Virginia contractor licenses: the trades the state covers and where its line sits

Virginia is a state where the dollar amount of the job decides whether you need a license. The line sits at $1,000, a low floor, so many one-person crews that think of themselves as handymen are inside the licensing law. This page walks through who licenses what, which trades are covered, and which ones fall outside the state contractor license. Rules change, so confirm each item with the agency named. This is general information, not legal advice. Our Virginia startup page covers the business-formation side.

What do Class A, B and C licenses cover in Virginia?

Under Va. Code § 54.1-1100, a contractor is a person who, for a fixed price, commission, fee or percentage, bids on or accepts work building, removing, repairing or improving a structure attached to real property, and that includes managing or supervising that work. The Board for Contractors sorts licensees into three classes by money.

The statute, as published on the General Assembly's site in October 2026, also tells the Board to require a master tradesman license as a condition of licensure for electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractors. Water well and landscape irrigation work are the one place the statute drops the usual floor. Section 54.1-1103(C) applies licensing to them regardless of the contract amount, with its own tiers: Class C up to $10,000 on a single contract, Class B from $10,000 to under $120,000, and Class A at $120,000 or more.

The license goes to the business. DPOR's application is for business entities and sole proprietors, not for individuals, so a one-person company forms its entity first (see the Virginia page) and then applies.

Which specialties can a Virginia license carry?

A contractor license has two parts. The class sets the dollar size you can take on. The classification or specialty sets the type of work. The Board's regulation, 18VAC50-22-30, lists dozens of specialty codes. The ones a home-service owner meets most often:

• ROC, roofing contracting.
• PTC, painting and wallcovering contracting.
• HIC, home improvement contracting, a function the regulation says the residential building classification (RBC) also provides for.
• LSC, landscape service contracting, and ISC, landscape irrigation contracting.
• AES, alternative energy system contracting, which is where solar sits among the codes.
• CDS and ADS, conventional and alternative sewage disposal system contracting.
• GLZ (glass), FLR (flooring), INS (insulation), DRY (drywall), CEM (concrete) and FIN (finish carpentry).

The regulation at 18VAC50-22-20 explains the two building classifications. A Residential Building Contractor (RBC) works on dwellings and townhouses and their accessory buildings, and a Commercial Building Contractor (CBC) works on commercial, industrial, institutional and government buildings. Neither classification covers electrical, plumbing, HVAC or gas fitting.

How does a business qualify with DPOR?

As listed on the Board for Contractors page in October 2026, passing the exam comes before the application. The business exam is taken by the designated employee, and the specialty exam by the qualified individual. PSI runs both, with no application deadline. The exam fees listed by DPOR are $40 for one portion, $72 for two, $85 for three, and $85 for the qualified-individual specialty exam. The Board also requires eight hours of pre-license education, taken through responsible management or the designated employee, and that is separate from the exams. Class A and B applicants add a financial statement or a surety bond to verify net worth. DPOR lists a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year on certain fees starting July 1, 2026. DPOR does not publish the required years of experience on that page, so read the Requirements for Qualified Individuals document it links before you plan your timeline. The Licensing Section answers questions at (804) 367-8511.

Who needs an individual tradesman license?

Virginia licenses people, not just companies, in four trades. DPOR's Tradesmen program covers electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and gas fitters. The tradesman license and the contractor license are separate. An electrical contractor firm needs the master tradesman on the license, and each person doing the hands-on work holds their own tradesman credential at the level the work requires.

• Journeyman and master exams run through PSI, listed at $100 and $125.
• Residential HVAC Mechanic and Residential Plumbing licenses took effect April 1, 2025, with less required experience and vocational training, and no commercial work allowed.
• Journeyman and master holders complete continuing education in each discipline: three hours for plumbing, electrical and HVAC, and one hour each for natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas fitting.
• A 30-day grace period follows expiration, after which a reinstatement fee applies.

For the national picture of how tradesman paths work, see how to become a licensed electrician and how to become a licensed plumber.

Who licenses pest control and lawn applications?

Not the Board for Contractors. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) runs two programs that matter to lawn and pest companies.

Pesticides. VDACS requires a commercial applicator certification for anyone who uses pesticides on others' property for pay, and that person must work for a company with a Pesticide Business License. Each business location needs its own license. As described on the VDACS business license page, the license requires a certified applicator on staff and a certificate of insurance showing at least $100,000 for property damage, $100,000 for injury or death of one person and $300,000 per occurrence. A registered technician has not completed commercial certification. A registered technician can apply general-use pesticides without supervision but needs a commercial applicator supervising when applying restricted-use pesticides. The national pest control license guide shows how other states compare.

