Virginia Tradesman License Renewal (DPOR)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

Virginia journeyman and master electrician, plumber, HVAC and gas fitter licenses are issued to the individual by the Board for Contractors, part of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). A license lasts three years, and it won't renew until you've taken a short Board-approved code course for each trade on it. DPOR still renews at the regular fee for 30 days after the expiration date, but you can't work in the trade during those days, and after them you have to reinstate instead.

At a glance

Renews every: 3 years: electrician, plumber, HVAC and gas fitter tradesman licenses, and liquefied petroleum gas fitter and natural gas fitter provider licenses, expire three years from the last day of the month they were issued, as shown on the license. Adding a trade doesn't change the date: it follows when the license was first issued
Continuing education: 3 hours for each plumbing, electrical and HVAC designation on your license; 1 hour for a gas fitter, liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Journeyman and master licenses both need it, but holding both levels in one trade takes only one course
What the course covers: The current code for your trade: the National Electrical Code for electricians, the International Plumbing Code for plumbers, the International Mechanical Code for HVAC and the International Fuel Gas Code for gas fitters. Only Board-approved courses from approved providers count, and the Board credits 3 hours (1 for gas fitters) however long the class runs
When to take it: Before the expiration date on your license. Providers send DPOR their rosters and the hours are added to your record, which takes time to show: keep your certificate of completion. DPOR's License Lookup shows the CE hours your active license needs
Renewal fee: $160 for a tradesman license; $110 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Fees are nonrefundable. Since July 1, 2026 certain DPOR fees also include a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year: check DPOR's current fees before paying
Renewal notice: DPOR mails one to your address of record. Not getting it doesn't excuse a late renewal: send the fee with a copy of your license, or with your license number on the check, made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia. Report an address change in writing within 30 days
How to renew: Return the renewal card from the mail with your payment, or send DPOR's credit card payment form by mail or fax with your license number and a note that the payment is for a license renewal. Renewals can't be done over the phone
Deadline: DPOR goes by the date it receives your payment, not the postmark. It still renews at the regular fee if the payment and your CE are in within 30 days after the expiration date
30-day grace period: That's extra time to finish the paperwork, not an extension: the license is expired and you can't do the trade work in Virginia
After the 30 days: You reinstate instead of renewing: $210 for a tradesman license, $160 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license (both include the renewal fee), and you still need the CE. A reinstated tradesman license keeps its number and expires three years from its previous expiration date, so renewing late gains no time
Waiting too long: Reinstatement doesn't stay open: after a cut-off you apply for a new license and meet the requirements in effect then. If your license has been expired for more than 30 days, DPOR says to contact Board staff at (804) 367-8511 or tradesmen@dpor.virginia.gov
No inactive status: The Board has no inactive or retired status: if you don't complete the CE, the license can't be renewed

If you hold more than one trade designation, you need CE for each one: plumbing and electrical means 3 hours of each, 6 in total. One approved International Fuel Gas Code course covers every gas fitting designation on your license.

Some providers offer courses the Board hasn't approved: confirm the course is approved for Virginia tradesman CE before you book, and register with the full name on your license.

Work done after the expiration date may count as unlicensed activity.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your license or in DPOR's License Lookup, which also shows the CE hours your license needs.
Take a Board-approved code course for each trade on your license well before that date: 3 hours for electrical, plumbing and HVAC, 1 hour for gas fitting. Keep the certificate.
When DPOR's renewal notice comes in the mail, return the renewal card with your payment, or send the credit card payment form by mail or fax with your license number.
Make sure DPOR receives it before the expiration date: the date it arrives counts, not the postmark.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outCheck the expiration date and the CE hours you need in DPOR's License Lookup, and book a Board-approved course for each trade.
2 months outFinish your CE and keep the certificate: the provider reports it, but it takes time to reach your record.
When the notice arrivesReturn the renewal card with your payment. No notice? Send the fee with a copy of your license or your license number.
Expiration dateNot renewed? You can't work in the trade. You have 30 days to get the payment and CE in at the regular fee.
30 days afterStill not renewed? It now takes reinstatement and the higher reinstatement fee. Contact Board staff first.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your company's Class A, B or C contractor license, which renews separately from your tradesman license
Any separate liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license you hold
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Virginia tradesman license?

Every 3 years. Electrician, plumber, HVAC and gas fitter tradesman licenses, and liquefied petroleum gas fitter and natural gas fitter provider licenses, expire three years from the last day of the month they were issued, as shown on the license.

How many CE hours does a Virginia journeyman or master tradesman need?

3 hours for each plumbing, electrical and HVAC designation on your license; 1 hour for a gas fitter, liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Holding both journeyman and master in one trade takes only one course, and only Board-approved courses count.

How much does it cost to renew a Virginia tradesman license?

$160 for a tradesman license; $110 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Since July 1, 2026 certain DPOR fees also include a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year.

Is there a grace period for a Virginia tradesman license?

