A. The following acts are prohibited and shall constitute the commission of a Class 1 misdemeanor:
1. Contracting for, or bidding upon the construction, removal, repair or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the proper class of license as defined in § 54.1-1100 for the value of work to be performed.
2. Attempting to practice contracting in the Commonwealth, except as provided for in this chapter.
3. Presenting or attempting to use the license or certificate of another.
4. Giving false or forged evidence of any kind to the Board or any member thereof in an application for the issuance or renewal of a license or certificate.
5. Impersonating another or using an expired or revoked license or certificate.
6. Receiving or considering as the awarding authority a bid from anyone whom the awarding authority knows is not properly licensed or certified under this chapter. The awarding authority shall require a bidder to submit his license or certificate number prior to considering a bid.
B. Any person who undertakes work without (i) any valid Virginia contractor's license or certificate when a license or certificate is required by this chapter or (ii) the proper class of license as defined in § 54.1-1100 for the work undertaken, shall be fined an amount not to exceed $500 per day for each day that such person is in violation, in addition to the authorized penalties for the commission of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any violation of clause (i) of this subsection shall also constitute a prohibited practice in accordance with § 59.1-200, provided that the violation involves a consumer transaction as defined in the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (§ 59.1-196 et seq.), and shall be subject to any and all of the enforcement provisions of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
C. A construction contract entered into by a person undertaking work without a valid Virginia contractor's license shall not be enforceable by the unlicensed contractor undertaking the work unless the unlicensed contractor (i) gives substantial performance within the terms of the contract in good faith and (ii) did not have actual knowledge that a license or certificate was required by this chapter to perform the work for which he seeks to recover payment.
Failure to renew a license or certificate issued in accordance with this chapter shall create a rebuttable presumption of actual knowledge of such licensing or certification requirements.
Code 1950, § 54-142; 1956, c. 397; 1970, c. 319; 1980, c. 634; 1985, c. 356; 1988, c. 765; 1990, c. 911; 1994, c. 79; 1995, c. 771; 1998, c. 691; 2000, c. 33; 2003, cc. 429, 430; 2004, c. 131; 2008, c. 294; 2018, cc. 43, 653.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
20
cases (
5 in the last 5 years), 1990–2025 · leading case:
In Re Anderson, 349 B.R. 448 (E.D. Va. 2006).
In Re Anderson, 349 B.R. 448 (E.D. Va. 2006).
· cites it 8× “Specifically, Anderson argued in the bankruptcy court that these appellees were not licensed contractors and therefore, could not assert claims against the Anderson estate. The bankruptcy court disagreed, concluding that they were entitled to assert their claims because of…”
Tuggle Masonry, Inc. v. Dailey, 80 Va. Cir. 219 (Hanover Cir. Ct. 2010).
· cites it 13× “Section 54.1-1115(A)(1) provides that it shall be a class 1 misdemeanor to “[contract] for, or [bid] upon the construction, removal, repair, or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled, or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the…”
Butler v. Creative Design Builders, Inc., 24 Va. Cir. 362 (Louisa Cir. Ct. 1991).
· cites it 8× “Virginia Code § 54.1-1115, in pertinent part, prohibits and makes the following acts a Class 1 misdemeanor: "(1) Contracting for or bidding upon the construction, removal, repair or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled or leased by another person without a…”
Patel v. Comm'r, 138 T.C. 395 (Tax Ct. 2012).
· cites it 2× “Under Virginia law contracting without the proper license or certificate to remove improvements on real property owned, controlled, or leased by another person is a class 1 misdemeanor and a violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.”
Jay-Ton Constr. Co. v. Bowen Constr. Servs., Inc., 62 Va. Cir. 414 (Portsmouth Cir. Ct. 2003).
· cites it 2× “, Jay-Ton has met the requisite standard of facial validity on the prevention doctrine/contractual ambiguity defense. Jay-Ton also contends that Bowen lacked a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Contractor’s License when it accepted Jay-Ton’s bid for the project, allegedly making…”
Chippari v. Brookfield Washington, LLC (E.D. Va. 2024).
· cites it 15× “enefits; misrepresent that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model; use any other deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation in connection with a consumer transaction; use in any contract or lease any liquidated…”
Dodson Roofing Co. v. Johnson, 32 Va. Cir. 400 (Richmond County Cir. Ct. 1994).
· cites it 9× “” Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115 . The Court’s ruling on the Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is controlled by the Virginia Supreme Court’s interpretation of the contractors’ licensure statutes particularly the most recent case, J.”
Saad Benkirane v. City Concrete Corp. (Va. Ct. App. 2025).
