How to Check a Contractor's License in Virginia (Step by Step)

To check a contractor's license in Virginia, search their name or license number on DPOR's free License Lookup. Then make sure the license hasn't expired and that its class and specialties cover your job. It takes a few minutes, and the same tool covers electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and gas fitters.

Why check a contractor's license in Virginia?

Virginia requires a license for a lot of home work. As of September 2026:

• A contractor license from DPOR, the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, is needed for any construction, repair, removal or improvement job worth more than $1,000 (Va. Code § 54.1-1100).
• A tradesman license is needed for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas work done for pay, at almost any job size (§ 54.1-1129).

A license also decides whether the state's Recovery Fund can help you if a job goes badly wrong (see below).

On One Stop Pros, as on any marketplace, you evaluate this yourself. Pros are independent service providers who represent their own licenses. Before booking, every customer sees a notice headed "Before you book" and ticks "I understand". It reads:

Service providers on OneStopPros are independent providers. They are not employees of OneStopPros.

You are responsible for evaluating whether a provider has the experience, qualifications, insurance, licences or permits appropriate or legally required for your particular project.

OneStopPros does not certify professional licensing or insurance unless specifically stated on the platform.

The steps below are how you do that evaluation for licenses.

How do you use DPOR's License Lookup?

1. Get the license number. Ask the contractor for their DPOR license number and the exact name the license is issued under. DPOR says the license number should be in your contract anyway.
2. Open DPOR's License Lookup. It's free, and it covers both contractors and tradesmen.
3. Search. Type the license number, which is the most exact search, or the business's or person's name. The search box also takes an address or a license type, and there is an Advanced Search.
4. Open the record and check four things:
   • Name: it matches the business on your estimate or contract.
   • Expiration Date: it's in the future. The search also lists licenses that expired years ago.
   • Rank: this is where DPOR's record shows the license class (Class A, B or C). The class has to cover the price of your job.
   • Specialties: the kinds of work the license covers, for example "Plumbing (PLB)". They should match your job.
5. Check for disciplinary actions. The same page has a Disciplinary Action Search.
6. Save a copy. Print the record or take a screenshot, and keep it with your contract.

What does the license class mean?

The class sets how big a job a contractor may take. The limits rose on July 1, 2025, and many websites still show the old ones. As of September 2026 (Va. Code § 54.1-1100):

So a single job of $30,000 or more needs a contractor with at least a Class B license.

How do you verify a plumber's or electrician's license?

Look up two licenses, because Virginia licenses the business and the person separately:

• A contractor license is for the business. It's needed for jobs worth more than $1,000, in Class A, B or C.
• A tradesman license is for the person. Anyone doing electrical, plumbing or HVAC work for pay needs one, at journeyman or master level, unless they work under the supervision of someone who holds one. Gas fitters need licenses too (§ 54.1-1128, § 54.1-1129).

An electrical, plumbing or HVAC contractor must also have a master tradesman (§ 54.1-1100). So for an electrical job over $1,000, look up the company's contractor license and the electrician's own license. A tradesman's record shows the trade and level under Specialties, for example "Master Electrician".

A handyman needs no license for a job worth $1,000 or less that involves no trade work. For the rest of the rules, see do you need a license to be a handyman in Virginia?

What else should you ask for?

Proof of insurance

A license record doesn't show insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance. Check that it names the same business as your contract and that its dates cover your job. If anything looks off, call the insurance company listed on it. One Stop Pros doesn't certify a Pro's insurance, so this check is yours too.

A written contract

For residential work, a licensed contractor must give you a written contract, signed by both of you before work starts or any payment is taken (18VAC50-22-260, as of September 2026). At a minimum, it must include:

• the start date and the estimated completion date;
• the total cost, and the payment schedule, including the down payment;
• the materials and work you asked for;
• a clause on delays;
• an assurance that the work will comply with permits and zoning;
• your cancellation rights;
• your acknowledgment that you received DPOR's consumer statement;
• the contractor's name, address, license number, class and specialties;
• a statement that changes must be in writing and signed;
• a notice about the Recovery Fund.

You get a signed copy before work starts. Compare the license number, class and specialties on it with the record you looked up.

Who pulls the permit?

Many projects need a building permit from your county or city. Ask who will pull it, and make sure the contract says. Fairfax County, for example, lets homeowners pull permits in their own name but "strongly recommends" that a licensed contractor pull them (Fairfax County Land Development Services).

What is the Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund?

Virginia's Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund can pay a homeowner who holds an unpaid court judgment against a licensed contractor for improper or dishonest conduct. A simple breach of contract isn't covered. As of September 2026 (§ 54.1-1118, § 54.1-1120, § 54.1-1123):

• It pays up to $30,000 per claimant, and up to $100,000 per contractor in each two-year period. Both limits rose on July 1, 2025.
• You must file within 12 months of the judgment.
• It doesn't cover work by unlicensed people, or by individual tradesmen.

The fund only helps if you hired a licensed contractor, which is one more reason to check before the work starts.

What are the warning signs?

• A large cash deposit before any work starts. DPOR suggests a down payment of about 10% of the job, or about 30% for custom-made items.
• No written contract, or pressure to start before one is signed.
• A request that you pull the permit.
• A license that doesn't match: a different name from the one on the contract, a class too low for the price, or an expiration date that has passed.

Where does this matter on One Stop Pros?

Four groups of services on One Stop Pros carry a licensing notice for Pros: plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and fence and deck work. To add one of them, a Pro ticks "I certify that I will only accept and perform services that I am legally authorized and qualified to perform." One Stop Pros records that statement. It doesn't check the license.

So for these jobs, ask the Pro for their license number and run the lookup above before the work starts. When you're ready, you can compare independent local Pros for plumbing services, electrical services, HVAC services or fence and deck repair.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm anything important with DPOR.

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Last updated September 2026.