DPOR still renews at the regular fee if the payment and your CE are in within 30 days after the expiration date. That's not an extension: the license is expired and you can't do the trade work in Virginia.

What if my Virginia tradesman license expired more than 30 days ago?

You reinstate instead of renewing: $210 for a tradesman license, $160 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license, and you still need the CE. Reinstatement doesn't stay open: after a cut-off you apply for a new license and meet the requirements in effect then. If your license has been expired for more than 30 days, DPOR says to contact Board staff at (804) 367-8511 or tradesmen@dpor.virginia.gov.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Virginia Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program (DPOR)

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Virginia guides

Virginia Contractor License Renewal (DPOR)

All Virginia guides on one page

Electrician guides for other states

Compare electrician license renewals across states

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for electricians

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Virginia Tradesman License Renewal (DPOR)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

At a glance

Renews every: 3 years: electrician, plumber, HVAC and gas fitter tradesman licenses, and liquefied petroleum gas fitter and natural gas fitter provider licenses, expire three years from the last day of the month they were issued, as shown on the license. Adding a trade doesn't change the date: it follows when the license was first issued
Continuing education: 3 hours for each plumbing, electrical and HVAC designation on your license; 1 hour for a gas fitter, liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Journeyman and master licenses both need it, but holding both levels in one trade takes only one course
What the course covers: The current code for your trade: the National Electrical Code for electricians, the International Plumbing Code for plumbers, the International Mechanical Code for HVAC and the International Fuel Gas Code for gas fitters. Only Board-approved courses from approved providers count, and the Board credits 3 hours (1 for gas fitters) however long the class runs
When to take it: Before the expiration date on your license. Providers send DPOR their rosters and the hours are added to your record, which takes time to show: keep your certificate of completion. DPOR's License Lookup shows the CE hours your active license needs
Renewal fee: $160 for a tradesman license; $110 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license. Fees are nonrefundable. Since July 1, 2026 certain DPOR fees also include a separate technology fee of $7.25 per year: check DPOR's current fees before paying
Renewal notice: DPOR mails one to your address of record. Not getting it doesn't excuse a late renewal: send the fee with a copy of your license, or with your license number on the check, made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia. Report an address change in writing within 30 days
How to renew: Return the renewal card from the mail with your payment, or send DPOR's credit card payment form by mail or fax with your license number and a note that the payment is for a license renewal. Renewals can't be done over the phone
Deadline: DPOR goes by the date it receives your payment, not the postmark. It still renews at the regular fee if the payment and your CE are in within 30 days after the expiration date
30-day grace period: That's extra time to finish the paperwork, not an extension: the license is expired and you can't do the trade work in Virginia
After the 30 days: You reinstate instead of renewing: $210 for a tradesman license, $160 for a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license (both include the renewal fee), and you still need the CE. A reinstated tradesman license keeps its number and expires three years from its previous expiration date, so renewing late gains no time
Waiting too long: Reinstatement doesn't stay open: after a cut-off you apply for a new license and meet the requirements in effect then. If your license has been expired for more than 30 days, DPOR says to contact Board staff at (804) 367-8511 or tradesmen@dpor.virginia.gov
No inactive status: The Board has no inactive or retired status: if you don't complete the CE, the license can't be renewed

Some providers offer courses the Board hasn't approved: confirm the course is approved for Virginia tradesman CE before you book, and register with the full name on your license.

Work done after the expiration date may count as unlicensed activity.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your license or in DPOR's License Lookup, which also shows the CE hours your license needs.
Take a Board-approved code course for each trade on your license well before that date: 3 hours for electrical, plumbing and HVAC, 1 hour for gas fitting. Keep the certificate.
When DPOR's renewal notice comes in the mail, return the renewal card with your payment, or send the credit card payment form by mail or fax with your license number.
Make sure DPOR receives it before the expiration date: the date it arrives counts, not the postmark.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outCheck the expiration date and the CE hours you need in DPOR's License Lookup, and book a Board-approved course for each trade.
2 months outFinish your CE and keep the certificate: the provider reports it, but it takes time to reach your record.
When the notice arrivesReturn the renewal card with your payment. No notice? Send the fee with a copy of your license or your license number.
Expiration dateNot renewed? You can't work in the trade. You have 30 days to get the payment and CE in at the regular fee.
30 days afterStill not renewed? It now takes reinstatement and the higher reinstatement fee. Contact Board staff first.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your company's Class A, B or C contractor license, which renews separately from your tradesman license
Any separate liquefied petroleum gas fitter or natural gas fitter provider license you hold
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Virginia tradesman license?

How many CE hours does a Virginia journeyman or master tradesman need?

How much does it cost to renew a Virginia tradesman license?

Is there a grace period for a Virginia tradesman license?

What if my Virginia tradesman license expired more than 30 days ago?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Virginia Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program (DPOR)

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Virginia guides

Virginia Contractor License Renewal (DPOR)

All Virginia guides on one page

Electrician guides for other states

Compare electrician license renewals across states

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for electricians

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet