How to Start a Dental Practice in Virginia: $400 License by Exam, $285 Renewal, PLLC Rules

October 29, 2026

Opening a dental practice in Virginia starts with your personal license, not an LLC. The Board of Dentistry must license you before you treat a patient in the state, and that license comes before any entity filing, locality license, or lease signature. This guide covers the steps in the order you should handle them: the dental license, the two routes to it, the fees, the practice entity, setup and financing, and local items.

Informational content only. This article is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm current figures with the agency named in each section. For a practice purchase, lease, or entity choice, talk to a Virginia health care attorney and a CPA.

Step 1: Get Your Dental License From the Board of Dentistry

Dentists are licensed by the Virginia Board of Dentistry, which sits within the Department of Health Professions (DHP). The licensing rules are in 18VAC60-21 of the Virginia Administrative Code. Your dental school must be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), and that requirement applies to both routes below.

Do not treat this as a local paperwork step. A dental practice in Virginia needs the Board license first. A city or county business license does not substitute for it.

Step 2: Choose Your Route: Examination or Credentials

Virginia offers two routes to a dental license. Pick the one that matches your history.

Route	Who it fits	Core requirement
License by examination	Dentists who are newly graduated or have not yet practiced under a license	Passing all parts of the National Board Dental Examination plus an accepted clinical examination
License by credentials	Dentists already licensed and practicing elsewhere	Practice for 5 of the 6 preceding years, with at least 600 hours in each of those years (18VAC60-21-210)

Two tips for the credentials route. First, the 600-hour requirement is year by year, so a gap year with little clinical work can disqualify you even if your total hours look strong. Second, collect employment records, letters from practice managers, and license verifications from every state where you practiced before you apply. Ask the Board which documents it accepts and in what format.

Pass marks and exam prices are not listed here. Check the Board and the testing organizations for current information.

Step 3: Know the Fees

The fee schedule is in 18VAC60-21-40. The figures below are the ones you are most likely to need. Read the full fee section before you budget, because sedation and other permits have their own charges.

Board of Dentistry item	Fee
License by examination	$400
License by credentials	$500
Active renewal	$285
Inactive renewal	$145
Late renewal fee (active license)	$100
Reinstatement of an expired license	$500
Mobile clinic or portable operation registration	$250
Mobile clinic or portable operation renewal	$150
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon registration	$175
Moderate sedation permit, application	$100
Moderate sedation permit, renewal	$100
Deep sedation or general anesthesia permit, application	$100
Deep sedation or general anesthesia permit, renewal	$100
Practice inspection fee	A fee applies. Check the fee section for the amount.

Set a renewal reminder as soon as you are licensed. The $285 active renewal is cheap compared with the $100 late fee and the $500 reinstatement fee for an expired license, and the reinstatement fee applies on top of any work you lose while your license is lapsed.

Step 4: Set Up the Practice Entity Under Virginia's PLLC Rules

The entity rules matter because dental ownership is restricted. A professional corporation or professional limited liability company (PLLC) must have members who are licensed dentists (Va. Code 13.1-543, 13.1-544, 13.1-1102, and 13.1-1103). Non-dentists can invest in a dental practice only within the limits those statutes and the Board set, so have an attorney review any investor or management arrangement before you sign.

Whether a plain LLC with non-dentist owners may render dental services is unsettled. Do not assume it can. Ask a Virginia health care attorney before you choose that structure.

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) forms the entity, and it issues no business license. The SCC fees that apply to a dental practice entity are below.

SCC item	Fee or rule
LLC Articles of Organization (Form LLC1011)	$100
LLC annual registration fee	$50 per year. No annual report is filed.
Professional corporation articles	Check with the State Corporation Commission
Assumed name (DBA) certificate	$10, filed with the SCC, not the circuit court
Name reservation	$10 for 120 days, renewable in the 45 days before it expires

A few details that trip up dentists:

• Naming. The name must include one of the approved endings: limited company, limited liability company, LC, L.C., LLC, or L.L.C. It also must be distinguishable from names already on file. Ask the SCC or your attorney whether your PLLC name needs any additional designation.
• Expedited filing. Online filings can be expedited. Next-day service costs $50 or $100 (submit by 2:00 PM Eastern for a response by 4:00 PM the next business day). Same-day service costs $200 (submit by 10:00 AM Eastern for a response by 4:00 PM). Expedited service is online only and nonrefundable.
• Annual registration. The $50 fee is due on the last day of the 12th month after the month the LLC was organized, and every year after that. The SCC assesses it about two months ahead. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC is canceled at the end of the third month after the due date.
• Registered agent. A Virginia entity must keep a registered agent who is a Virginia resident with a Virginia street registered office, available during business hours. The agent must be a member of the Virginia State Bar or a member, manager, officer, trustee, or general partner of the entity. An entity cannot be its own agent.
• Trade names. If you will operate under a name other than the legal name, file an Assumed Name Certificate with the SCC for $10. No newspaper publication is required.

File online through the SCC Clerk's Information System (CIS) at https://cis.scc.virginia.gov/. General business information is at https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/.

