Specialty Licenses & Certifications

Specialty Licenses & Certifications

Home Inspector Certification

A home inspector, for a fee, inspects and provides a written report on the overall physical condition of a residential structure.

Who needs to be certified?

Any individual who advertises, bids, or performs residential home inspections of more than one structural component needs to be certified. Once certified, you must own or work for a business that is licensed with the Construction Contractors Board.

These are structural components:

Exterior
Roofing
Plumbing

Electrical
Heating
Central air conditioning

Interiors
Insulation and ventilation
Built-in kitchen appliances
Site

Who is not a certified home inspector?

Any person (business or individual) who:

inspects only one component such as roof inspectors
inspects for code compliance for government jurisdictions
only performs pest and dry rot or wood-destroying organism (termites and other pests) inspections
inspects only lead-based paint
only inspects cross connections

only tests the air for radon
performs energy audits
performs forensic evaluations
performs home performance testing
was licensed each year as a general contractor from Jan. 1, 1991 through Aug.11, 1997

is a pesticide operator licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) if the individual is not conducting an inspection for a real estate purchase or sale.
assigns home energy performance scores for residential buildings

Certification process

Candidates for certification as an Oregon home inspector must pass the National Home Inspector Examination.

Home Inspector Education Provider list

The exam is just part of the Oregon process to become a home inspector. The Home inspector application packet describes other requirements. If you are looking for approved course providers to obtain required points, you can find a list of education providers here.

Exam

For background on the national exam and how to prepare for the test, visit the national exam website.
PSI administers the National Home Inspector Examination at seven Oregon locations. Learn more. The Candidate Bulletin provides information about a study outline and sample test.
The fee is $225. The four-hour exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions.
It is important to keep the exam score report you receive from PSI when you pass the exam. You must submit this with other application materials.

Forms

Home Inspector Application packet. This form includes general information, eligibility requirements, test application, etc.
Add a Home Inspector. Use this form to add a Home Inspector to your CCB License
Home Inspector Consumer Protection Notice. This notice replaces the Home Inspector Summary and the Home Inspector Summary/Standards. By rule, home inspectors had to provide their customers one of the two notices.
Home Inspector Standards. This is a list of home inspector standards of behavior and standards of practice, as outlined in rule.
Home Inspector Continuing Education Ride-Along Credit. Use this form to request credit for accompanying a plumbing, electrical, or HVAC licensee on a repair or maintenance job.

Additional requirements

Once you are certified, you must be an owner or employee of a business that is licensed with the Construction Contractors Board as a residential contractor. The business must be endorsed as one of these:

Residential general contractor
Residential specialty contractor
Home inspector services contractor

If you only do home inspections - and do not perform construction work - you may want the home inspector services contractor endorsement. With this endorsement:

You do not have to take pre-license education and pass a test to become a contractor.
Your bond and insurance requirements are less than those of the residential general or specialty contractor endorsements.

Fees

$150 initial certification
$150 certification renewal (every two years from date of certification)
$325 every two years (from date of licensing) for a residential general, residential specialty or home inspector services contractor license.

Lead-Based Paint Certification

Oregon enforces federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations for contractors working on housing or child-occupied facilities built before 1978, which require contractors to complete training and obtain a special license before they can even bid on renovation projects involving these structures. However, some activities require a different type of lead license.

Lead abatement, for example, intends to permanently eliminate lead-based paint hazards. Abatement is sometimes ordered by a state or local government, and can involve specialized techniques not typical of most residential contractors. The EPA requires firms (contractors) and their employees who perform abatement projects or inspections involving pre-1978 target housing and child-occupied facilities to hold specialized lead-based paint activities licenses and follow specific work practices.

Requirements for pre-1978 structures

Oregon enforces federal regulations for contractors working on housing or child-occupied facilities built before 1978. Under these requirements, only contractors who are licensed for Lead-Based Paint Renovation can bid or work on pre-1978 homes. The goal: Use lead-safe work practices and reduce the risk of lead poisoning. You can find a list of all lead-safe Oregon contractors, by county. You can find more information and resources related to Lead-Based Paint on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.

Do I need a special license?

Homes and child-occupied buildings such as daycare centers, preschools and kindergarten rooms constructed before 1978 are presumed to have lead paint unless testing shows otherwise. This means that you cannot bid on a renovation project until you complete an approved training class and obtain a Lead-Based Paint Renovation License. Renovation means modifying any structure or part of a structure that disturbs more than:

Six square feet of painted surface per room for interior work.
20 square feet of painted surface for exterior work.

This includes projects involving flooring, windows, gutters, siding, and painting. Window replacement is considered renovation.

Lead Inspection Contractor License

This license is for contractors that inspect structures for lead-based paint and prepare reports on its findings. This contractor must have an employee who holds a lead inspector contractor license or a risk assessor license, depending on the extent of the review. Inspectors can verify the presence and extent of lead while an assessor goes into more detail about the hazards and how to eliminate them.

Lead Abatement Contractor License

This is for contractors that are permanently eliminating lead-based paint hazards. This contractor must have an employee who holds a lead supervisor license. Any employees working under the supervisor must hold a lead worker license.

