Virginia § 54.1-2106.1 - Licenses required

§ 54.1-2106.1. Licenses required

A. No business entity, other than a sole proprietorship, shall act, offer to act, or advertise to act, as a real estate firm without a real estate firm license from the Board. Such firm may be granted a license in a fictitious name. No business entity shall be granted a firm license unless (i) every managing member of a limited liability company, officer of a corporation, partner within a partnership, or associate within an association who actively participates in the firm brokerage business holds a license as a real estate broker; and (ii) every employee or independent contractor who acts as a salesperson for such business entity holds a license as a real estate salesperson or broker. An individual holding a broker's license may operate a real estate brokerage firm which he owns as a sole proprietorship without any further licensure by the Board, although such individual shall not operate the brokerage firm in a fictitious name. However, nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a broker operating a brokerage firm from having a business entity separate from the brokerage firm for such broker's own real estate business, provided that such separate business entity otherwise complies with this section. A non-broker-owned sole proprietorship shall obtain a license from the Board.

B. No individual shall act as a broker without a real estate broker's license from the Board. An individual who holds a broker's license may act as a salesperson for another broker. A broker may be an owner, member, or officer of a business entity salesperson as defined in subsection C.

C. No individual shall act as a salesperson without a salesperson's license from the Board. A business entity may act as a salesperson with a separate business entity salesperson's license from the Board. No business entity shall be granted a business entity salesperson's license unless every owner or officer who actively participates in the brokerage business of such entity holds a license as a salesperson or broker from the Board. The Board shall establish standards in its regulations for the names of business entity salespersons when more than one licensee is an owner or officer.

D. No group of individuals consisting of one or more real estate brokers or real estate salespersons, or a combination thereof, shall act as a real estate team without first obtaining a business entity salesperson's license from the Board. A real estate team may hire one or more unlicensed assistants, as employees or independent contractors, as otherwise provided by law.

E. If any principal broker maintains more than one place of business within the Commonwealth, such principal broker shall be required to obtain a branch office license from the Board for each additional place of business maintained other than his primary place of business noted on the firm license application. A copy of the branch office license shall be kept on the premises of the branch office. No branch office license shall be required for (i) a location that the principal broker, or those employed by or affiliated as an independent contractor with the principal broker, does not own, lease, or maintain exclusive access to, maintenance of, and control of, unless it is held out to the public as a location where such persons or entities are regularly engaging in the activities of a real estate broker or salesperson; (ii) a motor vehicle or watercraft; (iii) a place that is solely devoted to advertising real estate matters of a general nature or to making a real estate broker's business name generally known such as a trade show or expo; (iv) a residence, unless it is held out to the public as a location where the principal broker, or those employed by or affiliated as an independent contractor with the principal broker, is regularly engaging in the activities of a real estate broker or salesperson; (v) a post office box, mail drop location, or other similar facility; or (vi) a public location such as a coffee shop or restaurant.

1996, c. 993; 1998, c. 265; 1999, cc. 82, 105; 2008, c. 319; 2012, c. 750; 2018, cc. 223, 224; 2019, cc. 179, 395; 2024, cc. 327, 352.