LOCAL RULES

Alaska home inspection report requirements

Your Alaska home inspection report has 6 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The report is valid 180 days from the date you sign and date it
  • A written scope document with your registration number before you start
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Alaska registers home inspectors through the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development under AS 08.18, with separate registrations for new homes and existing homes. The statute sets what goes in the written report, how the client is told about defects, and how long the report stays valid. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and what an Alaska home inspection report should contain.

Last reviewed October 14, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Home inspectionALASKA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 149 words

Client: Dana Whitfield
Inspector: Sam Ortega
Date: October 3, 2026
1408 Larkspur Lane, Juneau, AK
Weather: clear, 74F. Occupied. Built 1987.
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
67%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 14 items into 8 sections and flagged 4 to fix first.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    Main panel has a double tapped breaker and an open splice in the attic junction box.

  • Fix firstElectrical

    No GFCI protection at the kitchen counter outlets.

  • Fix firstGarage

    Garage door opener did not reverse when it hit the test board.

6 Alaska rules on your checklist, including the report is valid 180 days from the date you sign and date it.

Still to add

  • Alaska lawAlaska home inspector registration number
  • Alaska lawHome inspected
  • RecommendedNotes for cooling

Filled in for you

Client nameDana Whitfield
Property address1408 Larkspur Lane, Juneau, AK
Inspection dateOct 3, 2026
Home inspector's nameSam Ortega
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What Alaska requires

  • The written report includes the home inspector's registration numberAS 08.18.023 (b)
  • The written report reviews the condition of each system and component identified as within the scope of the intended inspectionAS 08.18.023 (b)
  • The client is told in writing of defects noted during the inspection, with any recommendation that experts be retained for further evaluation by a qualified professional, tradesperson or service technician to determine the extent of the defects and the corrective action neededAS 08.18.023 (a) (2)
  • Inspecting a home not previously occupied as a residence requires registration as a home inspector for new homes, and a previously occupied home requires registration for existing homes (a joint registration covers both)AS 08.18.011 (c), 08.18.171 (6), (10)
  • A home inspection report is valid for 180 days after the date the home inspector signs and dates itAS 08.18.023 (d)
  • Before the inspection, the client receives a written document with the inspector's registration number that specifies the scope of the intended inspection and says the inspector will report defects in writing with any recommendation for further evaluationAS 08.18.023 (a)
  • A report on new construction financed by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation or another lender may be in the form that lender requires; an oral report may be given in addition to the written oneAS 08.18.023 (b), (c)
  • A home inspection is a visual examination, under the department's standards of practice, of the readily accessible parts of the heating and air-conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems, built-in appliances, roof, attic and visible insulation, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors, foundation and basement, visible interior and exterior structures, and drainage to and from the residence; the scope may include moreAS 08.18.171 (8), 08.18.023 (a) (1)
  • An associate home inspector must be employed and supervised by a registered home inspector registered in the same category of home inspectionAS 08.18.011 (d) · 12 AAC 22.020 (b)
  • A home inspector may not offer repairs for an added fee on a property their company reported on in the past 12 months, inspect property they have a financial interest in, pay for referrals, share a report without the client's written consent (except with a later client for the same home or in a legal proceeding), take pay from more than one party without everyone's written consent, accept commissions, or take work whose fee depends on the findings or the close of escrowAS 08.18.152
  • A lawsuit based on a home inspection report must be brought within one year (except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct), only by a party to the transaction or someone who received the report with the client's written consent or inherited the property, and a contract clause limiting the inspector's liability to the inspection fee is voidAS 08.18.085
  • Advertising and business cards show the inspector's name, mailing address and registration number; renewing a registration takes at least eight contact hours of continuing competency activities per licensing period; and home inspectors also need an Alaska business licenseAS 08.18.053 (b) · 12 AAC 22.300 (a) · Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing: Home Inspectors

What the Alaska report must contain

The written report carries your registration number and reviews the condition of every system and component inside the scope you set out before the inspection. Defects are reported in writing, and where the extent of a problem or the fix is unclear, the report recommends that a qualified professional, tradesperson or service technician evaluate it further.

A report is valid for 180 days after you sign and date it, so the signature date matters: buyers and lenders count from it.

New homes, existing homes and lender forms

A home never occupied as a residence needs an inspector registered for new homes; a previously occupied home needs the existing-homes registration, and a joint registration covers both. For new construction financed by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation or another lender, the report may follow the lender's own form. An associate home inspector works under a registered inspector in the same category.

Before you start: the written scope

Before inspecting, give the client a written document with your registration number that spells out the scope of the inspection, which may go beyond the systems the statute lists, and says you will report defects in writing along with any recommendation for further evaluation.

Conflicts, confidentiality and lawsuits

Do not offer repairs on a home your company reported on in the last 12 months, inspect a property you have a stake in, pay for referrals, or take a fee that depends on the findings or the closing. Keep the report confidential unless the client consents in writing.

Claims based on a report must be brought within one year, except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct, and a clause limiting your liability to the inspection fee is void, so do not rely on one.

Keeping the registration current

Put your name, mailing address and registration number on advertising and business cards, complete at least eight contact hours of continuing competency activities each licensing period, and hold an Alaska business license as well.

From field notes to a finished Alaska report

Note whether the home was ever lived in, what was in scope, and anything you could not get to. ReportDraft puts your registration number in the header, gives every defect its next step or specialist, and prints the 180-day validity line above your signature.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the registration number off the report.
  • Skipping a system that was inside the agreed scope without saying why.
  • Inspecting a never-occupied home with only an existing-homes registration.
  • Relying on a contract clause that caps liability at the inspection fee.
  • Offering to do the repairs on a home you just inspected.

Sources

Last reviewed October 14, 2026. Next review due January 14, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.