Virginia plumbing license requirements and insurance

To work for yourself as a plumber in Virginia, you need the Class A Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB) license. Virginia has 6 plumbing license types, and which one you need depends on the work you take on. Workers' comp is required once you have employees. The state does not ask for a bond.

Checked by the Trades by State editor on 2026-09-16 Based on 24 official pages, listed at the bottom Something wrong? Tell us

License you need: Class A Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB) Renew Verify. The rules read (18VAC50-22-130 and -140) give the renewal fee and a 30-day window after expiry but not the length of the term
Workers' comp: Required as soon as you hire anyone
Credit score: None or take a 14-hour course
To protect your pay, send notice by: The statute read sets no fixed day for the subcontractor notice. Give it as early as you can, because the owner only has to pay you out of what the owner still owes the general contractor on the day your notice arrives

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1 What stands out in Virginia for a plumber What is this?

The things people get wrong or do not expect about Virginia, in a few sentences.

You need a state license for any plumbing job worth more than $1,000. Class C covers jobs up to $30,000, Class B up to $150,000, and Class A has no ceiling. Total work in a year also moves you up a class.
The state sets no liability insurance minimum for the license. Instead a Class A firm must show $45,000 of net worth and a Class B firm $15,000, or post a $50,000 bond in place of either.
Workers' comp becomes mandatory at three workers, and workers employed by your subcontractors count toward that number. Virginia offers no owner waiver form.
The rule says a plumber's tradesman license now runs three years and needs 3 hours of code classes to renew. The DPOR web page still says two years, so ask the board which applies to you.
Sales tax works one way only. You pay tax when you buy pipe and fixtures and you never add tax to the customer's bill for work on a building.
The 90-day lien clock starts on the last day of the month you last worked, not the day itself. Work that ended on January 10 gives you until May 1.

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·8 official pages

2 Who issues plumber licenses in Virginia? What is this?

Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors (DPOR) issues plumbing licenses in Virginia.

Name	Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors (DPOR)
Website	https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/boards/contractors
Look up a license	https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/LicenseLookup
The law	Code of Virginia Title 54.1 Chapter 11 (sections 54.1-1100 and following)
The rulebook	18VAC50-22 for the business license and 18VAC50-30 for the individual tradesman license
Who runs the exam	PSI

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3 Virginia plumber license requirements and fees What is this?

Virginia has 6 license types that matter to a plumber. The Class A Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB) needs the qualified individual (the person whose trade experience backs the firm) needs 5 years of plumbing experience and must be a full-time employee or an owner.

Class A Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB)

A business that takes any single plumbing job of $150,000 or more, or does $1,000,000 or more of work in any 12 months

What you can work on

Plumbing work of any size anywhere in Virginia. The PLB specialty covers piping, fixtures, appliances, water supply, drainage, boilers, and water heaters

Experience required

The qualified individual (the person whose trade experience backs the firm) needs 5 years of plumbing experience and must be a full-time employee or an owner

The person who stands behind the license

The qualifier for the PLB specialty must hold a Master Plumber tradesman license.
Years of experience on their own are not enough, at any class.
Rule 18VAC50-22-61 sets this for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, gas fitting and several other specialties

Training required

A board-approved basic business course of 8 hours, taken by the designated employee or an owner before you apply

Exam

Yes, a board exam run by PSI for the designated employee, plus the trade exam for the qualified individual. PSI charges $40 to $85 per exam portion

Money check

Net worth or equity of $45,000, shown by a financial statement, or a $50,000 surety bond on the board's form instead

Fees

Application	$400
Recovery fund fee, with the application	25
Renewal	$270
Recovery fund fee, with renewal	30
Technology fee, per year	7.25
Adding a license type	$125
Changing the qualifying person	$125

Renewal

Verify. The rules read (18VAC50-22-130 and -140) give the renewal fee and a 30-day window after expiry but not the length of the term

Training hours each year

None for the business license. The tradesman license has its own rule below

Taken from the linked page, not separately checked

·7 official pages

Class B Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB)

A business whose single jobs run from $30,000 up to but not including $150,000, or that does $250,000 up to $1,000,000 of work in any 12 months

What you can work on

Same plumbing work as Class A, capped at the dollar limits above

Experience required

The qualified individual needs 3 years of plumbing experience and must be a full-time employee or an owner

The person who stands behind the license

The qualifier for the PLB specialty must hold a Master Plumber tradesman license.
Years of experience on their own are not enough, at any class.
Rule 18VAC50-22-61 sets this for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, gas fitting and several other specialties

