Virginia Code 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.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-2106.1
- Branch office: means any place of business of a principal broker in the Commonwealth that is not his primary place of business. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Place of business: means a location where the principal broker, or individuals or business entities employed by or affiliated as an independent contractor with the principal broker, regularly transacts the business of a real estate broker or salesperson. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
- real estate: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights and appurtenances thereto and interests therein, other than a chattel interest. See Virginia Code 1-219
- Real estate broker: means any individual or business entity, including a partnership, association, corporation, or limited liability company, who, for compensation or valuable consideration, (i) sells or offers for sale, buys or offers to buy, or negotiates the purchase or sale or exchange of real estate, including units or interest in condominiums, cooperative interest as defined in § Virginia Code 54.1-2100
- Real estate salesperson: means any individual or business entity who is employed either directly or indirectly by, or affiliated as an independent contractor with, a real estate broker to perform the duties of a real estate broker for compensation or valuable consideration. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
- Real estate team: means two or more individuals, one or more of whom is a real estate salesperson or broker, who (i) work together as a unit within the same brokerage firm, (ii) represent themselves to the public as working together as one unit, and (iii) designate themselves by a fictitious name. See Virginia Code 54.1-2100
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.