What is the Appraisal Foundation and what role does it play in USPAP?

The Appraisal Foundation is a nonprofit, not a government agency. Formed by appraisal membership organizations, it was authorized by Congress in 1989 under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA). Its Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) develops and updates the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), while its Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets minimum education, experience, and examination requirements for state licensure. States enforce USPAP; the Foundation does not regulate individual appraisers.

The Appraisal Foundation is the national standards-setting body for the appraisal profession. Its Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets the minimum qualification criteria that state requirements, including Delaware's, must meet or exceed, and the Foundation develops and maintains the 15-Hour National USPAP Course required for initial licensure and the 7-Hour Update required for renewal. The Foundation does not match aspiring appraisers with supervisors; that is a state-level matter.

The Appraisal Foundation is the organization that houses the Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) and the Appraisal Standards Board. The AQB sets the minimum education, experience, and examination criteria for appraiser credentials, and the Appraisal Standards Board establishes the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), the appraisal standards DC appraisers follow. Under DC law, if federal requirements change and the Board's rules fall below the federal minimums, the federal standards apply automatically until DC amends its rules.

The Appraisal Foundation is the national organization that sets appraiser qualification standards. Its Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) publishes the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria that Mississippi and other states must meet or exceed, and it develops the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations administered through PSI. The Mississippi Appraisal Board ties its credential requirements directly to the AQB criteria effective January 1, 2026.

The Appraisal Foundation is the national organization whose Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets minimum criteria for appraiser credentials. AQB criteria cover the trainee, supervisory, licensed, certified residential, and certified general classifications, and state requirements, including Oregon's, must meet or exceed them. Oregon's appraiser examinations must also comply with AQB requirements.

The Appraisal Foundation is the national organization whose Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) sets the education, experience, and examination criteria for appraiser credentials and develops the examinations states use. South Carolina's regulations incorporate the AQB Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria by reference, including later amendments, so the Foundation's standards directly shape the state's requirements. The AQB Core Curriculum also sets the USPAP course hours required in state qualifying education.

The Appraisal Foundation is the organization that sets and maintains USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice), the generally recognized ethical and performance standards for the appraisal profession in the United States. Congress authorized the standards in 1989. The Foundation's Appraisal Standards Board updates USPAP, and the current edition took effect January 1, 2024. State-licensed and state-certified appraisers must follow USPAP when appraising for federally related transactions.

The Appraisal Foundation is the national organization that sets appraisal standards and qualifications for the profession. Its Appraisal Standards Board publishes the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which Washington names as the standards of practice for licensed and certified appraisers. Its Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) develops the national licensing and certification exams and the qualification criteria that every state must meet or exceed. Washington's trainee, supervisor, education, and experience rules build on those criteria.