---
title: "Hiring a Home Inspector in New Hampshire: The State License, Well and Radon Tests, and the Septic Question"
description: "Hiring a home inspector in New Hampshire: the state license and OPLC lookup, well water and radon tests, septic, oil tanks, lake houses and typical costs."
doc_version: "2026-11-03"
last_updated: "2026-11-03"
---

# Hiring a Home Inspector in New Hampshire: The State License, Well and Radon Tests, and the Septic Question

> A standard inspection of a single-family home under 2,000 square feet runs about $470 to $660 in New Hampshire. Home inspectors have needed a state license since 2010, checkable on the OPLC lookup. Outside city water and sewer, the inspection is only half the job: test the well, test for radon, and get the septic system looked at separately before you close.

Published November 3, 2026

## Key facts

- **License:** Required since Jan. 1, 2010 (RSA 310-A:189); OPLC Board of Home Inspectors
- **Private wells:** NHDES advises testing before buying; about one in five has high arsenic
- **Standard inspection:** About $470 to $660 (New Hampshire calculator default)

A home inspection in New Hampshire often covers more than the house. In Nashua, Concord or Rochester, a buyer may be on city water and sewer, and the inspector's report is the main thing to read. Move a few miles out, to Hopkinton, Bow, Farmington or Peterborough, and the house has a private well, a septic system and maybe a buried oil tank, none of which a general inspection fully covers. Knowing which tests to add is most of what makes an inspection here worth the money.

## The state license and how to check it

New Hampshire licenses home inspectors. Since January 1, 2010, [RSA 310-A:189](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXX/310-A/310-A-189.htm) has barred anyone from conducting home inspections in the state without a license from the Board of Home Inspectors. Look up the inspector's name or number on the [OPLC verification page](https://forms.nh.gov/licenseverification/) and confirm the license is active.

A license sets a minimum. Beyond it, ask:

- Is an 1850s farmhouse in Hopkinton, a 1970s raised ranch in Merrimack or a lake camp in Belmont the kind of building you inspect every week?
- What does your report include? Ask for a sample, with photos.
- Which add-on tests do you do yourself, and which do you refer out?
- Do you carry errors and omissions insurance?

Real estate agents often suggest inspectors. That is fine, but the inspector works for you, and you should feel free to choose your own.

## Testing the well before you buy

A large share of New Hampshire homes outside the cities draw water from a private well, and no law requires a well to be tested at sale. State environmental officials put the share of private wells with too much arsenic at roughly twenty percent, and say radon in well water tops their guideline more often than not. The agency's [private wells page](https://www.des.nh.gov/water/drinking-water/private-wells) advises buyers to have the water tested before purchase.

Ask the inspector whether they collect water samples and which lab they use, or arrange it yourself through an accredited lab. A standard analysis plus radon and arsenic is the usual starting point. Ask the seller for any past test results and for records of a treatment system, and test the water coming out of the tap, after any treatment, as well as raw water if a system is installed.

Results take days to come back, and inspection deadlines in purchase agreements are short. Order the water test at the same time as the inspection.

## Radon in the air: test everywhere here

Radon is a gas that seeps out of granite, and New Hampshire is a granite state; the federal [radon zone map](https://www.epa.gov/radon/epa-map-radon-zones-and-supplemental-information) rates large parts of it in the highest-potential category. A radon test in the air is advised for any house here, not only in certain towns.

Inspectors usually place a continuous monitor or test canisters in the lowest livable level for at least 48 hours. Ask how they keep the test honest: closed-house conditions, a tamper check, a record of the monitor's readings over time. If the result is high, a mitigation system is a well-understood fix, and its cost is a reasonable thing to negotiate with the seller.

## The septic system is a separate inspection

A general home inspector looks at plumbing inside the house but usually does not evaluate the septic system. That takes a septic inspection: pumping the tank, checking the baffles, and looking at the leach field for signs of failure. Ask the inspector whether they do it or whom they recommend.

NHDES regulates septic systems: new and replacement systems need state approval, and designs and installations must be done by people the state permits ([NHDES septic designers and installers](https://www.des.nh.gov/land/septic-systems/septic-designer-or-installer)). Ask the seller or the town for the system's approval records and pumping history. A failed leach field in Laconia or Lebanon can cost far more than any repair the general inspection finds.

