FAA proposes making the inspection authorization a permanent rating

The Inspection Authorization (IA) is a workhorse credential in general aviation, allowing mechanics to sign off annual inspections. Today it must be renewed every two years. A rule the FAA proposed on July 1 would make it a permanent rating instead. Why IAs matter An Inspection Authorization is not a standard mechanic certificate. It is an additional credential earned on top of an Airframe and Powerplant (Aandamp;P) certificate, available after holding both ratings for a total of at least three years and being actively engaged in aircraft maintenance for the two years before applying. An Aandamp;P alone cannot sign off an annual inspection; that privilege belongs to IA holders (certificated repair stations can also perform them), and without the signoff, the aircraft cannot legally return to service under Part 91. The larger the active IA pool, the faster inspections get done and the faster aircraft get back in the air. The proposed changes Currently, an IA must be renewed in March of each odd-numbered year, either online or through the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). At renewal, the mechanic must show they still meet the basic eligibility requirements and completed at least one of five qualifying activities during each of the two years. The options include performing a set number of annual inspections or major repairs, supervising a progressive inspection, completing a refresher course of at least eight hours, or passing an oral test with an FAA inspector. A mechanic who misses the qualifying activity in year one loses IA privileges until passing the oral test. One who lets the authorization expire outright must start over: new application, new written exam. The FAA’s July 1 proposal would bring the credential in line with the airframe and powerplant ratings themselves. The inspection rating would be issued once, with no expiration date. A rolling 12-month experience requirement would govern whether a mechanic can exercise the privilege, but there would be no March deadline, no renewal paperwork, and no biennial trip through the FSDO. The IA would stop being a credential mechanics maintain and become one they simply hold, so long as the work keeps up. The FAA estimates the change would save mechanics about $1.01 million and the agency $4.44 million over ten years, largely by eliminating the roughly 21,500 renewal applications it processes each cycle. Does removing the renewal deadline expand the IA pool? The pool of mechanics holding IAs could grow under this rule. Some have let their IAs lapse because renewal was a hassle, and under the current rules a full lapse means reapplying from scratch. The proposal softens that too: a mechanic who falls out of currency could reestablish privileges with a refresher course or an oral test rather than a new written exam. On the other hand, the rolling 12-month experience requirement could impose its own constraint, since currency would need to be maintained continuously rather than demonstrated once every two years. This is still just a proposal, so nothing changes for IA holders yet. The FAA could revise it substantially before the rule is finalized or drop it altogether. Comment deadline: August 31, 2026 The proposal is open for public comment through August 31, 2026. Anyone with a stake, from the shop floor to the flight department, can weigh in through docket FAA-2026-6671 at regulations.gov.