Virginia water-heater replacement: gas and plumbing work rides the tradesman ladder — gas fitting / LPG / natural-gas-fitter-provider licences ($150 original, $160 renewal, 3-year term, 1 hour CE) or a plumbing licence (3 hours per designation) — with § 54.1-1131 C exempting only single-family work UNDER $250 that does not hold out to the public. The FIRM answers separately: over $1,000 needs at least Class C with the plumbing/gas classification and the locality's licence, and the permit itself demands the state licence number first (§ 54.1-1111 A). Every claim sourced and dated.
No individual may work as a tradesman without a licence (since 1995-07-01) — § 54.1-1129 A verbatim (reproduced in S-VA-REGS): since July 1, 1995 no individual shall work as a tradesman without a licence — subject to the supervision exception (working under a tradesman licensed in that specialty; a licence holder may perform work incidental to their own specialty). § 54.1-1131 C exempts work on ships/boats/barges/floating vessels and single-family-residence work valued UNDER $250 where the individual does not hold himself out to the general public as a tradesman. § 54.1-1129 D: a certified water well systems provider must be ON SITE at all times for drilling/installation/maintenance/repair, and a certified MASTER must be available at all times. 18VAC50-30 fixes fees ($150 original / $160 renewal), terms (electrical, gas, LPG, natural-gas-fitter-provider, HVAC, plumbing = 3 years; all others 2 years) and CE (3 hours per designation for plumbing/electrical/HVAC; 1 hour gas fitters). S-VA-TRADEREGS
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
State licence number (or exemption statement) required before a permit or a local business licence — § 54.1-1111 verbatim (reproduced in S-VA-REGS): (A) an applicant for a building permit must furnish the state licence number — or a written statement of exemption — before the building official may issue the permit; issuing without it is a Class 3 misdemeanor for the official. (B) the same proof gates the local BUSINESS licence (BPOL tax, Ch. 37 Title 58.1). § 54.1-1117 lets localities license certain contractors, with a civil penalty for violations of the local registration route 'shall not exceed $2,500.' S-VA-REGS
Master tradesman licence is a CONDITION of licensure for electrical, plumbing and HVAC contractors — § 54.1-1100 verbatim (verified live on law.lis 2026-10-08): 'The Board shall require a master tradesmen license as a condition of licensure for electrical, plumbing, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractors.' The master tradesman licence is an INDIVIDUAL credential under Article 6 (§ 54.1-1128 et seq.; 18VAC50-30) — journeyman and master levels, 3-year term, 3 hours of CE per designation (§ 54.1-1133). S-VA-STAT-1100
02 Which credentials this project can touch
Project
Credential
Relation
Rule
Source
water-heater-replacement
Tradesman Licence (journeyman/master — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, gas fitting …)
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.