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The Commercial Inspectors Association of America, Inc. (CIA) was established in 2006 as an association to promote and develop the commercial inspection industry. The mission of the Commercial Inspectors of America is to promote excellence and professionalism in the commercial inspection industry; to provide a standard of practice and a code of ethics; to educate its members; and to inform the public of the benefits and scope of a professional commercial inspection.
By working together to develop and maintain standards of excellence, CIA members benefit from professional development and the exchange of ideas through continuing education and seminars. Information and support are available for members regarding their commercial business and commercial inspection practices and service to all their commercial clients.
CIA promotional activities are to encourage the importance of a reputable commercial inspection as an intricate part of any commercial real estate transaction; to provide confidence to both the public and the state legislators that a CIA member has been properly trained and tested to a uniform standard.
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| Membership Levels & Requirements
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Applicants can apply for Three levels of membership; an Associate Membership, a CIA Certified Belt Membership, or a Full CIA Certification.
Level One is an entry level belt giving an opportunity for an associate to gather enough education and experience and/or technical experience to then pass CIA's written tests; at this level this belt will be considered an Associate Belt.
At Level Two a member can work toward three different belts. The belts are color coded for the discipline that the belt is earned in. A Brown Belt is for the PCA or structure technical discipline. A Green Belt is for the Environmental discipline; which includes radon testing. A Yellow Belt is for the Energy Efficiency discipline, (carbon foot printing). All three belts in this group are equal and any member can hold more than one belt in this level, an Environmental and Structural certification would make that member a Brown and Green Belt member.
Level Three is the Black Belt. This belt level will give an indication that any individual (or corporation) has been certified in all three disciplines and can offer inspections and reports in the Brown, Green or Yellow Belt disciplines; this is the highest ranking belt. A corporation can hold a Black Belt if three different employees or consultants hold one of the Brown, Green, and Yellow individual belts. To achieve a belt rating the applicant will have to follow the discipline and the certifications listed below. Also, memberships can be applied as either a corporation or an individual applicant; criteria for each of those are listed below.
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Level 1 - Associate
Associate Membership - This membership is for those candidates who are new to the commercial inspection industry or participating in the training program to fulfill all requirements to become a Certified Member. An Associate member must consider, or have already successfully completed 30 hours of a commercial inspection training program, or completed 20 hours of residential training, and 10 hours of commercial training or 5+ years as a commercial inspector performing inspections and/or any combination of the above. A pre-test can be taken to determine what educational or technical area the Associate Member is deficient in.
In addition an Associate member must submit a copy of five commercial inspection reports. An Associate Member may keep this level of membership for up to three (3) years prior to moving up to a CIA Certified Member, (extensions can be granted by petitioning the membership committee).
While working towards Level 2, a member can be an Associate performing his/her needed commercial inspection requirements and participating in educational training until he/she feels qualified to take the written test for the discipline he/she is working towards.
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A Brown Belt shall be certified in Property Condition Assessments, (PCA's). PCA's are made up of the inspection and assessment of mechanical devices, hard products; such as concrete, electrical, plumbing; and all other items related to the structure being inspected. This membership can be achieved by the completion of the Associate Membership requirements, as well as an additional fifty (50) full-fee paid written commercial inspections performed, (100 home inspections with 25 commercial inspections would also be considered), and written confirmation of passing CIA's PCA exam. In addition, a CIA Certified Member must complete a minimum of ten (10) Continuing Education Units (CEU's) annually. This level can be entered from the beginning of the application provided the applicant feels confident that the field training he/she has already acquired has provided enough experience to pass the written CIA exam. Otherwise it is
recommended that a member participates at the Associate Level until a competency level can be established.
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A Green Belt shall be certified in environmental property assessment issues such as Phase I and II assessments, septic and well assessments, radon testing, and wood destroying organisms. A Green Belt shall be capable of providing a client with the most recent, environmentally friendly assessments. This membership can be achieved by the completion of twenty-five (25) environmental evaluations and written confirmation of passing CIA's Environmental exam. In addition, a CIA Certified Green Belt must complete a minimum of ten (10) Continuing Education Units (CEU's) annually. This level can be entered from
the beginning of the application provided the applicant feels confident that the field training he/she has already acquired has provided enough experience to pass the written CIA exam. Otherwise it is recommended that a member participates at the Associate Level until a competency level can be established.
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A Yellow Belt shall be certified in energy efficiency and conservation; and shall be able to evaluate a property and provide assessments regarding the reduction of energy used by that property by calculating each building for potential energy savings relative to T-12/T-8 ballast conversion, infrared scans, area motion sensors, insulation requirements and energy considerations. Carbon foot printing shall also be part of this discipline where buildings shall be
rated at Zero Net Energy consumption. This membership can be achieved by the completion of twenty-five (25) energy efficiency assessments and written confirmation of passing CIA's Energy exam. In addition, a CIA Certified Yellow Belt must complete a minimum of five (5) Continuing Education Units (CEU's) annually. This level can be entered from the beginning of the application provided the applicant feels confident that the field training he/she has already acquired has provided enough experience to pass the written CIA exam. Otherwise it is recommended that a member participates at the Associate Level
until a competency level can be established.