Training required

A board-approved basic business course of 8 hours

Exam

Yes, a board exam run by PSI for the designated employee, plus the trade exam for the qualified individual

Money check

Net worth or equity of $15,000, or a $50,000 surety bond instead

Fees

Application	$380
Recovery fund fee, with the application	25
Renewal	$260
Recovery fund fee, with renewal	30
Technology fee, per year	7.25

Renewal

Verify, see Class A

Taken from the linked page, not separately checked

·4 official pages

Class C Contractor license, specialty Plumbing (PLB)

A business whose single jobs are over $1,000 but under $30,000, and whose work in any 12 months stays under $250,000. This is the usual first business license for a one-truck plumber

What you can work on

Same plumbing work as Class A, capped at the dollar limits above

Experience required

The qualified individual needs 1 year of plumbing experience and must be a full-time employee or an owner

The person who stands behind the license

The qualifier for the PLB specialty must hold a Master Plumber tradesman license.
Years of experience on their own are not enough, at any class.
Rule 18VAC50-22-61 sets this for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, gas fitting and several other specialties

Training required

A board-approved basic business course of 8 hours

Exam

The rule says the qualified individual must have passed the board-approved exam for the specialty.
The DPOR page lists the PSI business exam for Class A and B only.
Whether a master plumber license satisfies the trade exam for PLB is not stated by the board.
Ask DPOR before you rely on it

Money check

None. The rule sets no net worth figure for Class C

Fees

Application	$235
Recovery fund fee, with the application	25
Renewal	$220
Recovery fund fee, with renewal	30
Technology fee, per year	7.25

Renewal

Verify, see Class A

Taken from the linked page, not separately checked

·4 official pages

Journeyman Plumber (tradesman license)

The individual license for a plumber who works for a licensed business. It does not let you run a business or take contracts over $1,000 on your own

What you can work on

Plumbing work as an individual under a licensed contractor

Experience required

One of these, with plumbing work counted in years and classes in hours. 8 years of work and no classes. 7 years and 40 hours. 6 years and 80 hours. 5 years and 160 hours. 4 years and 240 hours. 2 years and a two-year trade certificate or associate degree. 1 year and an engineering bachelor's degree

Training required

The class hours in the row you pick above. Board-approved continuing education can count as class hours

Exam

Yes, a board exam run by PSI. The rule caps the journeyman exam at $200. The DPOR page says $100 to $125 paid to PSI

Fees

Application	$150
Exam	$125
Renewal	$160
Adding a trade	$105
Technology fee, per year	7.25

Renewal

3 years by rule (18VAC50-30-120, effective 1 August 2025). The DPOR Tradesmen page still says two years. Verify which applies to your card

Training hours each renewal

About training hours

The 3 hours must cover the current plumbing code

Taken from the linked page, not separately checked

·5 official pages

Master Plumber (tradesman license)

The senior individual license. A plumbing business usually names a master plumber as its qualified individual. Check with the board whether this is required for the PLB specialty

What you can work on

Plumbing work as an individual, and supervising journeymen

Experience required

One of these. 1 year as a licensed journeyman plumber. 3 years holding a Virginia residential plumber license. Or a long work-only route the rule describes without a journeyman card (the page read reported 9 years; read 18VAC50-30-39 D before publishing)

Training required

None beyond the journeyman path

Exam

Yes, a board exam run by PSI. The rule caps the master exam at $225. The DPOR page says $100 to $125

Fees

Application	$150
Exam	$125
Renewal	$160

Renewal

3 years by rule, two years per DPOR page. Verify

Training hours each renewal

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·5 official pages

Residential Plumber (tradesman license)

Optional. A shorter first step for someone doing house plumbing under a licensed business. Three years holding it counts toward a master license

Experience required

6 years of work and no classes. 5 years and 40 hours. 4 years and 80 hours. 3 years and 120 hours. 2 years and 160 hours

Exam

Yes, run by PSI

Fees

Application	$150
Renewal	$160

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4 How much insurance does a plumber need in Virginia? What is this?

What Virginia requires you to carry before you work.

Minimum liability insurance	Not listed yet
Type of policy	None required for the license. The DPOR page and the rules for Class A, B, and C list a money check (net worth or bond), not an insurance policy
Who this applies to	Not applicable
Who must be named on the certificate	Not applicable
Workers' comp required?	Yes, once you regularly have more than two workers, part-time or full-time. That means three or more
Workers' comp: who counts as an employee	Workers employed by your subcontractors count toward your total, even when the subcontractor has its own policy. Officers, LLC managers, family members, and part-timers all count
Who can opt out	None. The Commission says Virginia law has no waiver or exemption form for a sole proprietor or any other employer. An owner with fewer than three workers may buy coverage for themselves by choice
Workers' comp: if you skip it	Up to $250 for each day without coverage, capped at $50,000

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5 Does Virginia check your credit for a plumber license? What is this?

