Virginia · 8 jurisdictions covered
Business licenses and permits in Virginia
Virginia has no statewide business license — that is the local BPOL tax, whose gross-receipts threshold exempts you from the tax but not from the fee. It does set one flat $40 restaurant permit that applies almost everywhere.
What applies everywhere in Virginia
13 requirements are set by Virginia itself and apply whichever city you open in. Local permits sit on top of them.
| Requirement | Issued by | Fee | Applies | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Registration Fee | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $50–$850 a year — $50 flat for an LLC, $50 to $850 for a corporation by authorised shares | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporation | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $75–$2,525 one-time — a $25 filing fee plus a charter fee on authorised shares | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC) | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $100 one-time filing | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | No fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Certified Food Protection Manager | Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services | No fee | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Child Day Programme License | Virginia Department of Education, Child Care Licensing | $28–$400 for two years, banded by licensed capacity | To every business | 2026-09-03 |
| Contractor License | Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors | $274.50–$439.50 initial — $274.50 Class C, $419.50 Class B, $439.50 Class A, including the recovery fund and technology charges | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Dealer's Certificate of Registration | Virginia Department of Taxation | No fee | To every business | 2026-09-03 |
| Food Establishment Permit | Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental Services | $40 a year; a new establishment also pays $40 for plan review | To every business | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia) | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | No state fee. A locality may charge up to $50 where its population exceeds 25,000, or $30 below that, plus a tax on gross receipts once you pass its threshold | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Salon, Shop, Spa or Parlor License | Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Barbers and Cosmetology | $234.50 every two years — a $220 fee plus a $7.25-a-year technology charge | To every business | 2026-09-03 |
| Tradesman License | Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors | $171.75 original license — a $150 fee plus the $7.25-a-year technology charge | Only in some cases | 2026-09-03 |
| Veterinary Establishment Registration | Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Health Professions | $300 initial registration; $200 to renew | To every business | 2026-09-03 |
Sources
Every statewide figure above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1062 — annual registration fee for limited liability companiesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-775.1 — annual registration fee for corporations, banded by authorised sharesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-616 — corporation filing feesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-615.1 — corporate charter and entrance feesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1005 — limited liability company filing feesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation — the complete list of regulated professions and occupationsVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 46.2-1600 — definition of a rebuilder, which reaches a shop repairing two or more salvage vehicles in a yearVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 12VAC5-421-55 — certified food protection manager requirement and its exemptionsVirginia Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 8VAC20-821-150 — child day programme licensing fees by capacityVirginia Department of Education · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 22.1-289.02 — definitions of child day centre and home-based child careVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC50-22-100 — Board for Contractors initial license feesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 54.1-1100 — Class A, B and C contractor definitions and thresholds as amended in 2025Virginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 58.1-613 — dealer's certificate of registration, which imposes no feeVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Virginia Department of Taxation — register a business in VirginiaVirginia Department of Taxation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Virginia Department of Health — food establishment permit application, stating the $40 annual permit feeVirginia Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Virginia Department of Health — food establishment permit application processVirginia Department of Health · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 58.1-3703 — counties, cities and towns may impose local license taxes and feesVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- Code of Virginia section 58.1-3706 — limitation on rate of license taxes and the gross-receipts thresholdsVirginia General Assembly · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC41-20-140 — Board for Barbers and Cosmetology fee scheduleVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC41-20-160 — expiration of barber and cosmetology licensesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC50-30-90 — tradesman license feesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC150-20-100 — Board of Veterinary Medicine fee scheduleVirginia Department of Health Professions · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
- 18VAC150-20-180 — veterinary establishment registration requirementVirginia Department of Health Professions · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Which Virginia city are you opening in?
