Virginia Code 54.1-1101: Exemptions; failure to obtain certificate of occupancy; penalties
A. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to:
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 6 felony | up to 5 years | up to $2,500 |
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-1101
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Board: means the Board for Contractors. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Contractor: means any person, that for a fixed price, commission, fee, or percentage undertakes to bid upon, or accepts, or offers to accept, orders or contracts for performing, managing, or superintending in whole or in part, the construction, removal, repair or improvement of any building or structure permanently annexed to real property owned, controlled, or leased by him or another person or any other improvements to such real property. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- Department: means the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- improvement: shall include (i) remediation, cleanup, or containment of premises to remove contaminants or (ii) site work necessary to make certain real property usable for human occupancy according to the guidelines established pursuant to § 32. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Chapter 42. See Virginia Code 1-257
- Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Owner-developer: means any person who, for a third party purchaser, orders or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of any building or structure permanently annexed to real property owned, controlled, or leased by the owner-developer, or any other improvement to such property and who contracts with a person licensed in accordance with this chapter for the work undertaken. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Person: means any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, joint venture, or other legal entity. See Virginia Code 54.1-1100
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
- United States: includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-255
1. Any governmental agency performing work with its own forces;
2. Work bid upon or undertaken for the armed services of the United States under the Armed Services Procurement Act;
3. Work bid upon or undertaken for the United States government on land under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government either by statute or deed of cession;
4. Work bid upon or undertaken for the Department of Transportation on the construction, reconstruction, repair, or improvement of any highway or bridge;
5. Any other persons who may be specifically excluded by other laws but only to such an extent as such laws provide;
6. Any material supplier who renders advice concerning use of products sold and who does not provide construction or installation services;
7. Any person who performs or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of no more than one primary residence owned by him and for his own use during any 24-month period;
8. Any person who performs or supervises the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of a house upon his own real property as a bona fide gift to a member of his immediate family provided such member lives in the house. For purposes of this section, “immediate family” includes one’s mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandchild, grandparent, mother-in-law, and father-in-law;
9. Any person who performs or supervises the repair or improvement of industrial or manufacturing facilities, or a commercial or retail building, for his own use;
10. Any person who performs or supervises the repair or improvement of residential dwelling units owned by him that are subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§ 55.1-1200 et seq.);
11. Any owner-developer, provided that any third-party purchaser is made a third-party beneficiary to the contract between the owner-developer and a licensed contractor whereby the contractor’s obligation to perform the contract extends to both the owner-developer and the third party;
12. Work undertaken by students as part of a career and technical education project as defined in § 22.1-228 established by any school board in accordance with Article 5 (§ 22.1-228 et seq.) of Chapter 13 of Title 22.1 for the construction of portable classrooms or single family homes;
13. Any person who performs the removal of building detritus or provides janitorial, cleaning, or sanitizing services incidental to the construction, removal, repair, or improvement of real property;
14. Any person who is performing work directly under the supervision of a licensed contractor and is (i) a student in good standing and enrolled in a public or private institution of higher education, (ii) a student enrolled in a career training or technical education program, or (iii) an apprentice as defined in § 2.2-2043; and
15. Work undertaken by a person providing construction, remodeling, repair, improvement, removal, or demolition valued at $25,000 or less per project on behalf of a properly licensed contractor, provided that such contractor holds a valid license in the (i) residential building, (ii) commercial building, or (iii) home improvement building contractor classification. However, any construction services that require an individual license or certification shall be rendered only by an individual licensed or certified in accordance with this chapter.
All other contractors performing work for any government or for any governmental agency are subject to the provisions of this chapter and are required to be licensed as provided herein.
B. Any person who is exempt from the provisions of this chapter as a result of subdivision A 7, 10, 11, or 12 shall obtain a certificate of occupancy for any building constructed, repaired or improved by him prior to conveying such property to a third-party purchaser, unless such purchaser has acknowledged in writing that no certificate of occupancy has been issued and that such purchaser consents to acquire the property without a certificate of occupancy.
C. Any person who is exempt from the provisions of this chapter as a result of subdivision 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, or 14 of subsection A shall comply with the provisions of the Uniform Statewide Building Code (§ 36-97 et seq.).
D. Any person who violates the provisions of subsection B or C shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The third or any subsequent conviction of violating subsection B or C during a 36-month period shall constitute a Class 6 felony.
Code 1950, § 54-141; 1970, c. 319; 1980, c. 634; 1988, c. 765; 1990, c. 911; 1998, c. 754; 2003, c. 1025; 2004, c. 189; 2005, c. 348; 2007, c. 332; 2016, c. 527; 2017, cc. 132, 135; 2018, c. 767; 2022, c. 149; 2023, cc. 624, 625.