Virginia Contractor License Requirements
Every figure below was read off the DPOR or the statute, and the sentence it came from is listed at the bottom of this page. Where a figure could not be verified this page says so rather than showing a number.
What the state requires
- Licence
- Contractor License — Class A (Class A, B and C differ by monetary limit)
- Issued by
- Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational RegulationVa. Code tit. 54.1, ch. 11 (§ 54.1-1100 et seq.); 18VAC50-22
- Exam
- Contractor licensing examination taken by the firm's Designated Employee: Class A requires the General, Virginia and Advanced portions; Class B requires the General and Virginia portions; Class C has no Designated Employee and no examination. Separately, each Qualified Individual must hold the applicable trade license/certification or pass the QI specialty examination.PSI
- Exam fee
- $85The Class A initial license fee of $400 is paid with the license application (Class B $380, Class C $235); a $25 Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund assessment is also due with each initial application. Renewal is $270 for Class A ($260 Class B, $220 Class C) plus a $30 Recovery Fund assessment. Exam fees are paid directly to PSI: $40 for one portion, $72 for two, $85 for three (Class A takes three); the QI specialty exam is $85. Effective July 1, 2026 certain DPOR fees include a separate Technology Fee of $7.25 per year.
- Application fee
- No verified figure
- Initial licence fee
- $400
- Licence bond
- Not requiredNo license bond is required if the firm documents the required net worth. A Class A firm that cannot verify $45,000 net worth or equity may instead obtain a $50,000 surety bond on the board's bond form; the Class B alternative is also a $50,000 surety bond.
- General liability
- Not requiredThe Board for Contractors regulations impose no general liability insurance requirement on Class A, B or C contractor licenses. The only insurance figure in the chapter applies to residential building energy analyst firms, which must carry at least $500,000 of general liability insurance.
- Workers compensation
- Not required
- Experience
- 5 yearsThe Qualified Individual for a Class A license must have a minimum of five years of experience in the classification or specialty for which the individual is the qualifier (three years for Class B, two years for Class C). All applicants must also complete eight hours of board-approved pre-license education; the regulation provides that each approved pre-license course must be six hours in length, so DPOR's eight-hour figure reflects the current course requirement.
- Financial requirement
- Class A: verified net worth or equity of $45,000 (financial statement with supporting documentation, CPA-reviewed statement, or CPA audit), or a $50,000 surety bond in lieu. Class B: $15,000 net worth or equity, or a $50,000 surety bond.
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requiredThe contractor firm license (Class A/B/C) carries no continuing education requirement; the renewal regulation requires only that the firm continue to meet all of the qualifications for licensure. Virginia's continuing education requirements attach to individual tradesman, backflow, elevator and water well certifications, not to the contractor firm license.
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- NASCLA exam
- AcceptedNASCLA lists the Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing among the agencies that accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. DPOR's own Contractors page references only the NASCLA Contractors Guide as a reference text, so confirm with the board which examination portions the NASCLA exam replaces before relying on it.
What people get wrong
Virginia's class structure is the thing applicants get wrong. Class A has no monetary limit and needs $45,000 net worth (or a $50,000 bond), five years' QI experience, and all three exam portions. Class B is limited to single contracts of $30,000 to under $150,000 (or $250,000 to under $1 million in any 12 months), needs $15,000 net worth and two exam portions. Class C covers single projects over $1,000 but under $30,000 (under $250,000 in 12 months), has no Designated Employee and no exam. A 2016 DPOR step-by-step guide still circulating on the DPOR site cites obsolete limits of $10,000/$120,000 — the current figures are in Va. Code § 54.1-1100. The license is issued to the business entity, not the individual, and the class is separate from the classification/specialty, which the Qualified Individual must qualify for independently.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Virginia?
- Yes. Virginia issues a state general contractor licence — Contractor License — Class A (Class A, B and C differ by monetary limit) — through the Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Virginia's class structure is the thing applicants get wrong. Class A has no monetary limit and needs $45,000 net worth (or a $50,000 bond), five years' QI experience, and all three exam portions. Class B is limited to single contracts of $30,000 to under $150,000 (or $250,000 to under $1 million in any 12 months), needs $15,000 net worth and two exam portions. Class C covers single projects over $1,000 but under $30,000 (under $250,000 in 12 months), has no Designated Employee and no exam. A 2016 DPOR step-by-step guide still circulating on the DPOR site cites obsolete limits of $10,000/$120,000 — the current figures are in Va. Code § 54.1-1100. The license is issued to the business entity, not the individual, and the class is separate from the classification/specialty, which the Qualified Individual must qualify for independently.
- Does Virginia accept the NASCLA exam?
- Yes. NASCLA lists the Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing among the agencies that accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. DPOR's own Contractors page references only the NASCLA Contractors Guide as a reference text, so confirm with the board which examination portions the NASCLA exam replaces before relying on it.
Sources
“Class A contractors perform or manage construction, removal, repair, or improvements when (i) the total value referred to in a single contract or project is $150,000 or more, or (ii) the total value of all such construction, removal, repair, or improvements undertaken by such person within any 12-month period is $1 million or more.”
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title54.1/chapter11/section54.1-1100/“verify a net worth or equity of $45,000 by submitting a completed financial statement with supporting documentation, a financial statement reviewed by a certified public accountant (CPA), or a CPA audit. ... the firm may obtain a $50,000 surety bond on the board's bond form. ... Has a minimum of five years of experience in the classification or specialty for which the individual is the qualifier”
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title18/agency50/chapter22/section60/“$15,000 or more by submitting a completed financial statement with supporting documentation, a financial statement reviewed by a certified public accountant (CPA), or a CPA audit. In lieu of this requirement, the firm may obtain a $50,000 surety bond”
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title18/agency50/chapter22/section50/“Class C Initial License with license application $235 Class B Initial License with license application $380 Class A Initial License with license application $400 ... In accordance with § 54.1-1119 of the Code of Virginia, a $25 Recovery Fund assessment is also required with each initial license application.”
https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/boards/Contractors/A501-27REGS.pdf“18 VAC 50-22-110. Renewal required. Licenses issued under this chapter expire two years from the last day of the month in which they were issued, as indicated on the license.”
https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/boards/Contractors/A501-27REGS.pdf“Exam Vendor PSI (855) 340-3910 ... Exam Fees (paid directly to PSI) $40 One portion of the exam $72 Two portions of the exam $85 Three portions of the exam $85 QI specialty exam”
https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Contractors“In order to become licensed as a Contractor (Class A, Class B, or Class C), applicants must complete eight hours of pre-license education. For Class A and Class B applicants, the pre-license education must be completed by a member of responsible management or the designated employee.”
https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Contractors“Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing”
https://www.nascla.org/nascla-commercial-exam-participating-state-agencies
Then there is the exam
Practise Virginia exam questions free, with explanations that cite the reference book and section.