2.1 License Renewal, Continuing Education & Reinstatement
Key Takeaways
A Virginia plumber license expires three years from the last day of the month in which it was issued (18VAC50-30-120 A; § 54.1-1132).
Renewal and reinstatement require 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education per designation on building code changes, which for plumbing is the International Plumbing Code (18VAC50-30-120 C and -220 A).
If renewal requirements are not met within 30 days after expiration, a $210 reinstatement fee applies; it includes the $160 renewal fee (18VAC50-30-130 A-B).
A license may be reinstated for up to 24 months after expiration; after that, the person must apply as a new applicant but may sit for the same examination (18VAC50-30-130 D).
Work done after a license expires may be unlicensed activity, and a reinstated licensee is treated as continuously licensed for discipline purposes (18VAC50-30-130 E and -140 B).
The three-year cycle (18VAC50-30-120 A)
Licenses for electricians, gas fitters, liquefied petroleum gas fitters, natural gas fitter providers, HVAC tradesmen and plumbers expire three years from the last day of the month in which they were issued. § 54.1-1132 also states that a tradesman license is valid for three years. Other certifications under the chapter, such as the backflow prevention device worker certification, run on a two-year cycle (18VAC50-30-120 B).
Example: A license issued on October 12, 2026 expires on October 31, 2029.
Continuing education (18VAC50-30-120 C, -210 to -230; § 54.1-1133)
- Hours: licensees with plumbing, electrical or HVAC designations must complete three hours of continuing education for each designation as a condition of renewal or reinstatement. Gas fitter, LP gas fitter and natural gas fitter provider licensees need one hour.
- Content: the course must relate to the applicable building code changes. § 54.1-1133 requires evidence of knowledge of code changes for renewal. Under 18VAC50-30-220 A, plumbing courses must cover articles of the current edition of the International Plumbing Code, including any changes. OSHA safety or business courses do not count toward this requirement.
- Provider: the course must come from a Board-approved provider, and no credit is given until the Board approves the course (-220 C).
- Reporting: providers send completion data to the Board electronically within seven days of finishing each course (-230). Providers keep class records for at least five years (-210 C).
A licensee with both plumbing and gas fitting designations needs three hours for plumbing and one hour for gas fitting.
Renewing on time (18VAC50-30-120 G to K)
- The Board mails a renewal notice. Not receiving the notice does not relieve the licensee of the duty to renew. If the notice does not arrive, the licensee may send a copy of the license with the required fee as a renewal application within 30 days of the expiration date (-120 H).
- The date DPOR or its agent receives the fee decides whether the licensee may renew or must reinstate (-120 I).
- The Board may deny renewal for the same reasons it may refuse initial licensure or discipline a regulant. The regulant may request review under the Administrative Process Act (-120 J).
- An unpaid monetary penalty, cost or fee under a consent or final order delays or withholds DPOR services, including renewal (-120 K).
Reinstatement (18VAC50-30-130 and -140)
| Situation | Rule |
|---|---|
| Requirements met within 30 days after expiration | Renewal at the renewal fee |
| Requirements not met within 30 days after expiration | Reinstatement fee required (-130 A) |
| Up to 24 months after expiration | Reinstatement available (-130 D) |
| More than 24 months after expiration | New application under current entry rules; eligible to sit for the same category of exam (-130 D) |
- Regulatory fees: renewal $160 for a tradesman license (-120 G); reinstatement $210, which includes the renewal fee (-130 B). You do not pay both. All fees are nonrefundable and are not prorated.
- Technology fee: since July 1, 2026, DPOR adds a technology fee of $7.25 per year to certain fees under 2026's House Bill 30, through June 30, 2030. For example, the current exam-and-license application shows $171.75 for a $150 fee covering a 3-year license.
- Continuing education: the three hours per designation also apply to reinstatement (-120 C).
- Unlicensed activity: regulated activity after the license expires may be unlicensed activity and may be prosecuted under Chapter 1 or Chapter 11 of Title 54.1 (-130 E).
- Expiration date after reinstatement: a reinstated licensee keeps the same license number and gets an expiration date three years from the previous expiration date for a tradesman license (-140 A).
- Continuous licensure: a reinstated licensee is regarded as having been continuously licensed and stays under the Board's disciplinary authority for the whole period (-140 B).
- Denial: the Board may deny reinstatement for the same reasons it may refuse licensure or discipline a regulant (-130 F).
Worked timeline
A journeyman plumbing license expires March 31, 2027:
- By March 31, 2027: complete 3 CE hours, pay $160 plus the technology fee, and the license renews to March 31, 2030.
- April 1 to April 30, 2027: renewal is still accepted, because the requirements are met within 30 days of expiration. Any work done while the license is expired is still at risk.
- May 2027 through March 31, 2029: reinstatement only. Pay $210 plus the technology fee and complete CE. The new expiration date is March 31, 2030.
- After March 31, 2029: reinstatement is no longer available. Apply as a new applicant under the entry requirements then in effect. The person is eligible to sit for the journeyman plumber exam again.
Penalties for working on an expired license
Practicing as a tradesman without a valid license is a Class 1 misdemeanor under § 54.1-1135 A and an unlawful act under § 54.1-111. A willful third conviction within 36 months is a Class 6 felony. The Board may also discipline a regulant for conduct during a lapse because of the continuous-licensure rule in -140 B.
Under 18VAC50-30-120 C and -220 A, what continuing education must a Virginia journeyman plumber complete to renew a plumbing designation?
Eight hours on OSHA jobsite safety completed each year of the license term
Six hours on business and contract law completed every two years
Three hours on plumbing code changes from a Board-approved provider
Sixteen hours of backflow assembly testing completed every three years
A journeyman's license expired 14 months ago. Under 18VAC50-30-130, what is the correct path back to licensure?
Pay the $210 reinstatement fee, which includes renewal, and complete the CE
Pay the regular $160 renewal fee with no added charge, since the lapse is under two years
Retake the PSI examination, because any lapse longer than one year requires a new exam
Apply as a new applicant under current entry rules, because reinstatement ends after 12 months
A tradesman license issued on June 9, 2026 is renewed on time. On what date does the license expire after its first renewal?
June 9, 2029
June 30, 2032
June 30, 2030
June 9, 2032
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