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10 permits · verified 2026-09-05

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Richmond?

In short

A contractor or trade in Richmond, VA has 3 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. City of Richmond Planning & Development Review, Bureau of Permits and Inspections charges $263 for a Partial, Temporary, or Owner/Tenant/DBA-change Certificate of Occupancy (HCO) for the certificate of occupancy (hco). 6 of the 10 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-09-05 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Richmond

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
General Contractor License — State DPOR License Applies (Richmond)only if it applies to youCity of Richmond Planning & Development Review, Bureau of Permits and InspectionsNo feenot applicable2026-09-05
Contractor Licenseonly if it applies to youVirginia 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 charges2 years from the last day of the month of issue2026-09-03
Tradesman Licenseonly if it applies to youVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors$171.75 original license — a $150 fee plus the $7.25-a-year technology charge3 years for electricians, plumbers, HVAC and gas fitters; 2 years otherwise2026-09-03

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 Richmond

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity of Richmond Planning & Development Review, Bureau of Permits and InspectionsVaries — formula on the Richmond pageone-time, per project2026-09-05
BPOL TaxCity of Richmond Department of Finance, BPOL Tax DivisionVaries — formula on the Richmond pageannual — must be renewed by March 1; license period runs through December 312026-09-05
Certificate of Occupancy (HCO)City of Richmond Planning & Development Review, Bureau of Permits and Inspections$263 for a Partial, Temporary, or Owner/Tenant/DBA-change Certificate of Occupancy (HCO)issued once per qualifying occupancy2026-09-05

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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk$100 one-time filingno expiry, but a $50 annual registration fee is due every year2026-09-03
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageno expiry, but an annual registration fee and a free annual report are due2026-09-03
Annual Registration Feeonly if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — the last day of the twelfth month after the month of formation2026-09-03
General Business License — Local BPOL License (Virginia)only if it applies to youVirginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the ClerkVaries — formula on the VA pageannual — usually due 1 March2026-09-03

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 Richmond?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 10 records listed for a contractor or trade in Richmond, VA, 3 apply to every business of this type and 7 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 $263.00. That is a floor, not a total. 6 of the 10 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 1 has no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

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 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Richmond permits page and the VA state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Richmond?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Richmond, VA come from 4 separate offices: City of Richmond Planning & Development Review, Bureau of Permits and Inspections, City of Richmond Department of Finance, BPOL Tax Division, 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.

What does a contractor or trade need in Richmond that other businesses do not?

3 of the 3 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Richmond: General Contractor License — State DPOR License Applies (Richmond), Contractor License and Tradesman License.

General Contractor License — State DPOR License Applies (Richmond)

There is no separate city contractor license fee: the City's Permits Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2024) lists permit and review fees and names no city contractor license or bond, and Code of Virginia § 54.1-1111 requires a permit applicant to furnish satisfactory proof of a valid state contractor license or certification (or a written statement that the applicant is not subject to licensure) before a building or other permit issues, which the city verifies rather than separately licensing. A contractor still needs the state DPOR Board for Contractors license already covered at the state layer.

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.

The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Richmond, VA; what each one involves is set out on the Richmond 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 Richmond?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs General Contractor License — State DPOR License Applies (Richmond), Contractor License and Tradesman License. A auto repair shop needs Sign Permit and Automotive Repair Licensing — Commonwealth of Virginia position, which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Richmond, VA, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops2032
Childcare centres2032
Coffee shops4034
Fitness studios1031
Food trucks2032
Restaurants4034
Retail stores1031
Salons and barbers2032
Veterinary clinics2032

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 that apply to every type of business are listed on the Richmond permits page and the VA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. City of Richmond — Permits Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2024City of Richmond Planning & Development Review · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-05
  2. 18VAC50-22-100 — Board for Contractors initial license feesVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03
  3. 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
  4. 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.