards of practice?

After the inspection

Have licensed specialists look at anything the report flags for further evaluation, such as an electrician, plumber, roofer or septic designer. What you can ask the seller to fix depends on your purchase contract, so talk with your agent or attorney about timing.

This guide is general information, not legal or real estate advice. Rules can change, so confirm details with OPLC, NHDES, NH DHHS or your town before relying on them.