InstaBidsHow do you check a contractor license in Virginia?
Virginia contractor licenses are issued by the Board for Contractors within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, whose License Lookup page is the public search; each license has a class that limits project value and a specialty that limits the type of work.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
Source: Virginia DPOR, License Lookup, read 16 October 2026.
The license lookup is yours to run on the state's site.
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Key facts
- DPOR's License Lookup page is the public search for Virginia licenses.
Source: Virginia DPOR, License Lookup, read 16 October 2026.
- The Board for Contractors licenses businesses that build, remove, repair or improve facilities on property owned by others.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
- A Virginia contractor license has a class, which limits project value, and a classification or specialty, which limits the type of work.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
Where is the Virginia contractor license lookup?
The search is DPOR's License Lookup page, on the department's own dpor.virginia.gov site, and the same department publishes consumer resources for anyone hiring a regulated professional.
Source: Virginia DPOR, License Lookup, read 16 October 2026.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Consumer Resources, read 16 October 2026.
DPOR's consumer page, read 16 October 2026, says: "DPOR is a valuable resource for consumers when hiring or working with a regulated professional."
Source: Virginia DPOR, Consumer Resources, read 16 October 2026.
The same page says who decides which work needs a license: "The General Assembly determines which professions and occupations require licensure or certification."
Source: Virginia DPOR, Consumer Resources, read 16 October 2026.
Which work does the Virginia Board for Contractors license?
The board licenses businesses that build, remove, repair or improve facilities on someone else's property, and it also licenses individual tradesmen and residential building energy analysts.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
The board's page says: "The Board for Contractors licenses businesses engaged in the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of facilities on property owned by others."
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
It continues: "The Board also licenses tradesmen, as well as individuals and firms engaged in residential building energy analysis, which involves evaluation of energy consumption and recommendations to improve energy efficiency."
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
How do you read the class and specialty on a Virginia license?
Read both parts of the record: the class sets how large a contract or project the business may take on, and the classification or specialty sets which kind of work it may do.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
The board explains: "Contractor licenses consist of two parts: the class of license (A, B, or C), which determines the monetary value of contracts/projects that may be performed, and the classification/specialty, which determines what type of work is allowed."
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
In our reading, the specialty is where a lookup earns its keep. A business can hold a current license and still not hold the specialty your job needs, and the record is the place to see that.
What should you ask a Virginia contractor before you look them up?
Ask for the license number, the business name it is issued under, the class and the specialties, then compare each answer with the record on DPOR's License Lookup. These are practical suggestions, not board rules.
Source: Virginia DPOR, Board for Contractors, read 16 October 2026.
Source: Virginia DPOR, License Lookup, read 16 October 2026.
- Ask for the license number as it will appear on the contract.
- Ask which class the license is, and whether the size of your job fits it.
- Ask which specialty covers your job, and look for it on the record.
- If a tradesman rather than the business will do part of the work, ask for that person's own license too.
- Write down what the record showed and the day you looked, and keep it with the contract.
Who sees your contact details when you post a job on InstaBids?
One point about InstaBids follows. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.
Source: InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts, read 16 October 2026.
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