How do I get licensed?

At least one owner or employee of a contractor’s business must complete the eight-hour Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) training from an accredited provider.

The Oregon Health Authority maintains a training calendar. It also has a list of accredited training providers.
You can also call (971) 673-0440 or email leadprogram@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
This initial certification is valid for five years. Before your certification expires, you must take a four-hour refresher course from an Oregon Health Authority approved provider. If your initial certificate expires before you take the refresher course, you must take the full eight-hour course again.

Once you complete the initial training, apply to the CCB for a Lead-Based Paint license. (Note: You must have an existing construction license to associate with the lead license)

Forms

Change RRP Certificate Holder(s). Change the Renovation, Repair and Painting certificate holder associated with your license.
Lead-Paint Regulation. The EPA provides answers to frequently asked questions.
Change Supervisor or Worker. Add or Remove a supervisor or worker from your LBPA license.
Change Inspectors or Risk Assessors. Add or Remove an inspector or risk assessor from your LBPI license.

FAQ

What happens if the person who finished the required training leaves my business?

You must see that another employee is trained so you can demonstrate that you employ a certified renovator.

What does the rule require other than training/licensing?

The rule requires that properly certified and licensed renovators:

Have at least one certified renovator on staff to oversee renovation, repair or painting projects
Follow lead-safe work practices to prevent lead contamination
Provide any non-certified workers with on-the-job training
Educate owners/occupants of the structure about lead paint
Maintain certain records for three years

Can I test for lead-based paint?

Contractors who hold a Lead-Based Paint Renovation license can test for lead-based paint but must use an approved EPA test kit.

What are the penalties for violating lead regulations?

Under Oregon law, contractors found violating the lead paint renovation rules can be fined up to $5,000 per violation per day. The Construction Contractors Board can suspend a repeat offender’s Lead-Based Paint Renovation license.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can impose fines as well as jail time. The EPA can also suspend or revoke a contractor’s certification to handle lead paint.

If I’m the general contractor and don’t hold a Lead-Based Paint Renovation License, can I subcontract the work to a business that is properly licensed?

No. Even if you are not performing the renovation, offering to perform renovation requires you to hold the Lead-Based Paint Renovation license.

Do I need a Lead-Based Paint Renovation License for total demolition?

No. Renovation does not include demolition even if the structure is target housing built before 1978. However, you may be subject to waste disposal requirements.

Locksmith certification

A locksmith certification is required for any person who services, installs, repairs, rebuilds, rekeys, repins or adjusts locks, hardware peripheral to locks, safes, vaults, safe deposit boxes or mechanical or electronic security systems.

Who needs a locksmith certification?

Any person who services, installs, repairs, rebuilds, rekeys, repins or adjusts locks, hardware peripheral to locks, safes, vaults, safe deposit boxes or mechanical or electronic security systems. The certificate is required in Oregon even if you hold a locksmith license or certification in another state.

Oregon law (701.490) exempts the following people from locksmith licensing requirements.

A person offering key duplication services at a fixed location that does not provide any other locksmith services
Class A or B limited energy technicians working within the scope of their licenses
Tow truck operators working for a certified tow truck business

Construction contractors if not advertising locksmith services
Manufacturer of manufactured structures
Property owner or owner’s employee working on owner’s property
Property management company working on managed property

Real estate property manager or employee working on managed rentals
Landlord or landlord’s agent
Manufacturer of locks
Representative of lock manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer

Apply for your Locksmith certification

Most of the application process is online. However, once you complete the online steps, you must still associate your locksmith certification with a CCB license. (See details below.)

These are the online steps:

Register for a CCB Online Services account.
Request 'Locksmith Certification' as an online service.
Fill out the Locksmith Certification Application.
Pay for the application and test.
Take and pass the test.
Complete the Criminal History Information.
Pay $60 for the two-year certification.

You must have Internet connection and be able to pay the renewal fee using a credit or debit card.

Criminal History

If you disclose any of these crimes, you will be asked to submit more information to the CCB. Conviction of any of the following crimes in the past seven years may disqualify you for certification.

Murder
Kidnapping
Assault in the first degree
Rape

Sodomy
Unlawful sexual penetration
Arson in the first degree
Robbery in the first or second degree

Burglary in the first or second degree
Theft in the first or second degree
Theft by extortion
Aggravated theft in the first degree

Locksmith Certification Test

The testing fee is $60. The online test consists of 80 questions. Questions answered incorrectly during the initial test will be displayed at the end of the 80 questions. You can review those questions, locate the correct material and answer again until you have answered all questions correctly. You may use the following reference materials to study for the test:

The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing 6th Edition. This book can be purchased online and it includes a practice test.

Author: Bill Phillips
Publisher: McGraw Hill
ISBN number: 978-0-07-144829-1

Developed by the Lock Industry Standards and Training Council
Click here to download/view.

