Contractor License Requirements

The permit holder responsible for ensuring that subcontractors are properly licensed to perform work on construction projects. Contractor licenses are issued by VDPOR (Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) Board for Contractors. Contractor licenses consist of two parts, the class of the license, which determines what, if any restrictions are placed on the size of contracts/projects that may be performed and the classification or specialty, which determines what type of work the licensed contractor is allowed to perform. 

DPOR may require remedial education, revoke or suspend a license, or impose fines on persons violating or cooperating with others in violating the state code or department regulation.

A Roanoke Business License is required when working in the city.

Exception: a Roanoke business license is not necessary when the contractor has a business license in their home office locality and the total amount of work the contractor does in a given year is less than $25,000.

License Classes

Class Single contract Limit Annual limit
A $120,000 or more $750,000 or more
B $10,000 to $119,999 $150,000 to $749,999
C $1,000 to $10,000 $150,000 or less

Classifications

The classification or specialty defines types of work that may be performed with the license. There are six classifications:

Commercial building  (CBC)Residential building (RBC) 
Electrical (ELE)Highway/heavy (H/H)
HVAC (HVA) Plumbing (PLB)

Specialties

Specialty contractors are defined as those providing services that do not generally fall within the scope of any other classification above. There are 49 types of specialty contractors. A full list of specialties and their definitions is available on page 6 of this DPOR Regulations document.