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How to check a contractor's license in Virginia

Virginia contractors are licensed by the Board for Contractors, part of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A contractor needs a license when the job is worth over $1,000, and the license class caps the size of job.

When a license is required

No one may contract without a license (Code of Virginia 54.1-1103), and 54.1-1100 starts Class C at jobs over $1,000. Class C covers a single job under $30,000, Class B $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A $150,000 or more. Yearly totals can also push a business into a higher class.

Which license class

TradeDPOR classification
PaintingPTC (painting and wallcovering)
RoofingROC
ElectricalELE
PlumbingPLB
Heating and air conditioningHVA
General buildingCBC (commercial) or RBC (residential)

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors must also hold a master tradesman license. A DPOR license has two parts: the class (A, B or C) that caps the contract value, and the classification that says what work it allows (18VAC50-22-20).

Check it in three steps

  1. Ask for the license number.
  2. Look it up on DPOR's license lookup. The license should be current.
  3. Check that the class covers your contract value and the classification covers the work.

The Virginia Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund can repay homeowners who hold an unsatisfied court judgment against a licensed contractor for residential work. It pays at most $30,000 per transaction (54.1-1123).

Licensed contractors we've already checked