Virginia doesn't require insurance to get a contractor or tradesman license, and house cleaning has no state license at all. The rule that does apply is workers' compensation: a business that regularly has more than two employees, part-time ones included, must carry it. General liability insurance is your own business decision, though customers, landlords, property managers and HOAs may ask for a certificate under their own contracts.
Here is where each line falls as of September 2026, and the kinds of cover worth asking an insurance agent about.
No. Nothing in Virginia's contractor statute (Va. Code Title 54.1, Chapter 11), the Board for Contractors regulations or the tradesman regulations requires a contractor, a handyman business, an electrician, a plumber or an HVAC tradesman to carry general liability or any other insurance to be licensed. DPOR's contractor license application doesn't ask for it either.
No official page says this in so many words. It's what the law and the forms leave out, as of September 2026. Class C, Virginia's contractor license for smaller jobs, also has no bond or net-worth requirement.
So the accurate way to put it is "Virginia doesn't require insurance for a license", not "handymen don't need insurance". The license rules themselves still apply: any construction, repair or improvement job worth more than $1,000 needs a DPOR contractor license, and electrical, plumbing, HVAC and gas work needs a tradesman license at almost any size (§ 54.1-1100, § 54.1-1129).
No state license was found for house cleaning: it isn't on DPOR's list of regulated professions (as of September 2026). That means there's no license-based insurance rule for cleaners either.
Two things still apply to a cleaning business, exactly as they do to a handyman:
Virginia's Workers' Compensation Act leaves out employers that have "regularly in service less than three employees" (§ 65.2-101). Every employer it covers "shall insure" its employees (§ 65.2-800). The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (VWC) puts it this way: an employer "who regularly employs more than two part-time or full-time employees" must carry coverage, with "no waivers and no exceptions" (VWC, information for employers).
Who counts may be broader than you expect. As of September 2026:
| Your situation | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| You work alone, with no employees and no subcontractors | Not required by law |
| Three or more people regularly work for you, part-time included | Required |
| Some of your helpers are family members | They count |
| Your business is a corporation or an LLC | Corporate officers and LLC managers count |
| You hire subcontractors for the same trade or the same contract | Their employees count toward your total, even if they have their own coverage (§ 65.2-302) |
| You pay your helpers on a 1099, or call them independent contractors | That doesn't decide it. The actual working relationship does |
If you're growing from a one-person business to a small crew, count everyone who works for you regularly before you take on the next helper, not after. The VWC's employer FAQs answer most questions about who counts. How you report a helper's pay for taxes doesn't settle it either way. This is general information, not tax advice.
No Virginia law requiring a handyman or cleaner to carry general liability insurance was found (as of September 2026). Whether to buy it is a business decision.
What such a policy is for, broadly, is claims that your work damaged someone's property or injured someone. What a particular policy covers, and what it leaves out, depends on its wording, so read the exclusions before you buy.
It often comes up because someone asks. Customers, landlords, property managers, HOAs and condo buildings may ask for a certificate of insurance under their own contracts. That's their requirement, not the state's. A certificate is a short document from your insurer that summarizes your policy, its dates and its limits. If you work for property managers or in apartment buildings, ask what they need before the first job, so the certificate doesn't hold you up on the day.
Beyond general liability, these are the questions worth putting to an insurance agent:
What cover costs depends on the work you do, whether you have helpers, the limits you choose and your history, so get quotes from more than one agent licensed in Virginia.
Insurance is a cost your rates need to cover, so factor it in when you work out how to price handyman jobs.
Work through these questions before you call an agent:
Then compare quotes, read what each policy excludes, and keep your certificate somewhere you can send it from your phone.
Insurance, like your rates, is your call as an independent service provider. When you're ready for another place to find customers, join One Stop Pros as a Pro.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, check with the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission, DPOR and a licensed insurance agent.
Last updated September 2026.
No. In Virginia, Class A and B contractors must show a minimum net worth ($45,000 for Class A, $15,000 for Class B) or post a $50,000 surety bond instead, and Class C has no bond or net-worth requirement (§ 54.1-1106, § 54.1-1108, as of September 2026). A bond backs unpaid court judgments for "improper or dishonest conduct"; it isn't insurance on the customer's home (§ 54.1-1120.1).
The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission can impose a civil penalty of up to $250 for each day without coverage, up to $50,000 in all. The employer can also be sued by an injured worker without the usual defenses, and can be ordered to stop operating until it complies (Va. Code § 65.2-805, as of September 2026).
Yes. A sole proprietor with no employees and no subcontractors isn't required to carry it, but can buy it voluntarily, and Virginia has no exemption or waiver form to file (VWC employer FAQs, as of September 2026). Ask an agent what a policy for yourself would cover.
No. As of September 2026, the records on DPOR's License Lookup show no insurance, bond or workers' comp information. A customer who wants proof asks you for a certificate of insurance, so keep yours current and easy to send.