VIRGINIA LICENSE RENEWALS

Virginia contractor license renewal guide

Virginia renewal requirements depend on whether the record belongs to a contracting business or an individual tradesperson, and on the work classification it covers. This guide summarizes the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) rules for roofers, electricians, HVAC contractors, and solar installers.

Official sources checked October 16, 2026.

Need to check a specific record? Read the Virginia contractor license lookup guide.

THE RENEWAL FRAMEWORK

Start with the right license record

A Board for Contractors license covers a contractor firm or sole proprietor. Virginia assigns it a contractor license class and the classifications or specialties that describe the work it may perform. An individual tradesman license belongs to the person doing regulated trade work. One record does not renew the other.

A contractor license generally expires two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued. The renewal form and fee must reach the Board within 30 days after expiration. A license is not valid during that 30-day period. After that period, the license must be reinstated, and reinstatement rules depend on how long it has been expired. Keep the business qualified for its license class.

Check the exact DPOR record, expiration date, class, and work classification before preparing a renewal. Do not treat a notice period as permission to contract while a license is expired.

Virginia DPOR Board for Contractors18VAC50-22-110 — License term18VAC50-22-130 — Renewal and reinstatementDPOR License Lookup

TRADE-SPECIFIC DISTINCTIONS

What to check for each trade

Roofers

Virginia treats roofing as contractor scope. The Roofing Contracting specialty (ROC) covers specified roof and roof-deck work; the Commercial Building (CBC) and Residential Building (RBC) classifications and the Home Improvement (HIC) and Commercial Improvement (CIC) specialties also include roofing work within their defined scope.

  • Renew the contracting business license on its contractor-license cycle and confirm that the active class and classification or specialty cover the work the business takes on.
  • The cited state rules identify roofing under contractor classifications and specialties; they do not provide a separate roofer tradesman renewal cycle. If roofing work also involves electrical or HVAC work, check the separate requirements for those scopes.
18VAC50-22-110 — License term18VAC50-22-130 — Renewal and reinstatement18VAC50-22-30 — Contractor classifications and specialties

Electricians

Electrical contracting businesses and individual electricians have separate records and renewal dates.

  • The business renews its contractor license on the two-year cycle and must keep the applicable electrical contracting classification and class qualifications current. The electrical contractor classification requires a qualified individual who holds a Virginia master electrician tradesman license.
  • An individual electrician tradesman license expires on a three-year cycle. At renewal or reinstatement, the licensee must complete three hours of Board-approved continuing education for each electrical designation held. The Board’s rule specifies that the education covers applicable code changes.
18VAC50-22-110 — License term18VAC50-22-130 — Renewal and reinstatement18VAC50-22-61 — Qualified individual requirements18VAC50-30-120 — Tradesman renewal and continuing education

HVAC contractors

HVAC contracting businesses and individual HVAC tradesmen also renew separate licenses.

  • The business renews its contractor license on the two-year cycle and must keep the applicable HVAC contracting classification and class qualifications current. The HVAC contractor classification requires a qualified individual who holds a Virginia master HVAC tradesman license.
  • An individual HVAC tradesman license expires on a three-year cycle. At renewal or reinstatement, the licensee must complete three hours of Board-approved continuing education for each HVAC designation held. The Board’s rule specifies that the education covers applicable code changes.
18VAC50-22-110 — License term18VAC50-22-130 — Renewal and reinstatement18VAC50-22-61 — Qualified individual requirements18VAC50-30-120 — Tradesman renewal and continuing education

Solar installers

Virginia has an Alternative Energy Systems (AES) contractor specialty, but it does not replace licenses for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, or gas-fitting work.

  • For covered alternative or supplemental energy systems installed, repaired, or improved from the customer’s meter, AES is the designated contractor specialty. Its rule expressly excludes electrical, plumbing, gas-fitting, and HVAC work. The contractor license still follows the two-year renewal cycle; the correct class and specialty depend on the actual scope.
  • For AES qualification, the current rule lists a class-based experience route or a route involving a Roofing Contracting specialty obtained by examination plus NABCEP or another Board-approved certification; a Board-approved examination is also required. These are specialty qualification rules, not a recurring AES renewal course. Electrical work must be covered separately, and individual electricians remain subject to their own license and continuing-education rules.
18VAC50-22-110 — License term18VAC50-22-130 — Renewal and reinstatement18VAC50-22-30 — Contractor classifications and specialties18VAC50-22-61 — Qualified individual requirements18VAC50-30-120 — Tradesman renewal and continuing education

SOURCE LIST

Official Virginia sources

INFORMATIONAL ONLY

Confirm the current rule with DPOR

This page is informational only, not legal advice or a license determination. Verify current requirements, status, fees, forms, and deadlines with the Virginia DPOR Board for Contractors before acting. RivetDocket does not file Virginia contractor or tradesman license renewals for customers. RivetDocket can help organize recorded credential dates and prepare related paperwork for contractor review; the licensing authority decides whether to renew a license.

For RivetDocket’s credential date tracking and paperwork preparation support, see license and insurance support.