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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Virginia

How to become a general contractor in Virginia

Most general contractors in Virginia start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

35registered apprenticeship programs$37.81median an hour in Virginia

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In VA
35 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In VA
4 schools with programs
Compare 4 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Virginia is $37.81 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Virginia
  3. Run your own shop

    Qualified individual for each classification or specialty needs at least 1 year (Class C), 3 years (Class B) or 5 years (Class A) of experience in it (18VAC50-22-40, -50, -60), documented on the Contractor Experience Verification form.

    Issued by
    VA Board for Contractors (DPOR)
    Virginia contractor license
Pay once you're working

$78,640

a year is the median for general contractors in Virginia ($37.81 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Virginia Beach–Chesapeake$38.92
  2. Charlottesville$37.97
  3. Richmond$36.84
  4. Harrisonburg$32.38
  5. Winchester$32.17
Virginia median $37.81 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Virginia?

Yes. Virginia licenses general contractors through the VA Board for Contractors (DPOR).1

Are general contractors in demand in Virginia?

Projections Central expects about 2,240 general contractor openings a year in Virginia through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

35 registered programs in Virginia. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Virginia

Sources

  1. VA Board for Contractors (DPOR) contractor licensing (law.lis.virginia.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Virginia, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)