Virginia Tradesman Continuing Education

It’s not enough to just get your Virginia tradesman license. Even after you accrue the required experience, submit your license application, and pass the exam, you still need to keep working with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) to maintain your license. 

Specifically, that means renewing your license on a regular basis. Electricians, gas fitters, HVAC tradesmen, and plumbers need to renew every three years. All other tradesmen need to renew every two years. 

Luckily, renewing your tradesman license is pretty easy (check out our guide here). It basically just means submitting a form and paying the renewal fee. But there’s one key thing all Virginia tradesmen need to do before they can renew: take continuing education. 

So, yes, Virginia tradesmen need continuing education if they have an active license. But the number of hours you need depends entirely on the license type you have. And the DPOR website isn’t overly forthcoming about the number of hours you need.

That means you can either read the state code — or read this guide. Find out how many continuing education hours you need based on your license type here. 

Continuing education requirements for plumbers, HVAC workers, and electricians

State code mandates that during each renewal cycle, you need three hours of continuing education. Count yourself lucky. Some states require 30 hours or more for renewal, so a few hours isn’t so bad. 

To make your life easy, you can take your continuing education online. Here are links to DPOR-approved courses that meet the three-hour requirement and focus on your specific trade:

• Electricians: 3 hours
• Plumbers: 3 hours
• HVAC technicians: 3 hours

Continuing education requirements for gas fitters

Whether you’re a liquefied petroleum gas fitter or a natural gas fitter, you’ve got it the easiest of anyone. You need just one hour of continuing education during each renewal cycle, and you can take it online. 

Continuing education requirements for other tradesmen

If you have a tradesman license but you’re not in any of the above categories, it’s fairly safe to assume that you need eight hours of continuing education (although you can certainly read the relevant code to confirm). That means the following license types need a full workday’s worth of continuing education:

• Elevator mechanics
• Accessibility mechanics
• Water well systems providers
• Automatic fire sprinkler inspectors

General continuing education requirements

The required hours we outlined above are true whether you have a master or journeyman license. 

Tradesmen can’t just pop into any classroom for the hours they need. The DPOR requires you to take your continuing education with a provider they approve. 

What’s more, your hours need to relate to the applicable building code. Here’s a quick list of the code your hours should hit based on your license type:

• Electricians: National Electrical Code
• Plumbers: International Plumbing Code
• HVAC workers: International Mechanical Code
• Gas fitters: International Fuel Gas Code
• Elevator mechanics and accessibility mechanics: Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code
• Water well systems providers: Unspecified
• Automatic fire sprinkler inspectors: Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code

Assuming you choose a provider who has the DPOR’s green light and you take hours that are relevant to your trade, you shouldn’t have any trouble meeting the Virginia tradesman continuing education requirements.