Virginia does not check your credit for this license.

Credit score you need	None
Net worth needed, Class A	$45,000
Net worth needed, Class B	$15,000
Net worth needed, Class C	None
If your score is lower	A $50,000 surety bond on the board's form replaces the net worth figure for Class A or Class B
What you must disclose	You must list past-due debts, judgments, unpaid taxes, and bond defaults for the last 3 years (Class B and C) or 5 years (Class A), plus felonies and recent misdemeanors

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6 Does a plumber need a bond in Virginia? What is this?

Virginia does not require a state bond for this license. Some cities ask for one before they issue permits.

Does the state require a bond?	No
Amount	Not listed yet

The state does not make you post a bond. A $50,000 surety bond (a promise, backed by an insurance company, that customers can be paid if you do not finish the job) is one way to pass the money check for Class A or B. Every firm also pays into the Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund, $25 with the application and $30 at each renewal. Cities may ask for a permit bond, so check with your city.

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7 Where must a Virginia plumber show the license number? What is this?

In Virginia: every contract for work on a home must show your business name, address, license number, class of license, and your classifications or specialties. No rule read makes the number mandatory on ads or vehicles. Ads must not be false or misleading.

The rule	Every contract for work on a home must show your business name, address, license number, class of license, and your classifications or specialties. No rule read makes the number mandatory on ads or vehicles. Ads must not be false or misleading
If you forget	Leaving it off a residential contract breaks the board's standards of practice, which can bring a fine or action against the license. Verify the penalty range in 18VAC50-22 before publishing

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8 Does a plumber charge sales tax on labor in Virginia? What is this?

In Virginia, no sales tax. Work on real property is not a taxable sale. The rest of the rules are below.

See how this compares in every state: Sales tax on labor for plumbers and HVAC contractors by state

Who pays tax on materials	You. The law treats a contractor as the final user of pipe, fittings, fixtures, and water heaters that become part of a building. Your supplier charges you tax at purchase
Materials you bill to the customer	You do not add sales tax to the customer's bill as a tax. Build the tax you paid into your price
Labor on buildings	No sales tax. Work on real property is not a taxable sale
Resale certificate	Not for job materials. You cannot buy tax-free anything you know will go into a specific contract. A plumber who also sells fixtures over the counter may use a resale certificate for that stock only
Repairs to things that are not part of the building	If you sell and install an item that stays tangible personal property (not part of the building), you charge tax on the item, and labor you list separately on the invoice is exempt. Which plumbing items fall here is not spelled out by the state
Homes versus businesses	Same rule for a home and a business. The tax follows the materials, not the customer
Tax rate	5.3 percent in most of the state, 6 percent in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Central Virginia, 6.3 percent in some Southside counties, 7 percent in James City County, Williamsburg, and York County

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9 Getting paid: lien and notice deadlines for a Virginia plumber What is this?

If you are not paid in Virginia, a lien on the property is your backstop, but only if your notice goes out on time: the statute read sets no fixed day for the subcontractor notice. Give it as early as you can, because the owner only has to pay you out of what the owner still owes the general contractor on the day your notice arrives.

Who has to send a notice	A subcontractor or supplier hired by the general contractor, not by the owner, must give the owner written notice of the amount and type of the claim to hold the owner liable. A general contractor must file proof that it mailed a copy of the lien to the owner
Send your notice by	The statute read sets no fixed day for the subcontractor notice. Give it as early as you can, because the owner only has to pay you out of what the owner still owes the general contractor on the day your notice arrives
File your lien by	File a memorandum of lien (the lien paper, recorded with the circuit court) within 90 days from the last day of the month you last worked or delivered material, and never later than 90 days after the building is finished (last work on January 10 means the clock starts January 31 and you file by May 1)
How far back a lien can reach	The lien can only cover work or material from the 150 days before your last day on the job

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10 How much does it cost to become a plumber in Virginia? What is this?

The government fees on this page add up to about $760 in Virginia. Add insurance, tools, and a vehicle to get the real number.

Government fees, added up	$760

Does not include the 8-hour business course, a bond, insurance premiums, tools, a vehicle, or city permits

Our estimate

11Where these numbers come from

The labels under each table are explained on how to read a page.