The Appraisal Foundation
The Appraisal Foundation is a private non-profit educational organization established in 1987 to set ethical and performance standards in appraising.
The Appraisal Foundation consists of 2 independent Boards, the Appraisal
Standards Board (ASB) and the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB).
The Foundation, through its Appraisal Standards Board, publishes the
Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which
is the generally accepted set of performance standards for appraisers.
It is these standards that are enforced by state governments and various professional appraisal organizations.
In addition, the minimum qualifications for certain appraisal disciplines are established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board of the Foundation
The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets the minimum qualifications including education, experience, examination and continuing education to become a state licensed appraiser.
It recommends the following minimum criteria for state
licensed and certified real property appraisers:
| Experience Required | Education Required | Exam Required | |
| Licensed Residential | 2,000 hrs | 90 hrs | Yes |
| Certified Residential | 2,500 hrs | 120 hrs | Yes |
| Certified General | 3,000 hrs | 180 hrs | Yes |
Please note that the criteria above is a recommended minimum and
that the states may decide to increase this criteria as they see
fit.