InterNACHI Standards of PracticeWhat an inspection covers — and what it doesn’t.
A Standards of Practice document is the answer to “what exactly am I paying for?” This page is Lunar’s plain-English summary of the InterNACHI standard: the systems a general home inspection addresses, the limits that apply to all of them, and how the standard sits alongside Florida’s own requirements and your signed inspection agreement.
What a Standards of Practice document does.
It draws the boundary. A Standards of Practice (SOP) sets the minimum an inspection must include, states what falls outside it, and gives both parties a shared reference when a question comes up later.
It sets a floor, not a ceiling
The SOP defines the minimum scope. An inspector may report more than the standard requires — and Lunar routinely does — but may not deliver less and still call it a standards-compliant inspection.
It makes expectations checkable
When a client asks whether something “should have been caught,” the SOP and the inspection agreement are the documents that answer it, rather than memory or assumption.
It is one of several controls
Florida’s administrative rules, your signed agreement, and any service-specific form instructions all apply too. The SOP does not override them.
The systems a general home inspection addresses.
Summarized in Lunar’s words. The authoritative list and its exact wording live in the official InterNACHI standard.
Roof
Roof coverings, drainage systems, flashings, skylights, chimneys, and roof penetrations — observed from a safe, readily accessible vantage point.
Exterior
Wall coverings, flashing and trim, exterior doors, attached decks and balconies, walkways, railings, eaves, and vegetation or grading that affects the structure.
Basement, foundation & structure
Foundation, floor structure, walls, ceilings, and roof structure — reported as observed conditions, not as an engineering analysis.
Heating
The installed heating equipment and distribution, operated using normal controls where conditions permit.
Cooling
The installed cooling equipment and distribution, operated using normal controls when outdoor temperature and conditions allow safe operation.
Plumbing
Supply and drain piping as visible, fixtures and faucets, water heating equipment, fuel storage and distribution where present, and drainage sumps.
Electrical
Service entrance and panels, overcurrent protection, a representative sample of switches, receptacles and fixtures, and installed smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.
Fireplace
Readily accessible portions of fireplaces and solid-fuel burning appliances, and their visible chimney components.
Attic, insulation & ventilation
Insulation and vapor retarders in unfinished spaces, and ventilation of attics and foundation areas — where access is safe and readily available.
Doors, windows & interior
A representative sample of doors and windows, floors, walls, ceilings, steps and railings, and garage doors and their operators.
The limits that apply to every system above.
These are the boundaries that make an inspection an inspection rather than a guarantee. They are not fine print — they are the standard.
What the standard requires
- A visual examination of readily accessible systems and components
- Reporting of observed material defects, with the reasoning behind them
- Operation of installed equipment using ordinary controls, where safe
- A written report describing what was inspected and what was found
- Referral to an appropriately licensed professional where warranted
What it does not include
- Dismantling, destructive testing, or moving stored personal property
- Entering unsafe areas or any area that is not readily accessible
- Concealed conditions, or conditions not present on the day of the visit
- Predicting future performance, remaining life, or freedom from failure
- Determining code compliance, insurability, market value, or legal status
- Separately licensed work — wood-destroying organism inspection, mold assessment, septic, wells, environmental testing, and engineering
Two ideas do most of the work in any Standards of Practice. Readily accessible means a component can be reached and observed without moving obstructions, dismantling, or risking damage or injury. Non-invasive means the inspector looks, tests with ordinary controls, and documents — without opening walls, lifting roof coverings, or taking equipment apart. Both are defined further in the inspection glossary.
The SOP, your agreement, and Florida law.
Four documents govern a Lunar inspection, and they are not interchangeable.
Florida requirements. Home inspectors licensed in Florida work under Chapter 468, Part XV, Florida Statutes, and the home-inspection Standards of Practice adopted in Chapter 61-30, Florida Administrative Code. State requirements apply to every licensed residential inspection Lunar performs, regardless of association membership.
The InterNACHI Standards of Practice. An association standard that InterNACHI members follow. It is the reference this page summarizes and a useful plain-language description of general home-inspection scope — but it is not, by itself, Florida law.
Your signed inspection agreement. The contract for your specific inspection. It states the property, the services, the scope, the limitations, and the terms. Where a general summary and your agreement differ, the agreement controls.
Service-specific instructions. Insurance and specialty services have their own scope. A wind mitigation inspection follows the official OIR-B1-1802 form and its instructions; a four-point inspection follows the carrier’s form; a commercial assessment runs under a written, property-specific scope of work. None of those are governed by a general home-inspection SOP.
- Ch. 468 Pt. XV, F.S. & Ch. 61-30, F.A.C. — Florida licensing & state SOP
- Your signed pre-inspection agreement — controls your job
- InterNACHI SOP — the association standard summarized here
- Form instructions — for insurance and specialty services
- This page — educational summary only
Where this summary comes from.
The InterNACHI Standards of Practice is published and owned by the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI®). The text on this page is an original summary written by Lunar for its own clients. It is not a reproduction of the standard, it is not endorsed by InterNACHI, and it does not replace the official document.
InterNACHI®, CMI®, and Certified Master Inspector® are marks of their respective owners and are used here to describe genuine membership and credentials held by Brian Walker. Lunar does not claim authorship of the standard or any InterNACHI endorsement of its services beyond that membership.
Read the source: InterNACHI Standards of Practice — nachi.org/sop.htm (accessed 29 July 2026). InterNACHI may revise the standard at any time; the official page is always the current version.
This page is provided for general educational purposes. It is not legal advice. Requirements, standards, and form instructions change. The applicable law, your signed inspection agreement, the service-specific scope, and any official form instructions control over any general summary published here. Last reviewed 29 July 2026 by Brian Walker, CMI, Florida Home Inspector License #HI-14111.
Standards of Practice, answered.
No. Florida licensed home inspectors work under the state’s own home-inspection Standards of Practice in Chapter 61-30, Florida Administrative Code, adopted under Chapter 468, Part XV, Florida Statutes. The InterNACHI standard is an association standard that InterNACHI members follow. Where the two differ, Florida’s requirements and your signed inspection agreement control.
No. A general home inspection is a visual, non-invasive evaluation of readily accessible systems and components on the day of the inspection. Concealed conditions, inaccessible areas, and components not installed or not operable at the time are outside the scope — and no inspection can identify every defect.
Not directly. Insurance inspections are governed by the applicable state or carrier form and its official instructions — for example the OIR-B1-1802 wind mitigation form. Those inspections have their own defined scope, narrower and different from a general home inspection.
No. A home inspection reports observed conditions. It is not a building-code enforcement inspection, a municipal approval, an engineering evaluation, or a certification that any component meets a code requirement.
The current, authoritative text is published by InterNACHI at nachi.org/sop.htm. This page is an original summary written by Lunar for its clients — it is not the standard itself and does not replace it.