Lawn fertilizer. Virginia's rules for fertilizer on non-agricultural land require certification for contractor-applicators. A Certified Fertilizer Applicator (CFA) completes an online course of 10 modules, listed by VDACS at $30, and the certification lasts four years. Recertification takes two hours of coursework every two years, and anyone applying fertilizer to more than 50 acres of non-agricultural land files an annual report by February 1 with acreage by zip code.

Where do home inspectors, locksmiths and septic installers fit?

Home inspectors. DPOR's Board for Asbestos, Lead, and Home Inspectors moved inspectors from voluntary certification to mandatory licensure on July 1, 2017. Inspecting new construction takes an extra New Residential Structure specialty, which needs an 8-hour Board-approved module on the Virginia Residential Code before you apply, and 4 hours of NRS continuing education counts toward the 16-hour renewal requirement.

Locksmiths. The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) registers them as part of its private security program. DCJS defines a locksmith as anyone who performs locksmith services or presents themselves as one, whatever the job title. Entry-level training is 18 hours (course 25E), renewal training is a 4-hour in-service (25I), and fingerprints are due by the hire date. A new hire can work up to 90 consecutive days under an employer's authorization document while completing training.

Septic. DPOR's Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals licenses installers, soil evaluators and operators. Installer licenses come in conventional and alternative tracks. The installer exam costs $80 through PSI, and the Board must approve you before you sit it. This is a different license from the CDS and ADS specialties on a contractor license, so a septic installer can need both.

What does Virginia exempt?

Section 54.1-1101 exempts a list of people from the contractor chapter. For a small service company the relevant items are these:

• Owners building, repairing or supervising work on no more than one primary residence they own and use in any 24-month period.
• Owners improving their own commercial, industrial or retail buildings, and their own residential units covered by the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
• Removing building debris, and cleaning or sanitizing services that are incidental to construction or repair.
• Work valued at $25,000 or less per project done on behalf of a properly licensed contractor holding a valid residential, commercial or home improvement building classification. Work that needs an individual license, such as electrical, must still be done by the licensed individual.
• Apprentices and students working under a licensed contractor's direct supervision.

Mowing and house cleaning are recurring services and do not involve building or repairing a structure, which is the activity the definition covers. That reading is ours, so ask DPOR before you rely on it for edge cases such as retaining walls, fences, decks or drainage. We found no state contractor license category named for stand-alone pressure washing or junk hauling. If a job touches a structure, ask DPOR which specialty applies.

What happens if you work without the right license?

Section 54.1-1115 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to contract for or bid on work without the required license, or without the right class for the value of the work. A violation can also bring a fine of up to $500 per day, in addition to the misdemeanor penalties, and in a consumer transaction it is a prohibited practice under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. An unlicensed contractor generally cannot enforce a construction contract unless it substantially performed in good faith and did not know a license was required. Letting a license lapse creates a rebuttable presumption that you knew.

What do cities and counties add?

Virginia localities add business licenses and permits. Fairfax County is one example from its own Land Development Services site: Class C contractors and those working below the Class C threshold must obtain a Fairfax County Home Improvement Contractor license, and a business license (BPOL) from the Department of Tax Administration is required within 75 days for a business with a physical location in the county for 30 or more consecutive days and gross receipts over $10,000. Out-of-county contractors earning over $25,000 in the county also need one. Other localities have their own thresholds, so check the building department and commissioner of the revenue where you work.

Federal rules also apply. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule covers anyone paid to disturb paint in homes built before 1978, including sole proprietorships, and it requires lead-safe certified firms.

What to set up before you bid your first job

Register the business with the State Corporation Commission. If you sell parts or materials, Virginia Tax says dealers of taxable items must register to collect sales tax. It taxes tangible goods and only certain services, so ask it which of yours apply. Then match your work to a class and specialty before you quote. Keep your license number consistent with the legal entity name on contracts, since the license belongs to the business. Once licensed, you have facts worth publishing: license class, specialties and entity name. A website that lists them, plus a phone line that answers calls from search and map listings, whether a person or an AI receptionist picks up, keeps those basics in front of customers. For the national view of how licensing boards compare, see how to get a contractor license and the licensing boards by state table.

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