Surety Bond Professionals is a family-owned and operated bonding agency with over 30 years of experience. With access to a broad range of surety markets, our expert agents are ready to assist with all of your Virginia HVAC license bond needs. Learn how to get an HVAC license in Virginia, below.
What HVAC Contractor Licenses Are Issued in Virginia?
The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulations Board for Contractors licenses individual HVAC tradesman. A journeyman HVAC license allows you to begin working as an HVAC technician. After a year, you can apply for a master license, which allows you to supervise the repair and installation of HVAC systems. To work on or supervise an HVAC project valued at more than $1,000, however, you’ll need an HVAC contractor license.
There are three classes of HVAC contractor licenses:
- Class C licenses allow you to work on projects valued at $10,000 or below or a total of $150,000 for all projects in a single year.
- Class B limits are $120,000 per project or a total of $750,000 annually.
- Class A HVAC contractor licenses have no per-project or annual dollar limits.
What Are the Steps in the Licensing Process?
Each HVAC license has its own education, experience, and examination requirements. Each level’s requirements are more stringent than the previous level’s. A journeyman HVAC license has the least demanding eligibility requirements, and a Class A HVAC contractor license has the most challenging. You must hold a master HVAC license for two years before you can apply for a contractor license.
The specific steps in the licensing process depend on the license you’re seeking. The application form is available on the Board of Contractors website in fillable dynamic form for online completion and submission. Or, you can download a static form for manual completion and submission via mail.
One thing that may not be readily apparent from the Board for Contractors website is that, although there is no statewide bonding requirement for HVAC contractors, individual municipalities may require local licensing and bonding of contractors working in given jurisdictions. It’s your responsibility to check the local requirements in the areas in which you plan to work.
Why Is An HVAC License Bond Required?
When an HVAC contractor license bond is required, the purpose is threefold:
- To ensure that HVAC contractors comply with applicable laws and ordinances.
- To indemnify the local authorities against liability for damages resulting from a licensed HVAC contractor’s unlawful or unethical business conduct.
- To ensure that funds will be available for compensating any injured party with a valid claim for such damages.
How Are HVAC License Bond Claims Paid?
The terms of an HVAC surety bond agreement make the HVAC contractor (known as the bond’s “principal”) legally responsible for paying all valid claims against the bond. However, if that doesn’t happen quickly, the company that authorized the bond (typically referred to as the “surety”) will expedite matters by stepping in and paying the claim on behalf of the principal. That payment creates a debt that the principal is legally obligated to repay to the surety.
How Much Does an HVAC License Bond Cost?
The municipal authority that requires an HVAC license bond is referred to as the bond’s “obligee” and establishes the required bond amount. That amount is multiplied by the premium rate set by the surety to determine the annual premium for the bond.
The premium rate is set on a case-by-case basis and reflects the surety’s assessment of the principal’s creditworthiness. The best indicator of creditworthiness is the principal’s personal credit score. A high credit score gives the surety little reason to worry about not being repaid by the principal for claims paid on the principal’s behalf. This results in a low premium rate—possibly as low as 1%.
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