Specialty Home Inspections by Year Built: Which to Order

Short answer: A general home inspection is a visual check; it usually does not include lab tests or specialist evaluations. The build year tells you which extra inspections are worth adding: radon testing for every house, lead testing for homes built before 1978, asbestos testing before renovating older homes, an electrician’s evaluation for knob-and-tube or aluminum-wiring eras, and a sewer camera for older sewer lines.

Start with the house’s year: the decoder lists which materials are likely for that year. Open the House Age Decoder with 1960 loaded →

General inspection versus specialty inspections

When you buy a home, three different things are often confused. The appraisal estimates value for the lender. HUD’s buyer notice is clear that an appraisal does not replace a home inspection, and that FHA does not perform home inspections or guarantee a home’s condition. The general home inspection is a visual review of the house’s systems by an inspector you hire. Specialty inspections go further on one topic, usually with testing equipment, lab analysis or a licensed tradesperson.

HUD’s notice suggests asking your inspector about other health and safety tests, naming mold, water or air quality, asbestos, lead paint and pests. Which of those make sense depends heavily on when the house was built.

Which specialty inspections to consider, by build year

Inspection	Who usually does it	Build years where it matters most
Radon test	Radon tester or measurement professional	All years
Lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment	Certified lead inspector or risk assessor	Before 1978
Water test for lead and service line check	Certified lab; your water utility	Before 1986
Asbestos inspection	Accredited asbestos inspector	Before about 1990, especially before renovation
Electrical evaluation	Licensed electrician	Before the 1950s (knob-and-tube); mid-1960s to mid-1970s (aluminum wiring)
Sewer camera inspection	Plumber or sewer contractor	About 1949 to early 1970s (Orangeburg), and older lines generally
Plumbing material check	Plumber or inspector	1978 to mid-1990s (polybutylene)
Problem drywall evaluation	Qualified investigator	Drywall installed 2001 to 2009
Well water test	Certified lab	Any home with a private well
Buried oil tank check	Tank or environmental contractor	Any home that has or had oil heat

The sections below explain each one, with the source behind every date.

Radon: every house, every age

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that can build up indoors. EPA’s best estimate is about 21,000 radon-related lung cancer deaths a year in the US, and it calls radon the leading cause of lung cancer among people who have never smoked. The Surgeon General’s 2005 advisory stressed fixing homes at 4 pCi/L or higher.

Build year does not predict radon. HUD’s buyer notice states that EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all houses. Ask whether your inspector offers a radon test or can refer you to someone who does.

Lead paint: homes built before 1978

For homes built before 1978, the federal disclosure rule gives buyers a 10-day period to test for lead-based paint or lead hazards, though the seller is not required to test. Two kinds of evaluations are common: an inspection, which identifies where lead-based paint is, and a risk assessment, which looks at whether there are hazards such as deteriorating paint or lead dust. Both should be done by certified professionals. See our guides to lead paint disclosure and when lead paint was banned.

Water and service line: homes built before 1986

EPA says homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, and that a lead service line, where one exists, is typically the largest source of lead in drinking water. Ask the water utility what its service line inventory shows for the address, and consider a lab test of the tap water. See when they stopped using lead pipes.

If the house has a private well, EPA notes that private well water is not federally regulated and owners are responsible for delivering safe water. A lab test before closing is the only way to know what is in it.

Asbestos: older homes, especially before renovation

EPA recommends that suspect materials be sampled by trained, accredited professionals, not by homeowners, and that the firm assessing material be separate from the firm doing any removal. An asbestos inspection is most useful when you plan to remodel, because asbestos is mainly a risk when disturbed. Vermiculite in the attic is a special case: EPA says to assume it contains asbestos and not disturb it. See popcorn ceiling asbestos and asbestos cement siding.

Electrical: knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring eras

Two wiring eras call for a licensed electrician’s evaluation:

Knob-and-tube, in common use from about 1880 to the 1940s. Many insurers want an electrician’s evaluation before covering a house that still has it. See our knob-and-tube guide.
Aluminum branch wiring, mainly installed from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. CPSC describes permanent repair methods to be done by a qualified electrician. See our aluminum wiring guide.

This site does not give instructions for electrical work.

Sewer camera: older sewer laterals

A general inspection checks drains inside the house, not the buried line to the street. A camera inspection does. It is especially useful in homes from roughly the early 1950s to early 1970s, when Orangeburg pipe was used in some regions; the City of Ann Arbor says most sewer pipe failures it saw over twenty years involved that material. See our Orangeburg pipe guide.

Plumbing materials: polybutylene

Polybutylene supply pipe was installed in homes from about 1978 to the mid-1990s and some insurers treat it as a risk. An inspector or plumber can often spot it at the water heater or under sinks. See our polybutylene guide.

Problem drywall: 2001 to 2009

CPSC’s method for identifying problem drywall starts with blackened copper wiring or AC coils plus drywall installed from 2001 to 2009, then requires lab-based corroborating evidence. See our Chinese drywall guide.

Buried heating oil tanks

If a house has or once had oil heat, ask whether there is or was a buried tank. EPA says tanks storing heating oil used on the premises are excluded from federal underground storage tank rules, and that state or local agencies may regulate them, so ask your state agency what applies.

Questions to ask

The home inspector

What does your inspection include, and what does it exclude?
Do you offer radon testing, or who do you recommend?
Based on the build year, which specialty inspections would you add?

The seller

Have any tests been done (radon, lead, asbestos, water, sewer scope)? Can I see the reports?
Has the house been rewired, re-piped or had its sewer line replaced?
Is there, or was there, a buried oil tank?

Your insurance company

Do you require an electrician’s evaluation for certain wiring types?
Do you ask about plumbing material or roof age?
Will any inspection results change my eligibility or premium?

Quick answers

Do I need all of these?

No. Use the build year, the house’s renovation history and your plans to choose. Radon is the one recommended for every home.

When should I schedule them?

As early as possible after your offer is accepted, so results arrive inside your contract’s inspection period. Ask your agent about deadlines.

Can the general inspector do them all?

Some inspectors also test radon. Lead, asbestos, electrical and sewer evaluations usually need certified or licensed specialists.

Before-you-buy checklist

Confirm the build year with public records; see how to find when your house was built.
Run the year through the House Age Decoder.
Pick the specialty inspections that match the year and your renovation plans.
Schedule them early and get every report in writing.
Share relevant results with your insurer before closing.

Specialty Home Inspections: Which to Order Based on the Year Built