12 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Loudoun County?
In short
A contractor or trade in Loudoun County, VA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 9 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division charges $30 a year, flat, where gross receipts are $200,000 or less for the bpol tax — base/flat tax. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Loudoun County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor BPOL Compliance Bundle (DPOR, Workers' Comp, Subcontractor Roster) | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | No fee | Annual, filed alongside BPOL renewal | 2026-10-02 |
| BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260. | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 2026-10-02 |
| Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to you | 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 | 2 years from the last day of the month of issue | 2026-09-03 |
| Tradesman Licenseonly if it applies to you | 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 | 3 years for electricians, plumbers, HVAC and gas fitters; 2 years otherwise | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Loudoun County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | $30 a year, flat, where gross receipts are $200,000 or less | Annual; filing and payment due March 1 | 2026-10-02 |
| Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services | $25 per building/zoning permit application reviewed, as posted on the Department's current fee schedule | One-time, per building/zoning permit review | 2026-10-02 |
| Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Reviewonly if it applies to you | Loudoun County Department of Building and Development | Varies — formula on the Loudoun County page | Per permit | 2026-10-02 |
| Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)only if it applies to you | Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division | No fee | not applicable — this is a jurisdictional scope rule, not a recurring filing | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
VA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | $100 one-time filing | no expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | no expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to you | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk | Varies — formula on the VA page | annual — usually due 1 March | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Loudoun County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 12 records listed for a contractor or trade in Loudoun County, VA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 9 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
Of the 3 that always apply, 1 carry a flat fee, coming to $30.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 12 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts: Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260.
Contractor License: $274.50–$439.50 initial — $274.50 Class C, $419.50 Class B, $439.50 Class A, including the recovery fund and technology charges
The other 4 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Loudoun County permits page and the VA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Loudoun County?
Permits for a contractor or trade in Loudoun County, VA come from 5 separate offices: Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division, Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health Services, Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: BPOL Tax — Base/Flat Tax, Contractor BPOL Compliance Bundle (DPOR, Workers' Comp, Subcontractor Roster), BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts, Incorporated-Towns BPOL Stacking (Not a County Fee Inside Town Limits)P.O. Box 8000, Leesburg, VA 20177 · 703-777-0260www.loudoun.gov/1552/Business-License-Tax
- Loudoun County Health Department, Environmental Health ServicesIssues 1 permit on this page: Health Clearance Review (of a Building/Zoning Permit)www.loudoun.gov/6338/Fee-Schedule
- Loudoun County Department of Building and DevelopmentIssues 1 permit on this page: Building & Trade Permits / Commercial Plan Reviewwww.loudoun.gov/5126/Fee-Schedules
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkIssues 4 permits on this page: Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation, Annual Registration Fee, General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)1300 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219 · (804) 371-9733www.scc.virginia.gov
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for ContractorsIssues 2 permits on this page: Contractor License, Tradesman License9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400, Richmond, VA 23233-1485 · (804) 367-8511www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Contractors
What does a contractor or trade need in Loudoun County that other businesses do not?
3 of the 4 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Loudoun County: Contractor BPOL Compliance Bundle (DPOR, Workers' Comp, Subcontractor Roster), Contractor License and Tradesman License.
Contractor BPOL Compliance Bundle (DPOR, Workers' Comp, Subcontractor Roster)
The Commissioner of the Revenue charges no separate fee for this filing bundle itself; it is instead a set of administrative conditions a contractor must satisfy as a precondition of its annual BPOL registration (see the BPOL base/flat and tiered-rate records for the Contractors classification's actual tax amounts). A contractor must furnish its Virginia DPOR license number, or a notarized Contractor's Affidavit if exempt from DPOR under Code of Va. §54.1-1111, and proof of workers' compensation coverage via Form 61A under Code of Va. §58.1-3714. Loudoun's own BPOL guidance also asks for an annual Roster of Subcontractors, which the county cites to Code of Va. §58.1-3109(6) — read directly, that subsection is the Commissioner of the Revenue's general records-access and audit power rather than a provision that independently names a subcontractor roster, so this citation reflects the county's own stated basis for requesting the roster rather than a roster-specific statute. These conditions are filed annually alongside BPOL renewal.
