Hiring guide · Virginia
Every contractor in Virginia who takes a job over $1,000 needs a Board for Contractors licence from the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The licence has a class — A, B or C — that sets how large a contract the firm may take, and one or more classifications and specialties that say what kind of work it may do. This page decodes both, counts the licences based in each Hampton Roads city, and shows how to check one.
BidBro Editorial Team·Published ·Licence counts as of
As of . Cite as: BidBro, “Virginia contractor licence classes, explained,” https://www.bidbro.com/guides/virginia-contractor-license-classes.
The thresholds below are the statutory definitions in Code of Virginia § 54.1-1100, quoted. A contractor may hold only one class; the class is about contract size, not quality.
| Class | Single contract or project | All work in any 12 months | Licences in Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | $150,000 or more | $1 million or more in any 12-month period | 25,702 |
| Class B | $30,000 or more, but less than $150,000 | $250,000 or more, but less than $1 million in any 12-month period | 7,418 |
| Class C | over $1,000 but less than $30,000 | less than $250,000 in any 12-month period | 10,478 |
What the class means for your project. Match the class to your contract value. A $40,000 kitchen needs at least a Class B contractor; a $200,000 addition needs Class A. A Class C firm can legally quote a $25,000 roof but not a $35,000 one — and a firm that offers to split a contract to stay under its limit is telling you something.
A classification is a broad trade (building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing); a specialty is a narrower one. Both appear as three-letter codes on the licence record. Where BidBro has a Virginia Beach directory page for the trade, the code links to it.
| Code | Name | Kind | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBC | Residential building contractors | classification | builds, remodels and repairs houses and other residential structures; the classification a home builder or general contractor holds |
| CBC | Commercial building contractors | classification | the same for commercial buildings |
| HIC | Home improvement contracting | specialty | improvements and repairs to existing homes — remodels, decks, porches, finish work — without new structures; the common remodeler specialty |
| CIC | Commercial improvement contracting | specialty | improvements to existing commercial buildings |
| ELE | Electrical contractors | classification | electrical wiring, panels, services and fixtures |
| HVA | HVAC contractors | classification | heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems |
| GFC | Gas fitting contracting | specialty | natural-gas and propane piping to appliances |
| PLB | Plumbing contractors | classification | plumbing: supply, drain, water heaters, fixtures |
| PTC | Painting and wallcovering contracting | specialty | painting and wallcovering |
| H/H | Highway/heavy contractors | classification | roads, bridges, utilities and other heavy civil work |
| CEM | Concrete contracting | specialty | concrete flatwork, foundations and slabs |
| ROC | Roofing contracting | specialty | roofing and roof repair |
| LSC | Landscape service contracting | specialty | landscaping, grading and hardscape |
| ESC | Electronic/communication service contracting | specialty | low-voltage, data, security and communication systems |
| BRK | Masonry contracting | specialty | brick, block and stone |
| ISC | Landscape irrigation contracting | specialty | landscape irrigation systems |
| POL | Swimming pool construction contracting | specialty | in-ground and above-ground swimming pool construction |
| AES | Alternative energy system contracting | specialty | solar and other alternative-energy systems |
| ASB | Asbestos contracting | specialty | asbestos abatement |
| FIN | Finish carpentry contracting | specialty | finish carpentry: trim, cabinets, stairs |
| FLR | Flooring and floor covering contracting | specialty | flooring and floor coverings |
| RFC | Recreational facility contracting | specialty | playgrounds, courts and recreational structures |
| FAS | Fire alarm systems contracting | specialty | fire-alarm systems |
| MCC | Marine facility contracting | specialty | docks, piers, bulkheads and other marine structures |
| NGF | Natural gas fitting provider contracting | specialty | natural-gas fitting as a utility provider |
| EMC | Equipment/machinery contracting | specialty | equipment and machinery installation |
| BSC | Billboard/sign contracting | specialty | billboards and signs |
| LPG | Liquefied petroleum gas contracting | specialty | liquefied-petroleum-gas systems |
| PAV | Asphalt paving and sealcoating contracting | specialty | asphalt paving and sealcoating |
| REF | Refrigeration contracting | specialty | refrigeration systems |
| FSP | Fire suppression contracting | specialty | fire-suppression systems |
| SPR | Fire sprinkler contracting | specialty | fire sprinklers |
Counts of Board for Contractors licences whose address of record is in the city, by class, from DPOR’s regulant lists as of September 29, 2026 — BidBro’s Hampton Roads licensed-contractor census has the full breakdown by specialty. A licence based in a city is not every contractor who works there.