- Prince William County, VAVirginia is the one U.S. state where every city is legally independent of the county around it (Va. Code §15.2-102). The City of Manassas, the county's historic/judicial seat and home to the Prince William Circuit Court, and the neighboring City of Manassas Park are both separate local governments, never part of Prince William County — nothing from either city appears on this page. The county's own executive headquarters, the James J. McCoart Administration Building, sits instead in the unincorporated community of "Prince William" (the Woodbridge area). Four incorporated towns inside the county's boundary — Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan and Quantico — each run their own separate business-license regime that stacks on top of the county's: the county's own Business License Brochure directs a business located in any of these towns to contact that town's office instead of the county, and the BPOL rates recorded on this page are the county's own schedule for unincorporated Prince William, not for those four towns. County-level licensing runs through the Tax Administration Division (BPOL business license tax, Food and Beverage Tax, and a county-levied Mixed Drink License add-on), the Virginia Department of Health's Prince William Health District (a state field office, not a county department, serving both the county and the City of Manassas), the Department of Development Services (building permits, Certificates of Use and Occupancy, land-disturbance/VESMP permits), the Animal Services Bureau (dog and kennel licenses), and the Police Department's Licensing Section (Peddler/Solicitor/Itinerant Vendor licenses for mobile vendors). Alcohol itself is licensed exclusively by the Virginia ABC Authority; the county's role is a 30-day notice/objection period plus the Mixed Drink License add-on recorded below.19 published records
- Fairfax County, VAVirginia is the only U.S. state where incorporated cities are legally independent of the surrounding county: the City of Fairfax and the City of Falls Church sit inside or against Fairfax County's boundary but are wholly separate governments with their own business-license, health, zoning and building regimes, and nothing listed here is sourced from or applies inside either city. The County's own administrative headquarters, the Fairfax County Government Center (12000 Government Center Parkway), sits in unincorporated Fairfax County near, but not inside, the City of Fairfax. Fairfax County additionally contains three incorporated towns — Clifton, Herndon and Vienna — whose residents and businesses remain inside the county for County real-estate tax, County courts and County health department purposes, but which run their own BPOL business-license and zoning regimes that substitute for, rather than stack on top of, the County's own: Virginia Code §58.1-3711 provides that a county's BPOL tax does not apply within a town that imposes its own BPOL tax on the same privilege, and each town's own site confirms it — Vienna's own page states Fairfax County does not issue Non-Residential Use Permits for businesses in the Town of Vienna, and Clifton's own FAQ states its BPOL tax is 'paid to the town, and the businesses do not have to pay a similar tax to the County of Fairfax.' Building permits and health permits are the exception: the County continues to reach inside all three towns for these, as Clifton's own FAQ confirms a homeowner remodeling in Clifton 'will also need a Fairfax County building permit' in addition to the Town's own approvals. County-level licensing here runs through the Department of Tax Administration (BPOL and specialty license taxes), the Health Department's Division of Environmental Health (food, pool, well and related permits), Land Development Services (building permits, the Home Improvement Contractor license and the Non-Residential Use Permit), the Department of Planning and Development's Zoning Evaluation Division (zoning use classifications and special permits/exceptions), and the Office for Children (family child care home permits).18 published records
- Henrico County, VAHenrico County, Virginia, contains no incorporated town — every named community inside it, including Glen Allen, Short Pump, Sandston, Highland Springs, Tuckahoe, and Lakeside, is a U.S. Census Bureau Census-Designated Place, which by definition is unincorporated — so every record listed here applies county-wide with no second municipal business-license or zoning layer on top of it. Virginia is the only state where incorporated cities are legally independent of counties: the City of Richmond borders Henrico on three sides but is a wholly separate government, and nothing listed here is sourced from or applies to Richmond. Henrico's administrative offices operate from the Eastern Government Center (3820 Nine Mile Rd) and the Western Government Center (4301 E Parham Rd), both in unincorporated Henrico. County-level licensing here runs through the Department of Finance (BPOL business license tax), the Henrico County Health Department (a Virginia Department of Health local health district, cost-shared 55% state and 45% county), the Department of Building Construction & Inspections, and the Division of Planning/Board of Zoning Appeals; alcohol licensing is handled exclusively by Virginia ABC under Va. Code §4.1-128(A), which gives the county no role.16 published records
