LOCAL RULES

Arkansas home inspection report requirements

Your Arkansas home inspection report has 10 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Inspection methods, shut-off valve locations, and whether smoke and CO alarms are present
  • Dangerous conditions reported to the homeowner
  • Limitations and exclusions given to the client in writing before the inspection
Start free: draft your Arkansas report

ReportDraft Inspection from $19 a month. 14-day free trial with your first report and up to 5 template downloads. Card required, nothing charged today, cancel anytime. Need just one? One home inspection report for $39, no subscription.

Arkansas registers home inspectors through the State Board of Appraisers, Abstracters, and Home Inspectors. The Board's rules (17 CAR 200-508) list exactly what a report must show: who inspected, with registration number and expiration date, mailing address and phone, plus the date, the full address and the client, and every Standards of Practice item marked inspected or not. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how field notes become an Arkansas report.

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Home inspectionARKANSAS / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 150 words

Client: Dana Whitfield
Inspector: Sam Ortega
Date: October 3, 2026
1408 Larkspur Lane, Little Rock, AR
Weather: clear, 74F. Occupied. Built 1987.
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
63%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.

10 Arkansas rules on your checklist, including inspection methods, shut-off valve locations, and whether smoke and CO alarms are present.

Still to add

  • Arkansas lawArkansas home inspector registration number
  • Arkansas lawRegistration expiration date
  • Arkansas lawInspector's mailing address and phone number

Filled in for you

Client nameDana Whitfield
Property address1408 Larkspur Lane, Little Rock, AR
Inspection dateOct 3, 2026
Registered home inspector (printed name)Sam Ortega
Start free and draft yours

14 days free, nothing to pay today. After your first report, your name, license and company details fill in by themselves. Or preview your own notes first, no sign-up.

What Arkansas requires

  • Every written or electronic home inspection report prominently shows the printed name, signature, registration number and registration expiration date, mailing address and phone number of each registered inspector who took a significant part in the inspection17 CAR 200-508 (d) (1) (A) · Ark. Code 17-52-308 (b) (6) (B)
  • The registration expiration date is part of the report's identification; certificates of registration expire every December 31 and are renewed for the calendar year, and the inspector keeps the certificate at the inspection site to show anyone who asks17 CAR 200-508 (d) (1) (A), 200-501 (d) (4), (e) · Ark. Code 17-52-317 (c)
  • The report gives the inspector's mailing address and phone number17 CAR 200-508 (d) (1) (A)
  • The report prominently shows the date of the inspection, the full physical address of the inspected property and the name of the client or intended user17 CAR 200-508 (d) (1) (B) to (D)
  • The report lists, at a minimum, each item the Standards of Practice require to be inspected, each shown as inspected or not inspected, with the reason for any item not inspected17 CAR 200-508 (d) (2) (A), (B)
  • Any item in the report that the Standards of Practice do not require is also shown as inspected, not inspected, or not present in the home17 CAR 200-508 (d) (2) (C)
  • Home inspections for pay follow the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics the Board sets; the Board adopts the most current American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, except where they conflict with Arkansas law or Board rules. A home inspection of lesser scope may be done if inspector and client agree17 CAR 200-508 (a), (b) · Ark. Code 17-52-319 (b), (c)
  • Under the adopted ASHI Standard, the written report states the systems and components inspected that are not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe, or near the end of their service lives, with reasoning or explanation for any deficiency that is not self-evidentASHI Standard of Practice 2.2 B 1, 3 (the edition the Board posts, effective March 1, 2014)
  • The report gives recommendations to correct, or monitor for future correction, each reported deficiency, or names items needing further evaluation; it also states the systems and components the Standard designates that were present but not inspected, and whyASHI Standard of Practice 2.2 B 2, 4
  • The adopted Standard has the inspector describe, among other things, the methods used to inspect crawl spaces, attics and the roofing, the location of the main water and fuel shut-off valves, the service amperage, the main disconnect and subpanel locations, the predominant branch circuit wiring method, and the presence or absence of smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarmsASHI Standard of Practice 3.1 B, 5.1 B, 6.1 B, 7.1 B
  • Inspection results stay confidential without the client's approval unless conditions threatening health, safety or welfare require emergency action; if any dangerous situation exists, the inspector must report those findings to the homeowner17 CAR 200-509 (a) (4) (B) (iii)
  • The inspector discloses in writing to the client, before the inspection, any limitations or exclusions of the systems or components being inspected, and promptly discloses in writing any interest in a business or the property that may affect the client17 CAR 200-509 (a) (4) (B) (vi), (viii)
  • Advising a client whether to go ahead with a real estate transaction, or giving an opinion of the property's value, is unprofessional conduct, as is accepting pay from more than one interested party without everyone's consent17 CAR 200-509 (a) (4) (B) (iv), (xii)
  • The inspector keeps an exact copy of every home inspection report given to clients for at least five years after the inspection, and the Board may require reports to be submitted, overriding any confidentiality agreement17 CAR 200-508 (d) (3) · Ark. Code 17-52-307 (a), (b)
  • It is an unfair practice for the inspector or the inspector's company to perform or offer, for an additional fee, repairs on a property it reported on in the past twelve months, to inspect property it has an interest in, to pay for referrals, or to take a fee contingent on the report's conclusions or the close of escrowArk. Code 17-52-321 (a)
  • Home inspectors who are not registered architects or engineers may not perform analysis of the systems, components or structural integrity of a dwelling that would be the practice of civil, electrical or mechanical engineeringArk. Code 17-52-319 (e)
  • A suit for damages from a home inspector's act or omission relating to a report must be started within one year from the date the report is completed, and the report may be used only as the inspector and client agreed in writingArk. Code 17-52-320, 17-52-321 (b)