Associating your locksmith certification with a CCB license

Before we activate your certification, you must associate your locksmith certification with a residential construction contractor license (such as a residential general or specialty license). If you do not have a CCB license, learn how to apply. If the CCB license already exists, the owner or responsible managing individual should log into their CCB Online Services account and follow these steps:

From the Business License Detail screen:

Click on "Associate NEW OCLS" (under the heading "Additional license/certificates"),
Type in the locksmith certificate number,
Click "Add"

If your business provides locksmith services exclusively, you may apply for a residential locksmith services contractor license. However, under this license you may ONLY provide locksmith services (see definition). You may not provide ANY other construction services. For example, if a door or door jamb is damaged during a lock installation, you are not legally allowed to fix the damage OR arrange for someone else to fix the damage.

Once associated, contact the CCB to activate your certificate. You may email ccb.info@ccb.oregon.gov or call (503) 378-4621.

The CCB will mail your renewal form approximately eight weeks before your expiration date.
You must have a current Renovation, Repair and Paint (RRP) certificate and Active CCB number.

Don't forget to take a refresher course before your current five-year certificate expires.
Refresher courses are four hours.
The Oregon Health Authority maintains a training calendar and list of accredited training providers.

The annual license renewal fee is $50.

The United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides additional information and resources about lead-paint regulations and education.

Home Energy Assessor Certification

A home energy assessor assigns residential buildings a home energy performance score, using a scoring system of the Oregon Department of Energy.

What is a Home Energy Assessor?

A home energy assessor is an individual who assigns residential buildings a home energy performance score using a scoring system adopted by the Oregon Department of Energy. Individuals providing this service must be certified by the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) after completing the training approved by the Energy Department.

Required association with a CCB license

IMPORTANT: Oregon law requires that this certification associate with a business licensed by CCB before performing home energy assessor services. The business may be licensed as a residential contractor. Or, if the business is exclusively conducting home energy performance scoring, it can be licensed with CCB as a home energy performance score contractor.

How to obtain a Home Energy Assessor certification

Pass a training program approved by the Oregon Department of Energy. Approved training programs are listed on the Home Energy Assessor Training Certification form.
Complete the Home Energy Assessor Training Certification form.

Submit the completed training certification form WITH the training completion certificate to the Oregon Department of Energy, HEPS Program, 550 Capitol St NE, Salem OR 97301, or by email to ODOE.HEPS@oregon.gov.
If the Energy Department approves the training, it will send a signed copy of the Home Energy Assessor Training Certification form back to the applicant.
If not, the applicant will receive notification that the training was not valid.

Submit the training completion certification WITH a Home Energy Assessor Certification Application to the CCB.

The Home Energy Assessor Certification Application must specify the number of the existing CCB license it will be associated with OR be submitted with a completed application for a new CCB residential contractor license.

How to renew a Home Energy Assessor certification

The home energy assessor certification must be renewed every year by submitting the renewal application and $100 fee. The renewal application will be mailed to you approximately 30 days before your expiration date.

Deactivate / Transfer of Home Energy Assessor certification

Oregon administrative rules require each home energy assessor to hold, or work under a current CCB license and home energy assessor certificate. If any of the following occur, the home energy assessor certification associated with that license will become deactivated and scoring software accounts will become deactivated, preventing future scoring:

CCB license expires
Home energy assessor certification expires
Home energy assessor disengages employment with an organization holding an active CCB license

Each home energy assessor must notify the Oregon Department of Energy and program implementation staff about changes in home energy assessor licensing status.

A home energy assessor certification may be reinstated or a new certification produced once the individual has fulfilled proper CCB licensing and certification steps or is employed under a new company with a valid license.

Add / Remove Energy Assessor

To transfer your Home Energy Assessor certification from one license to another, complete and submit a request to Add or Remove Certified Home Energy Assessor form. There is no fee.

More information

Oregon Home Energy, Department of Energy assessors website. For help contact Roger Kainu, (503) 580-7469.
For help with CCB’s processes contact Angie Warkentin, (503) 934-2211.

CCB Fees

Application fee is $100.
One-year license fee is $100.
Annual renewal fee is $100.

Construction Flagging

ORS 701.470. A construction flagging contractor is a person or business who employs, contracts with, or obtains through a worker leasing company, one or more individuals to act as construction flaggers.

Licensing requirements for Construction Flagging Contractors

Effective July 1, 2017, construction flagging contractors must be licensed with the Construction Contractors Board.

Per ORS 701.470, a construction flagging contractor is a person or business who employs, contracts with, or obtains through a worker leasing company, one or more individuals to act as construction flaggers.

Construction flaggers are individuals who, for compensation, direct the flow of motor vehicle traffic on a public roadway to prevent conflict between the flow of traffic and construction activity on or near the roadway. It is not an individual performing work for the federal government or a public body (as defined in ORS 174.109).

A construction flagging contractor may not engage in any other construction activities.

Who doesn't need this license

A business regulated by the Public Utility Commission.
A construction business is not required to obtain a construction flagging contractor license if it is already licensed as a commercial contractor or a residential general contractor.

How to apply

An applicant for a construction flagging contractor license must submit all of these:

Construction Flagging Contractor application and fee:

Construction Flagging Contractor Surety Bond in the amount of $25,000
General Liability Insurance policy in an amount of not less than $500,000

Specialty Licenses & Certifications