- Loudoun County, VALoudoun County, seat Leesburg, contains seven incorporated towns — Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Lovettsville, Middleburg and Round Hill — each of which runs its own town-level business license (BPOL), building and zoning regime that stacks on top of the county's. Code of Va. §58.1-3711 removes the county's BPOL tax from inside any town that imposes an equivalent town tax, so the county-level BPOL records here apply only to unincorporated Loudoun; a business inside one of the seven towns instead owes that town's own license, and individual town fee schedules are out of scope for this county-level file. Loudoun's Commissioner of the Revenue administers the BPOL tax and the Mixed Beverage License Tax; the Loudoun County Health Department's Environmental Health Services runs food, mobile-food and health-clearance permits; the Department of Building and Development issues building permits county-wide and zoning permits outside the seven towns; and the Fire Marshal's Office administers fire-operational permits under the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code, adopted locally by reference. Large unincorporated and census-designated areas such as Sterling, Ashburn and South Riding are governed directly by the county, not by any town.14 published records
- Chesterfield County, VAVirginia is the one U.S. state where every city is legally independent of the county around it, and Chesterfield County has zero incorporated towns within its borders — the county's own government page describes it as 'divided into five magisterial districts, each ... represented by one supervisor,' with no town carved out of any district. Colonial Heights, an independent city bordering the county, and the City of Richmond are both separate governments with their own ordinances and licenses; neither is part of Chesterfield County, and their requirements are not part of this county listing. Because there is no town government inside the county, every requirement recorded here applies countywide with nothing added on top of it by a municipal layer. The county seat is Chesterfield Courthouse, an unincorporated community rather than a separate municipal government. The Commissioner of the Revenue administers the county's Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax and its alcohol BPOL add-on taxes; the Virginia Department of Health's Chesterfield Health District, a state field office rather than a county department, administers food-establishment and temporary-event permits; the Chesterfield County Police Department's Chief of Police issues massage clinic and massage therapist permits; and the county's own Department of Building Inspection issues building permits under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. Alcohol licensing itself is a Virginia ABC Authority function; the county's only role is the flat BPOL add-on taxes recorded below, which Code of Virginia § 4.1-128(A) permits as long as they treat alcohol sales the same as other sales.10 published records
- Chesapeake, VAAn independent city with its own dedicated Virginia Department of Health district. Its BPOL per-classification rate table is not published: every official page states rates vary by classification without printing the table, and Municode blocks automated access.8 published records
- Richmond, VAAn independent city, not part of any county. The BPOL flat-fee threshold rose from $250,000 to $500,000 effective January 1, 2026. Restaurants, day nurseries and other Assembly-use businesses cannot use the cheaper Certificate of Zoning Compliance shortcut — they need a full Certificate of Occupancy every time.8 published records
- Virginia Beach, VAAn independent city, not part of any county. Runs its own local fire official (exempting it from the state's mobile-food-vehicle inspection fee) and its own VDH-branded Virginia Beach Health District. BPOL fee figures come from a Commissioner of the Revenue guide dated December 2022; no 2026 threshold increase of the kind other Virginia cities adopted is published for Virginia Beach.7 published records
Is there a single Virginia business license?
No. Virginia has no single license that covers every business. What you need depends on your industry, your city and your county, and most of the obligations that matter are issued locally rather than at state level.
The state-level registrations that do apply to nearly everyone are tax accounts rather than licenses — which is why they are easy to miss.
Who issues permits in Virginia?
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkEntity registration · Annual registration fees · Annual reports5 permits
- Virginia Department of Health, Division of Food and Environmental ServicesRestaurant permits · Plan review · Temporary food establishments2 permits
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for ContractorsContractor licensing · Tradesman licensing2 permits
- Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Health ProfessionsVeterinary establishment registration · Veterinarian licensing1 permit
- Virginia Department of Education, Child Care LicensingChild day centre licensing · Home-based child care licensing1 permit
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Barbers and CosmetologySalon, shop, spa and parlor licensing · Barber and cosmetology licensing1 permit
- Virginia Department of TaxationSales and use tax registration · Business tax accounts1 permit
By industry
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.