Virginia home addition: additions routinely clear $30,000, which pushes the firm into Class B (2-portion PSI exam, $15,000 net worth, 3-year QI) — and a $150,000+ contract jumps to Class A (3 portions, $45,000). The 12-month prong bites too: steady volume under $250,000 keeps a firm in C. The § 54.1-1101 A(7) owner exemption allows ONE primary residence per 24 months with a certificate of occupancy before conveyance; the owner-developer route (A(11)) survives only with a licensed contractor and a third-party-beneficiary clause. Every claim sourced and dated.
Three-class ladder set purely by contract value; work ≤ $1,000 needs no licence — § 54.1-1100 verbatim: Class A means a contractor 'whose single contract or project is $150,000 or more, or who receives $1 million or more in any 12-month period' (no upper monetary restriction); Class B 'whose single contract or project is $30,000 or more but less than $150,000, or who receives $250,000 or more but less than $1 million in any 12-month period'; Class C 'whose single contract or project is more than $1,000 but less than $30,000, or who receives less than $250,000 in any 12-month period.' 'Value' means fair market value and 'the contract price shall be prima facie evidence of value.' Work at or below $1,000 falls below every class — the Class C floor IS the exemption line. Both prongs of each definition bind: a single project at $150,000 jumps a firm from B to A, and a 12-month total below $250,000 drops a firm from B to C even when individual projects sit in the B range. S-VA-STAT-1100
PSI Designated Employee exam: Class B = 2 portions, Class A = 3 portions, Class C = none — A501-27LIC Q13 and A501-27INTRO p.2 verbatim: the Designated Employee must pass the PSI examination — Class B: Virginia Section + General Section (2 portions); Class A: those two plus the Advanced Section (3 portions); 'Class C applicants skip to question 19' (no business exam for C). The DE must be at least 18 and either full-time (≥ 30 hours/week) or a member of responsible management. PSI fees (board page): $40 one portion, $72 two portions, $85 three portions, $85 QI specialty exam. S-VA-APPLIC
Documented net worth $45,000 (Class A) / $15,000 (Class B) / none (Class C) — A501-27LIC Q18 verbatim: Classes A and B must document net worth — $45,000 for A, $15,000 for B — by ONE of: a financial statement; a CPA review or audit (compilations not accepted); or the Board's Surety Bond Form (a two-year bond whose expiry must cover the licence term — do not submit until the Board asks). Class C has no financial requirement. An A/B applicant who cannot document net worth 'may qualify for a Class C license' (Q18 fee-table note). S-VA-APPLIC
Fifteen statutory exemptions — the owner's ONE primary residence per 24 months and the $25,000 sub-contract carve-out — § 54.1-1101 A verbatim (read live 2026-10-08), the items that matter to civilians: (6) material suppliers advising on products without construction/installation; (7) an owner on NO MORE THAN ONE PRIMARY RESIDENCE of his own, own use, during any 24-month period; (8) an owner building a house on his own realty as a bona fide gift to immediate family who lives in it; (9) an owner repairing/altering his own industrial/manufacturing or commercial/retail facility for own use; (10) an owner repairing his own rental dwellings under the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; (11) an owner-developer where the third-party purchaser is made a third-party beneficiary of the contract with a licensed contractor; (12) student career/technical education projects under a school board; (14) students/apprentices (§ 2.2-2043) 'working directly under the supervision of a licensed contractor'; (15) work valued at $25,000 OR LESS per project performed ON BEHALF OF A PROPERLY LICENSED contractor holding a valid RBC, CBC or HIC classification — services needing an individual licence/certification must still be done by licensed individuals. Items (1)-(5) cover government, the Armed Services Procurement Act, federal enclaves, VDOT highway/bridge work and other-law exclusions. Conditions: exemptions (7),(10),(11),(12) need a CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY before conveying to a third-party purchaser unless waived in writing; (7)-(12),(14) must still comply with the Uniform Statewide Building Code; violating B or C is a Class 1 misdemeanor, third/subsequent conviction within 36 months a Class 6 felony. S-VA-STAT-1101
02 Which credentials this project can touch
Project
Credential
Relation
Rule
Source
home-addition
Class B Contractor (single contract $30,000–$149,999 or $250K–$1M/12 months)
Virginia requires NO surety bond and NO general-liability insurance for A/B/C licensure — the net-worth requirement ($45,000 / $15,000) does that job (verified absences). Locality licence fees and permit fees are LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED and are not published here.