Contractor licensing under Title 54.1 Chapter 11 splits into a license class and a classification or specialty. Class A and Class B set higher single-project and annual dollar thresholds and require financial-responsibility proof—Board net-worth documentation or a $50,000 surety on the Board’s bond form. Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC appear as contractor classifications on the business license and as separate individual tradesman credentials; the statewide financial-responsibility bond attaches to Class A/B contractor firms that elect it, not to every tradesman card. Class C work sits below the Class B thresholds and does not use that $50,000 election. Local governments may still license or bond home-improvement and dwelling contractors under § 54.1-1111 for firms that are not Class A licensees—those local instruments stay outside this hub. Dealer security runs through the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board: a $50,000 original-license bond under the Transaction Recovery Fund, with a separate $100,000 continuous election for qualifying renewers who leave the Fund. Mortgage lender and broker surety runs through the SCC Bureau of Financial Institutions. Virginia notaries are not required to post a commission bond. Bid, performance, and payment bonds for individual jobs remain project instruments.
Virginia · Surety Bond Resource Center
Virginia surety bonds
Virginia’s statewide license bonds sit with a few agencies. Class A and Class B contractors licensed by the Board for Contractors may prove financial responsibility with net worth—or elect a fixed $50,000 Board surety bond on form A501-27BOND. Class C firms and individual tradesmen licenses do not use that statewide financial-responsibility bond. Motor vehicle dealers file a $50,000 Motor Vehicle Dealer Board bond on original licensure under the Transaction Recovery Fund—generally for three consecutive years—and qualifying claim-free renewers may later stay on the Fund without that bond or elect a $100,000 bond under § 46.2-1527.9 that stays in force and leave the Fund. Mortgage lenders and brokers keep a surety bond with the State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions on a volume-based schedule. Cities and counties may still demand local contractor bonds; those are not statewide guides here.
Virginia at a glance
- Class A / B contractor financial-responsibility bond
- $50,000
- Motor vehicle dealer
- $50,000 / $100,000
- Mortgage broker / lender
- $25K–$150K
- Class C / tradesmen
- No statewide financial-responsibility bond
Optional instead of Class A $45,000 or Class B $15,000 net-worth proof on Board form A501-27BOND.
$50,000 original/Fund path for three consecutive years; claim-free renewers may elect $100,000 continuous Fund-exit bonding under § 46.2-1527.9.
10VAC5-160-15 minima and annual residential origination volume scale.
Class C and individual tradesman credentials do not use the Class A/B $50,000 financial-responsibility bond.
How it works in this state
How Virginia bonding is organized
Virginia bond directory
Find your bond requirement
These guides cover license and permit bonds with verified educational content. Your agency notice or application checklist is always the final authority.
- Contractors Bond (Class A / B)License & permitVirginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation — Board for Contractors$50,000File Board Surety Bond Form A501-27BOND with the Board for ContractorsKeep current while electing continuous bonding; show proof at renewal
- Motor Vehicle Dealer BondLicense & permitVirginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board$50,000 original / $100,000 continuous optionFile Form MVDB 2 with the Motor Vehicle Dealer BoardAfter three claim-free years: Fund without $50,000 bond, or elect $100,000 continuous and leave the Fund
- Mortgage Lender / Broker BondLicense & permitState Corporation Commission — Bureau of Financial Institutions$25,000–$150,000File electronically through NMLS with the State Corporation CommissionContinuous; adjust annually to volume tier
Who sets the requirement?
Virginia licensing agencies
Each agency below sets its own bond requirement. Open the related guide for amounts and filing steps.
DPOR — Board for Contractors
Licenses Class A, B, and C contractor firms and accepts the optional $50,000 financial-responsibility surety on form A501-27BOND.
Open related guide →Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board
Licenses motor vehicle dealers and receives Form MVDB 2 surety for the $50,000 original/Fund path and the $100,000 continuous Fund-exit election.
Open related guide →SCC Bureau of Financial Institutions
Licenses mortgage lenders and brokers through NMLS and receives surety bonds under § 6.2-1604 and 10VAC5-160-15.
Open related guide →Before you apply
Confirm these details from the agency notice
Bring these five items when you request a bond. For the full checklist, see how to read a bond requirement.
- 1
Who requires it
Confirm whether you need a Board for Contractors financial-responsibility bond, an MVDB dealer bond, or an SCC mortgage lender/broker surety.
- 2
Bond title or form
Use A501-27BOND for Class A/B contractor elections, MVDB 2 for dealers, or the SCC/NMLS-acceptable mortgage bond form for lenders and brokers.
- 3
Required amount
Contractor financial-responsibility election $50,000; dealer $50,000 original/Fund or $100,000 Fund-exit election that stays in force; mortgage amounts from the 10VAC5-160-15 license-type minima and volume scale.
- 4
License class / identifiers
Match the legal firm name on the DPOR, MVDB, or NMLS filing. Class C applicants and individual tradesmen should not assume the Class A/B $50,000 bond applies.
- 5
Term / continuation
Contractor bonds that stay in force must remain current through renewal. Dealer $50,000 bonds generally track three consecutive Fund years; claim-free renewers may leave that bond on the Fund path or elect a $100,000 bond that stays in force and exit the Fund. Mortgage bonds stay in force with annual volume adjustments.
Learn more about surety bonds
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Virginia contractors need a $50,000 bond?
No. Only Class A and Class B applicants who choose the surety path instead of proving the Board’s net-worth amounts use the $50,000 Board bond. Many firms file a financial statement or CPA review instead. Class C licenses do not use that statewide financial-responsibility bond.
Is there a separate statewide electrical, plumbing, or HVAC bond?
No separate statewide trade bond appears for those crafts. Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work is licensed as contractor classifications (and as individual tradesman credentials). If your firm holds Class A or Class B and elects bonding for financial responsibility, you use the same $50,000 Board contractor bond—not a different trade face.
Does Virginia require a collection-agency license bond?
No statewide collection-agency license surety was verified for this hub. Consumer-protection and federal collection rules may still apply to your activity.
Do Virginia notaries need a surety bond?
No. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s notary handbook states Virginia notaries are not required to post a bond to obtain a commission. Liability insurance is optional.
Start your Virginia bond application
Virginia will be preselected in the application. Choose the bond type on the next step—we verify the current agency form before anything is issued.
Last verified 2026-08-10. Official sources are retained with this guide and checked before publication.
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