Contractor License
The thresholds moved in 2025 and older guidance is now wrong. Class A is a single contract of $150,000 or more or a million a year; Class B is $30,000 to $150,000 or $250,000 to a million; Class C runs from just over $1,000 to $30,000. Below $1,000 no contractor license is needed at all. The fee is the small part: Class A applicants must document $45,000 of net worth and Class B $15,000, and Class A and B both need a designated employee who has passed the board's exams, which Class C does not. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors must additionally hold a master tradesman license as a condition of licensure — two credentials, two fees. Value means fair market value, so under-pricing a contract does not move you down a class. The printed fees are $400, $380 and $235; the rest is a $25 recovery fund assessment and the $7.25-a-year technology charge that ends on 30 June 2030.
Tradesman License
This is the individual credential that sits under the company's contractor license, and for the mechanical trades it is compulsory to hold both. The main trades run on a three-year cycle while every other license and certification in the chapter runs on two, which is a genuine trap when budgeting renewals. Renewal is $160. Exchanging a locality-issued card for a state license costs $110, and adding a second trade designation $105. Continuing education at renewal is three hours per designation for plumbing, electrical and HVAC and one hour for gas fitters, rising to eight for elevator and accessibility mechanics, water well providers and fire sprinkler inspectors.
Shared with other businesses in Loudoun County
- BPOL Tax — Tiered Rate Above $200,000 Gross Receipts — Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, Business Tax Division, Above $200,000 in annual gross receipts, the BPOL tax is charged per $100 of gross receipts by classification, as posted on the Commissioner of the Revenue's current rate table: Retail Merchant $0.17 (retail-store, and over-the-counter sales at a coffee shop or restaurant); Business Service $0.17 (service-classified business activity, including off-site catering); Personal Service $0.23 (salon, see the separate salon BPOL record); Professional Services $0.33 (veterinary, Ch. 840.01(u) names 'veterinarians' explicitly); Repair Service $0.16 (auto-repair); and Contractors (and Contracting/Developers) $0.13. Every one of these posted rates sits at or under the statewide caps the General Assembly sets in Code of Va. §58.1-3706 (20 cents retail, 36 cents repair/personal/business services, 58 cents financial/real estate/professional services, 16 cents contracting). Fitness-studio's applicable classification and rate are not published in Ch. 840's definitions, the live rate table, the full 90-item statewide classification list at 23VAC10-500-500, or the county's own taxpayer guide — Personal Service ($0.23), Business Service ($0.17) and Amusements ($0.21) are each plausible candidates with no ruling or guide distinguishing among them, so no cents figure for fitness-studio is published here; a fitness studio should confirm its specific classification with the Commissioner of the Revenue's Business Tax Division, 703-777-0260., Annual; filing and payment due March 1. Also required for restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, veterinary clinics, auto repair shops and salons and barbers; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.
The other 4 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Loudoun County, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Loudoun County permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across VA and are covered on the VA state page.
How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Loudoun County?
The closest match is a retail store, which shares 1 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs Contractor BPOL Compliance Bundle (DPOR, Workers' Comp, Subcontractor Roster), Contractor License and Tradesman License. A retail store needs nothing here that a contractor or trade does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a contractor or trade | Only a contractor or trade needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail stores | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Auto repair shops | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Veterinary clinics | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Coffee shops | 8 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Restaurants | 8 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Childcare centres | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Fitness studios | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Food trucks | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits shared with other businesses are listed with their explanations on the auto repair shops page. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Loudoun County permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Business License Tax — BPOL flat tax, home-based exemption, March 1 due date, incorporated-towns guidance, contractor roster requirementLoudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Code of Virginia §58.1-3714 — contractor workers' compensation certification for BPOLCode of Virginia, Division of Legislative Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Code of Virginia §58.1-3109 — Commissioner of the Revenue's general records-access and audit authorityCode of Virginia, Division of Legislative Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- 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
- 18VAC50-30-90 — tradesman license feesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.