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Level 3 - Full Certification
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A CIA member can achieve a Black belt by becoming certified in all three inspection disciplines. In short, achieving a Black Belt means that a member has been fully trained, educated, and has achieved through testing; a Brown Belt, Green Belt, and Yellow Belt. A Black Belt must complete fifty (50) property assessments, twenty-five (25) environmental evaluations, and twenty-five (25) energy assessments, and have written confirmation of passing CIA's exams, (in all three fields of discipline). In addition, a CIA Certified Member must complete a minimum of twenty-five (25) Continuing Education Units (CEU's) annually, (any combination of continuing education in the three disciplines of Brown Belt, Green Belt, or Yellow Belt shall be accepted).
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Memberships can be purchased either through a corporation for their employees, or individually for any level that is listed above. There are benefits for both a corporate and individual membership. Please see the explanations listed below.
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Corporate Membership - The intention of a corporate membership is to help an individual defer the cost of certification until full certification is achieved. It also allows the corporation to hold membership on individuals as a marketing tool showing the public that they are certified to perform specific types of inspections. If a corporation is participating in paying for an employee's education and membership to be certified by CIA, then it is understood that individual member of that corporation has an obligation to either pay back the monies granted to him/her or to serve the company in an employee capacity for a set number of years. Both scenarios should be fully explained in the corporate handbook of the company that is providing the educational/membership
financing and a copy shall be sent to the CIA office. If an individual leaves a corporate program, that individual must provide CIA with written documentation that he or she is in good standing with that corporate program or wait the agreed number of years after leaving the program to be accepted in the individual program or a new corporate program for certification. The corporation is responsible for keeping all individual documents on file for the duration of their employment up to one year after employment.
A corporation will be provided a price break for group enrollment, (however each group will stand on its own; for example, all Associate Memberships will be grouped together and discounted). The corporation can provide onsite teaching or provide funding for off campus education, (any curriculum should be CIA certified).
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Individual Membership - Individuals will be responsible for all education and testing certifications. The individual will provide CIA with all the necessary documents to achieve certification. The individual will be responsible for making sure any continuing education course is CIA certified. If an individual is part of a corporate program, a one year waiting period will be assessed unless documentation is provided to CIA that the individual is in good standing with the corporate program.
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| Annual Dues for Individual and Corporate Certification
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| Annual Dues for Individual, Corporate Certification Associate Members & CIA Certification (Brown Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt, Black Belt) For a limited time for corporations and individuals CIA is offering 1 year free with every 2nd year paid application.
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| Individual |
| Membership Level Individual | 1 year |
| ASSOCIATE | $350.00 |
| CIA CERT. Brown Belt | $300.00 |
| CIA CERT. Green Belt | $250.00 |
| CIA CERT. Yellow Belt | $250.00 |
| CIA CERT. Black Belt | $550.00 |
| Corporate |
| Membership Level Corporate | 1 year |
| ASSOCIATE | $350.00 |
| ASSOCIATE (2-3 Employees) | $250.00 ea. (with 1 fully paid member) |
| ASSOCIATE (4 or more employees) | $200.00 ea. (with 3 fully paid members) |
| CIA CERT. Brown Belt | $300.00 |
| CIA CERT. Brown Belt (2-3 Employees) | $250.00 ea. (with 1 fully paid member) |
| CIA CERT. Brown Belt (4 or more employees) | $200.00 ea. (with 3 fully paid members) |
| CIA CERT. Green Belt | $250.00 |
| CIA CERT. Green Belt (2-3 Employees) | $200.00 ea. (with 1 fully paid member) |
| CIA CERT. Green Belt (4 or more employees) | $150.00 ea. (with 3 fully paid members) |
| CIA CERT. Yellow Belt | $250.00 |
| CIA CERT. Yellow Belt (2-3 Employees) | $200.00 ea. (with 1 fully paid member) |
| CIA CERT. Yellow Belt (4 or more employees) | $150.00 ea. (with 3 fully paid members) |
| CIA CERT. Black Belt | $550.00 |
| CIA CERT. Black Belt (2-3 Employees) | $450.00 ea. (with 1 fully paid member) |
| CIA CERT. Black Belt (4 or more employees) | $300.00 ea. (with 3 fully paid members) |
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| Membership Application Requirements
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The following items will be requested after your application has been submitted. Failure to provide CIA with the following information will delay
processing of your application. If an individual is applying at the Associate Level, some of the below items would be waived, (ie: Commercial Inspection Report), provided the Associate is working towards his/her Level 2 certification
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- Copies of diplomas, licenses, and certificates verifying education and training.
- Copy of a completed commercial inspection report (of an actual inspection if you are a new inspector, this can be a practice inspection).
- A copy of your pre-inspection agreement and an example of "Scope Of Work Performed"
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