STATE LICENSE
RequiredVirginia Department of Professional and O…
Virginia gives framers their own exam-based specialty: FRM covers constructing, removing, repairing, or improving any framing or rough carpentry needed for framed structures, including individual framing-system components. Contracts over $1,000 need a Class A, B, or C license carrying it.
Framing is also where Virginia's sub carve-out bites hardest. § 54.1-1101(A)(15) exempts work valued at $25,000 or less per project done on behalf of a contractor licensed in RBC, CBC, or HIC — so a framing crew under a licensed builder may not need its own license on smaller jobs, but any larger package, or any direct contract with an owner over $1,000, does.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
DPOR's license is statewide, but the application itself makes every firm affirm it will comply with local licensing in each city, county, and town where it works. Two local desks matter. First, the building department: Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building Code supersedes local building codes (§ 36-98) but is enforced locally (§ 36-105), and § 54.1-1111 bars the permit desk from issuing a permit without proof of a DPOR license or a written statement that you are exempt. Virginia cities are independent of counties (§ 15.2-102), so in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Richmond, or Alexandria the city's own building department is the desk — no county is involved — while in counties such as Arlington and Loudoun the county building department handles county permits. Towns sit inside their counties. Second, the commissioner of the revenue: the local business license (BPOL) is owed where your office is, and any other locality may require its own once your work there tops $25,000 in a year (§ 58.1-3715); that office also needs proof of your DPOR license or an affidavit of exemption.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Virginia county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Under a licensed RBC, CBC, or HIC prime, framing valued at $25,000 or less per project needs no license of your own. One dollar over, and it does.
A contractor who hires someone lacking a required credential is solely responsible for the resulting penalty under § 54.1-1115.01 — expect primes to check.
Under 2026's House Bill 30, DPOR adds a $7.25-per-year technology fee to certain fees from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 — that is the $14.50 baked into each two-year application total.
A practical sequence for a new framing contractor in Virginia. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Contracting or bidding on work for another without a license, or without the proper class for the value of the work, is a Class 1 misdemeanor — up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine — plus a fine of up to $500 for every day in violation. In a consumer transaction it is also a Virginia Consumer Protection Act violation.
A construction contract entered by an unlicensed contractor is not enforceable by that contractor unless he substantially performed in good faith AND did not actually know a license was required. Letting a license lapse creates a rebuttable presumption that you knew.
Working outside your class or specialty, or failing to obtain a required permit or inspection, is a prohibited act for licensees. DPOR boards may fine up to $2,500 per violation, and suspend or revoke.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: PSI fees for the specialty technical exams and the Class A/B business exams (paid to PSI; not stated on the DPOR pages reviewed) · Whether the $7.25-per-year technology fee is also added to renewal and reinstatement fees — confirmed only on the 08/01/2026 initial application form · DPOR's forms label the specialty 'Framing Sub Contractor' while 18VAC50-22-30 defines it as 'Framing contractor' with no subcontract-only restriction; the record follows the regulation text
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.