## Oil tanks, old wiring and lead paint

New Hampshire is an oil-heat state, and many older houses keep an oil tank in the cellar, and some still hide an abandoned one underground. An inspector should note the tank's age and condition. A fill pipe sticking out of the ground near a house with no visible tank is a sign of a buried one, and a leaking buried tank is a serious problem. Ask whether the inspector looks for one, and ask the seller.

Older houses often have old wiring, fuse panels or knob-and-tube circuits, and paint that predates 1978. An inspector can note them; an electrician or a lead inspector can tell you what they mean. If you plan to rent part of a pre-1978 house, a 2024 state law makes you get the unit certified lead-safe by a state-licensed risk assessor before anyone rents it ([RSA 130-A:5-d](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/X/130-A/130-A-5-d.htm)), and that belongs in your budget before you buy.

## Two-families and condos in the mill cities

In Manchester, Nashua and Dover, many buyers look at a two- or three-family house to live in one unit and rent the others, or at a condo in a converted mill. The inspection changes with the building.

For a multi-family house, ask whether the inspector will inspect every unit, the common areas, the basement and each heating system, and whether the price is per unit. Ask them to note separate meters and shutoffs, and fire separation between units, which matters for safety and for insurance. For a condo, the inspector looks at your unit; the roof, the exterior and the common systems belong to the association. Ask the association for its reserve study and recent meeting minutes, which say more about the building's future bills than any inspection of one unit can.

## Buying a lake house or camp

A camp on a lake is not inspected like a house in Hudson. Ask the inspector about:

- year-round use: whether the camp has heat, insulated pipes and a foundation that will hold up in winter;
- the water: many camps draw from the lake or a shallow well, which needs testing;
- the septic system, which may have been sized for summer use only;
- the shoreland. Under [RSA 483-B:9](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/L/483-B/483-B-9.htm), the 50 feet nearest the water is a protected buffer and primary structures sit behind a 50-foot line. Expansion and new structures may need state permits, so ask an attorney or the town about what you could add.

## Pricing an inspection and the add-ons

A standard inspection of a single-family home under 2,000 square feet runs about **$470 to $660** in the [New Hampshire home inspection cost estimate](/s/greater-manchester--nh/home-inspectors/cost). Larger houses and multi-family buildings cost more, and radon, water testing, septic and sewer-camera work are add-ons.

Choose by quality, not price alone. A thorough inspection of an old house in Keene or Berlin takes time, and a cheap one that misses a failing sill or a leaking tank costs far more than the difference in fee.

## FAQ

### Do home inspectors in New Hampshire need a license?

Yes. Home inspectors in New Hampshire must hold a state license. Ask for the license number and look it up with the New Hampshire OPLC — Board of Home Inspectors (forms.nh.gov) before you sign.

### How much is a home inspection in New Hampshire?

The calculator default, a single-family home under 2,000 square feet, is about $470 to $660. Larger houses, multi-family buildings and add-ons such as radon, water quality, septic or a sewer camera raise the total.

### How long does a home inspection take?

A typical single-family inspection takes a few hours on site, longer for an old or large house. Plan to attend at least the end, when the inspector walks you through what they found. The written report usually follows within a day or two.

### Should I attend the home inspection?

Yes, if you can. Seeing a problem in person, such as a damp corner in the basement or an old electrical panel, makes the report easier to understand and helps you ask the right follow-up questions before your deadline.

### What if the inspection finds a big problem?

Depending on your purchase agreement, you may be able to ask the seller to repair it, lower the price, give a credit or let you withdraw. Get a contractor's estimate quickly; inspection deadlines in a contract are usually short.

## Sources

- [RSA 310-A:189: home inspector license required](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXX/310-A/310-A-189.htm)
- [NH OPLC license verification](https://forms.nh.gov/licenseverification/)
- [NHDES: private wells](https://www.des.nh.gov/water/drinking-water/private-wells)
- [EPA: radon zones and supplemental information](https://www.epa.gov/radon/epa-map-radon-zones-and-supplemental-information)
- [NHDES: septic designers and installers](https://www.des.nh.gov/land/septic-systems/septic-designer-or-installer)
- [RSA 130-A:5-d: lead-safe certificate before renting](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/X/130-A/130-A-5-d.htm)
- [RSA 483-B:9: shoreland standards](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/L/483-B/483-B-9.htm)

---

Published by Tavlee: sourced contractor research, every claim linked to where it was found. Canonical: https://tavlee.com/s/greater-manchester--nh/home-inspectors/guide

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