· cites it 12× “City Concrete objected that Benkirane had not pleaded the legal basis for this instruction and further argued that the instruction did not correctly state Virginia law insofar as it failed to disclose the existence of a safe harbor set forth in Code § 54.1-1115(C). The trial…”
Defot-Sido v. Carr (Bankr. E.D. Va. 2022).
· cites it 3× “1-200(A) (46), by cross reference to § 54.1-1115, prohibits a supplier from Contracting for, or bidding upon the construction, removal, repair or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the…”
Lower v. Cranch, 32 Va. Cir. 110 (Loudoun Cir. Ct. 1993).
· cites it 6× “At the conclusion of Petitioners’ evidence with respect to this matter, the various subcontractors and Cranch moved to strike the evidence of the Petitioners regarding the applicability of the provisions of § 54.1-1115 to the instant case. For the reasons set forth hereinafter,…”
Zadnik Homes Corp. v. Devesa, 48 Va. Cir. 526 (Loudoun Cir. Ct. 1999).
· cites it 5× “In addition, as a party to a contract for renovations and repairs, it may only use the name in which it was licensed and must include in the agreement certain provisions mandated by regulation.”
— Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115(A) — 2 cases
Lower v. Cranch, 32 Va. Cir. 110 (Loudoun Cir. Ct. 1993).
“At the conclusion of Petitioners’ evidence with respect to this matter, the various subcontractors and Cranch moved to strike the evidence of the Petitioners regarding the applicability of the provisions of § 54.1-1115 to the instant case. For the reasons set forth hereinafter,…”
— Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115(A)(1) — 3 cases
In Re Anderson, 349 B.R. 448 (E.D. Va. 2006).
“Specifically, Anderson argued in the bankruptcy court that these appellees were not licensed contractors and therefore, could not assert claims against the Anderson estate. The bankruptcy court disagreed, concluding that they were entitled to assert their claims because of…”
Tuggle Masonry, Inc. v. Dailey, 80 Va. Cir. 219 (Hanover Cir. Ct. 2010).
“Section 54.1-1115(A)(1) provides that it shall be a class 1 misdemeanor to “[contract] for, or [bid] upon the construction, removal, repair, or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled, or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the…”
— Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115(B) — 2 cases
Tuggle Masonry, Inc. v. Dailey, 80 Va. Cir. 219 (Hanover Cir. Ct. 2010).
“Section 54.1-1115(A)(1) provides that it shall be a class 1 misdemeanor to “[contract] for, or [bid] upon the construction, removal, repair, or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled, or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the…”
Chippari v. Brookfield Washington, LLC (E.D. Va. 2024).
“enefits; misrepresent that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model; use any other deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation in connection with a consumer transaction; use in any contract or lease any liquidated…”
— Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115(C) — 11 cases
Tuggle Masonry, Inc. v. Dailey, 80 Va. Cir. 219 (Hanover Cir. Ct. 2010).
“Section 54.1-1115(A)(1) provides that it shall be a class 1 misdemeanor to “[contract] for, or [bid] upon the construction, removal, repair, or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled, or leased by another person without a license or certificate, or without the…”
Butler v. Creative Design Builders, Inc., 24 Va. Cir. 362 (Louisa Cir. Ct. 1991).
“Virginia Code § 54.1-1115, in pertinent part, prohibits and makes the following acts a Class 1 misdemeanor: "(1) Contracting for or bidding upon the construction, removal, repair or improvements to or upon real property owned, controlled or leased by another person without a…”
Jay-Ton Constr. Co. v. Bowen Constr. Servs., Inc., 62 Va. Cir. 414 (Portsmouth Cir. Ct. 2003).
“, Jay-Ton has met the requisite standard of facial validity on the prevention doctrine/contractual ambiguity defense. Jay-Ton also contends that Bowen lacked a valid Commonwealth of Virginia Contractor’s License when it accepted Jay-Ton’s bid for the project, allegedly making…”
Saad Benkirane v. City Concrete Corp. (Va. Ct. App. 2025).
“City Concrete objected that Benkirane had not pleaded the legal basis for this instruction and further argued that the instruction did not correctly state Virginia law insofar as it failed to disclose the existence of a safe harbor set forth in Code § 54.1-1115(C). The trial…”
Chippari v. Brookfield Washington, LLC (E.D. Va. 2024).
“enefits; misrepresent that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model; use any other deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation in connection with a consumer transaction; use in any contract or lease any liquidated…”
— Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-1115(c) — 2 cases
In Re Anderson, 349 B.R. 448 (E.D. Va. 2006).
“Specifically, Anderson argued in the bankruptcy court that these appellees were not licensed contractors and therefore, could not assert claims against the Anderson estate. The bankruptcy court disagreed, concluding that they were entitled to assert their claims because of…”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.