Daily Real Estate News  |  January 4, 2008  |   Top States for a Home Inspection
The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) has ranked the home inspection regulation laws in the United States, weighing them on 13 criteria, including testing requirements, standards of practice, codes of ethics, and enforceability.

In the last 10 years, 28 states have enacted some form of home inspection regulation.

In the study, Louisiana has ranked first since it passed a strong inspection law after Hurricane Katrina.

Meanwhile, California has been ranked last for two years because several of its provisions — including its "prohibited acts" provision, which outlines an inspector's code of ethics — cannot be enforced. North Dakota and Georgia also rounded out the bottom spots for home inspection regulation laws, according to the study.

Here are the top 15 states with the strongest home inspection regulation laws:

1. Louisiana
2. New Jersey
3. Arizona
4. Texas
5. Massachusetts
6. Connecticut
7. North Carolina
8. Arkansas
9. Indiana
10. Rhode Island
11. West Virginia
12. South Dakota
13. Tennessee
14. Mississippi
15. Virginia

Source: American Society of Home Inspectors (01/03/07)