Which license does the contractor need in Virginia?
| Class | Single job | Or total in any 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| C | Over $1,000, under $30,000 | Under $250,000 |
| B | $30,000 to under $150,000 | $250,000 to under $1 million |
| A | $150,000 or more | $1 million or more |
Source: Code of Virginia 54.1-1100, read 20 October 2026. Guides written before mid-2025 may show lower class limits; check the date. The Board's Statement of Consumer Protections uses the current ones.
The class sets the size; the specialty "determines what type of work is allowed" (DPOR). DPOR's license files, which we read, code them, for example ELE (electrical), PLB (plumbing), HVA (HVAC) and HIC (home improvement). Individual electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and HVAC technicians hold a separate tradesman license from the same board.
So two things must fit your job: the class must cover the price, and a specialty must cover the work. A remodel that adds a bathroom touches three: the general contractor's class and specialty, the plumber's tradesman license, and the electrician's. Ask for all three numbers on the first visit; a firm that hires licensed subcontractors will have them to hand.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Ask for the license number. The Board says it "should be included in a contract".
- Open DPOR License Lookup and type the number, or the business name, into "Search Text".
- Open the record. Check the class against your contract price and the specialties against the work.
- Check the expiry date. DPOR says a license expired for more than 30 days needs Board staff to sort out.
- Run the Disciplinary Action Search on the same page for the firm and the owner's name.
- Note DPOR's caveat: the lookup "may not be up to date at all times". For a formal answer, DPOR sells a certified license verification.
- For electrical or plumbing work, also check the individual tradesman's license.
Penalties for unlicensed contracting in Virginia
Contracting without the required license is "a Class 1 misdemeanor", and the person "shall be fined an amount not to exceed $500 per day for each day that such person is in violation" on top of that (54.1-1115). The Board itself cannot order a contractor to refund you: "the board does not have the authority to order a license holder to reimburse or refund money"; that goes through the courts.
The Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund
| Rule | Figure |
|---|---|
| Most one claimant gets for one transaction | $30,000, "including any amount paid from a contractor's surety bond" (54.1-1123) |
| Most paid on one contractor | $100,000 per biennium, prorated if claims exceed it |
| What you need | A Virginia court judgment against a licensed contractor for "improper or dishonest conduct"; it "does not include mere breach of contract" |
| Property | A residence in Virginia |
| License | Licensed when the conduct happened |
| Deadline | Claim form "within 12 months after the judgment is final" |
Source: DPOR Recovery Fund. The fund is a last resort, paid "only after all other civil legal remedies are exhausted". In 2026, Chapter 508 (effective 1 July 2026) applied the 2025 limits to claims filed on or after 6 June 2024 and told the Board to reopen eligible cases settled under the old limits. If you were paid under the old cap, ask DPOR's Adjudication section, (804) 367-1559.
What the license does not tell you
DPOR's record says the firm may take a job of your size. It does not say whether the firm's permits passed inspection. Arlington County publishes that, and here we can put both side by side:
| Arlington trade | Firms | Match a current DPOR license | Permits finished | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remodel | 346 | 94.8% | 88.5% | 112 |
| Addition | 348 | 96.0% | 88.5% | 235 |
| Electrical | 524 | 94.3% | 86.5% | 99 |
| Plumbing | 448 | 93.1% | 83.3% | 75 |
| HVAC | 274 | 94.2% | 86.9% | 148 |
With licenses this common, the license stops separating firms. The finished share and the speed do. DPOR's bulk lists hold current licenses only, so we cannot see lapsed or revoked ones: the 5.2% of remodel firms with no match are a gap in our matching or firms licensed under another name, not a finding of unlicensed work.
The five-minute version: look the firm up on DPOR, check its class against your price, then open its Arlington page with us and read its own finished share against the 88.5% county-wide figure for remodels.
Red flags on a Virginia license record
- A contract price above the firm's class limit: Class C over $30,000, Class B at $150,000 or more.
- No specialty covering your work, such as a firm with only a roofing specialty bidding a kitchen.
- Any entry in the Disciplinary Action Search.
- An expiry date before your finish date.
- A deposit far above the Board's suggested "about 10% of the total cost of the contract" (about 30% for custom-made items).
- A contractor who says the Board will make them refund you if something goes wrong. It cannot; complaints go to DPOR's Complaint Analysis & Resolution section, (804) 367-8504, and money comes back only through the courts or the fund.
How we know this
License status comes from DPOR's public "Regulant Lists" of current Board for Contractors licenses (occupations 2701 and 2705 A/B/C), matched to contractor names on Arlington County permits by business name, then by address where a name was ambiguous. Because the lists hold only current licenses, every match is Active and lapsed licenses cannot be seen. A firm we could not match is shown as unmatched, not as unlicensed. "Finished" is the share of permits with a recorded final. Code text is quoted from the Code of Virginia on law.lis.virginia.gov and Board rules from DPOR, read 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from Arlington County, VA building and trade permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Arlington remodeler by their permit record →
Questions
- Is the Virginia contractor license lookup free?
Yes. DPOR's License Lookup at dporweb.dpor.virginia.gov/LicenseLookup takes a name, license number, address or license type, and has a separate Disciplinary Action Search.
- What are Virginia's Class A, B and C limits?
Class C covers single jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000 (under $250,000 a year); Class B $30,000 to under $150,000 ($250,000 to under $1 million a year); Class A $150,000 or more, or $1 million or more a year (Code of Virginia 54.1-1100).
- Does a Virginia handyman need a license?
For a job of $1,000 or less, the Code's classes do not reach it; Class C starts at "over $1,000". Above that, a contractor's license is required.
- How much does the Virginia Recovery Fund pay?
Up to $30,000 per claimant for one transaction, including anything paid by the contractor's bond, and $100,000 per contractor in a two-year period (54.1-1123). You need a Virginia judgment for improper or dishonest conduct, filed with DPOR within 12 months of it becoming final.
- What is the penalty for contracting without a license in Virginia?
A Class 1 misdemeanor plus a fine of up to $500 for each day of the violation (Code of Virginia 54.1-1115).
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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- Board for Contractors — Virginia DPOR (2026-10-20)
- License Lookup — Virginia DPOR (2026-10-20)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1100 Definitions (Class A, B, C) (2026-10-20)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1115 Prohibited acts (2026-10-20)
- Code of Virginia 54.1-1123 Limits on recovery (2026-10-20)
- Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund — Virginia DPOR (2026-10-20)
- Statement of Consumer Protections (contractors) — Board for Contractors (2026-10-20)
- 2026 Acts of Assembly, Chapter 508 (SB 565) (2026-10-20)
- VA SB565 (2026) bill history — LegiScan (2026-10-20)
- Regulant Lists — Virginia DPOR (2026-10-20)