Requirements by state
Virginia contractor license requirements
Quick answer
Virginia contractor license requirements
Virginia licenses contractors through DPOR's Board for Contractors in three classes by project size: Class A ($150,000+, 5 years experience), Class B ($30,000 to $149,999, 3 years), and Class C ($1,000 to $29,999, 1 year). Applicants pass PSI exams at $85 per part, complete an 8-hour pre-license course, and meet a net-worth or bond requirement scaled to class.
At a glance
- Agency
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors
- Exam
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors exam (PSI)
- Vendor
- PSI
- Fees
- Class A application fee $400; Class B application fee $380; Class C application fee $235; Recovery Fund fee $25
- NASCLA accepted
- Yes
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-28
License classes
- A
- Class A : Any project valued at $150,000 or more; 5 years of experience.
- B
- Class B : $30,000 to $149,999; 3 years of experience.
- C
- Class C : $1,000 to $29,999; 1 year of experience.
Virginia regulates contracting through a state-level general contractor license. This page lays out exactly what Virginia requires: the licensing agency, who must be licensed, experience, exams, fees, the financial responsibility mechanism, and reciprocity, every figure sourced and dated below.
Who must be licensed in Virginia
Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors is the licensing authority. Class A for contracts of $150,000 or more; Class B for $30,000 to $149,999; Class C for $1,000 to $29,999.
Experience and qualification
Class A requires 5 years of experience, Class B requires 3 years, and Class C requires 1 year.
License classes
- A (Class A): Any project valued at $150,000 or more; 5 years of experience.
- B (Class B): $30,000 to $149,999; 3 years of experience.
- C (Class C): $1,000 to $29,999; 1 year of experience.
Exam
PSI exams, $85 per part, with failed parts retaken individually for a new $85 fee.
Fees
- Class A application fee: $400
- Class B application fee: $380
- Class C application fee: $235
- Recovery Fund fee: $25
Financial responsibility
Virginia uses net worth / financial statement ($15,000 to $45,000 (or bond)) as its financial-responsibility mechanism. Class A requires $45,000 net worth or a $50,000 bond; Class B requires $15,000 net worth or a $50,000 bond; Class C has no minimum net worth requirement.
Reciprocity and the NASCLA exam
Virginia accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for the commercial building classification, confirmed against NASCLA’s own participating-agencies list. If you already hold a NASCLA credential from another participating state, it can satisfy Virginia’s trade exam requirement (any state-specific business and law exam is still required). See the NASCLA exam explained and contractor license reciprocity for the full picture, and the 50-state comparison for which other states accept it.
Official source
Verify everything at the source: Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors, www.dpor.virginia.gov. The NASCLA participating-agencies determination above is drawn from NASCLA’s own list, nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24.
Sources: Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors (www.dpor.virginia.gov, reviewed 2026-07-28); NASCLA participating state agencies list (nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24). Fee, bond, and experience figures are compiled from the agency's published requirements and current industry compliance guides as of 2026-07-28; treat any figure not independently reconfirmed against a fetched primary-source page as reported pending the next freshness review, per this site's standard practice.