Who inspected: name, registration and contact details

Every report prominently shows the printed name, signature, registration number and registration expiration date, mailing address and phone number of each registered inspector who took a significant part in the inspection. Registrations expire every December 31, so the expiration date changes with each renewal. Keep your certificate with you at the inspection site.

The statute adds that every contract, letter and other document you use shows your name and registration number. The report also gives the inspection date, the full physical address of the property and the client's name.

Every item marked inspected or not

The report lists, at a minimum, each item the Standards of Practice require you to inspect, and shows for each one whether it was inspected, with the reason for anything you did not inspect. Items you add beyond the standards are marked inspected, not inspected, or not present.

The Board adopts the most current ASHI Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Under that standard you report what is not functioning properly, significantly deficient, unsafe or near the end of its service life, explain any deficiency that is not self-evident, and recommend correction, monitoring or further evaluation.

What to describe

Describe how you inspected the crawl space, the attic and the roofing, the structure, the wall coverings and roofing materials, the piping materials, the water heater and its energy source, and where the main water and fuel shut-off valves are. For electrical, give the service amperage, where the main disconnects and subpanels are, the predominant branch wiring method, and whether smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are present or absent.

Ethics, dangerous conditions and records

Give the client any limitations or exclusions in writing before the inspection. Results stay confidential without the client's approval, but a dangerous situation must be reported to the homeowner. Do not advise whether to buy, give an opinion of value, or offer repairs for an additional fee on a home you reported on in the past twelve months.

Keep an exact copy of every report for at least five years; the Board can require reports regardless of any confidentiality agreement. A suit over a report must be filed within one year of its completion, and structural or engineering analysis is for registered engineers and architects.

From field notes to a finished Arkansas report

Put your registration number, its expiration date, and your mailing address and phone in the header once, then note what you saw, what you could not get to and why, and where the shut-offs are. ReportDraft marks every item inspected, not inspected with the reason, or not present, writes up each deficiency with a recommendation, and prints your identification above the signature line.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the registration expiration date, mailing address or phone off the report.
  • Items with no mark at all, instead of inspected, not inspected with a reason, or not present.
  • Not naming a second registered inspector who took a significant part.
  • Telling the client whether to buy, or giving an opinion of value.
  • Not reporting a dangerous condition to the homeowner.

Sources

Last reviewed October 15, 2026. Next review due January 15, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.