| City | Licences based there | Class A | Class B | Class C | Share of Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 2,242 | 1,349 | 343 | 550 | 5.1% |
| Chesapeake | 1,293 | 786 | 235 | 272 | 3% |
| Norfolk | 659 | 389 | 122 | 148 | 1.5% |
| Newport News | 525 | 275 | 95 | 155 | 1.2% |
| Hampton | 398 | 208 | 70 | 120 | 0.9% |
| Suffolk | 375 | 225 | 65 | 85 | 0.9% |
| Portsmouth | 258 | 143 | 44 | 71 | 0.6% |
| Seven cities | 5,750 | 3,375 | 974 | 1,401 | 13.2% |
Virginia localities issue a building permit to a contractor licensed for the work, or to a homeowner acting as their own contractor. That is why an unlicensed contractor will often ask the homeowner to pull the permit: it moves the legal responsibility for the work, and the inspection, onto you. On Virginia Beach and Chesapeake permits, the value the licensed contractor declares is public — BidBro’s cost guides read it: Virginia Beach home project costs and Chesapeake home project costs.
Sources: Code of Virginia § 54.1-1100 (class definitions); DPOR regulant lists as of September 29, 2026, counted in the BidBro census. BidBro publishes counts only — no licensee names, addresses or numbers.
The class sets the size of work a contractor may take on. Under Code of Virginia § 54.1-1100, Class C covers single contracts over $1,000 but under $30,000 and under $250,000 of work a year; Class B covers single contracts of $30,000 up to $150,000 and $250,000 up to $1 million a year; Class A has no limit and is required at $150,000 per contract or $1 million a year. Across Virginia, DPOR lists 25,702 Class A, 7,418 Class B and 10,478 Class C licences as of September 29, 2026.
Use the Virginia DPOR licence lookup and search by the business name or licence number. The record shows the licence class, the classifications and specialties it carries, its status and its expiry date. Check that the name on the licence matches the name on your contract, and that the specialty matches the work — an ELE licence does not cover plumbing.
RBC is the Residential Building Contractors classification: the licence a home builder or residential general contractor holds for building, remodelling and repairing houses. It is the most common classification in Hampton Roads — Virginia Beach alone has 2,242 contractor licences based in the city, and RBC is the largest classification among them (the count is on the Virginia Beach page linked below).
HIC is the Home Improvement Contracting specialty: improvements, remodels and repairs to an existing home that do not add a new structure — kitchens, baths, decks, porches, finish work. A remodeler usually carries HIC; a firm that also builds additions or new houses carries RBC.
Yes. Virginia localities issue a building permit to a licensed contractor of the right class for the contract value, or to the homeowner acting as their own contractor. A contractor without the right licence cannot pull the permit in their own name, which is one reason unpermitted work happens; and a homeowner who pulls the permit for an unlicensed contractor takes on the liability. Check the licence before you sign.
DPOR's regulant lists as of September 29, 2026 show 5,750 Board for Contractors licences held by businesses based in the seven cities — Virginia Beach 2,242, Chesapeake 1,293, Norfolk 659, Newport News 525, Hampton 398, Suffolk 375, Portsmouth 258. That counts licences based in each city, not every contractor who works there. The full breakdown by class and specialty is the Hampton Roads licensed-contractor census.
Cost data and market snapshots from the BidBro editorial team.