Step 5: Plan Setup, Equipment, Technology, and Financing

The biggest costs of a new dental practice are equipment, build-out, technology, working capital, and the delay before insurance payments arrive. No totals are given here. Industry planning estimates vary widely by market, specialty, and office size, so get written quotes from vendors and contractors rather than relying on a generic number.

• Equipment. Operatories, delivery units, compressors, sterilization equipment, and imaging. Ask for installation and service terms in writing.
• Build-out. If you hire a general contractor, Virginia contractor license classes since 2025-07-01 are Class C for contracts over $1,000 to under $30,000, Class B for $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A for $150,000 or more. Confirm the class that fits your project with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR).
• Technology. Practice management software, digital records, and secure backups. These also feed your HIPAA obligations.
• Working capital. Cover rent, payroll, supplies, and insurance until collections are steady. Payer credentialing with insurance panels often takes longer than dentists expect, so plan for a gap between opening day and first reimbursements.
• Staffing. Virginia's minimum wage is $12.77 in 2026, $13.75 in 2027, and $15.00 in 2028. Build those figures into your payroll forecast.

For financing, many dentists look at SBA-backed loans, which are made by private lenders with an SBA guarantee. The SBA's Richmond district office covers Virginia at https://www.sba.gov/district/richmond. Lenders typically ask for a business plan, personal financial statements, and collateral, and approval terms vary. The Virginia Small Business Development Center network offers free or low-cost advising at https://www.virginiasbdc.org/.

General compliance items to address before you open:

• HIPAA. Privacy and security policies, staff training, and a process for patient record requests.
• OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard. A written exposure control plan, training, and protective equipment.
• DEA registration. Required if you prescribe or dispense controlled substances. Check the current fee directly with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
• Malpractice insurance. Compare coverage limits and tail coverage terms before you sign.
• Workers' compensation. Required once your employee count reaches the threshold in Virginia law. Check the current threshold with the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission rather than relying on an older figure.
• Sales tax. If any of your sales are taxable, you need a sales tax registration. The state rate is 5.3% base (state plus local), 6% in regional-tax localities, 6.3% in eight localities, and 7% in the Historic Triangle, with a 1% grocery rate. Confirm with Virginia Tax at https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sales-and-use-tax whether your revenue or purchases are taxable.

Step 6: Handle the Local Items

Virginia has no general statewide business license. The local item you will likely encounter is the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax, a local license tax under Va. Code 58.1-3700 et seq. You can read the statute at https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title58.1/chapter37/. Each city or county administers it, usually through the Commissioner of the Revenue.

Key points about BPOL:

• Not every locality levies it. Va. Code 58.1-3704 lets a locality levy no general license. Stafford, Rockingham, Bedford County, Washington County, Montgomery County, Louisa, and Fluvanna are examples of localities without a general county license. Towns can displace the county tax, so check the town and the county separately.
• Population floors. A locality with more than 50,000 people cannot require a license for gross receipts under $100,000. A locality with 25,000 to 50,000 people cannot require one for gross receipts under $50,000. No floor applies to a locality under 25,000 people. Localities over 50,000 may waive the license up to $200,000, but verify the current waiver ceiling with the locality.
• Rates and deadlines are local. Each locality sets its own rate and filing deadline. Do not assume the rate in a neighboring county applies to your office. Find your locality's contact information at https://www.virginia.gov/localities/.
• Zoning. Confirm that a dental office is a permitted use at your address and that the building has the right occupancy classification before you sign a lease. Your locality's zoning office handles that question.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating the local license as the first step. The Board of Dentistry license comes first. A locality license does not authorize dental practice.
• Signing a lease or buying equipment before you have a license date. If your application is delayed, you will still owe rent and payments.
• Assuming a plain LLC can render dental services. Confirm the structure with a Virginia health care attorney first.
• Filing a DBA with the circuit court. Virginia's Assumed Name Certificate is filed with the SCC for $10.
• Missing the $50 annual registration deadline. A late payment adds a $25 penalty, and the LLC can be canceled.
• Letting your license lapse. The $100 late fee and $500 reinstatement fee are avoidable costs.
• Underfunding working capital. Insurance credentialing delays are common, and they can strain a practice that planned for immediate collections.
• Forgetting sedation permits. If you plan to offer moderate sedation or deep sedation or general anesthesia, apply for the permit and budget the application and renewal fees.

What to Expect

Most dentists find that the license, entity, and local steps can run in parallel, but the license is the only item that controls whether you can see patients at all. Use the time while your application is pending to draft your HIPAA and OSHA policies, negotiate equipment and build-out quotes, and open payer credentialing applications where your plan allows it.

Timing for the entity and local items depends on expedited options, locality workloads, and document gaps. Results depend on your records, your locality, and how quickly you respond to agency requests. Treat any timeline in this article as a planning guide, not a promise.

Next Steps

1. Confirm your route (examination or credentials) and gather the Board's documents.
2. Calendar the $285 active renewal and the late fee deadline as soon as you are licensed.
3. Choose your entity with a Virginia health care attorney, then check the name with the SCC and reserve it if needed.
4. Request quotes for equipment, build-out, and technology, and build a working capital plan that accounts for credentialing delays.
5. Ask your locality's Commissioner of the Revenue whether BPOL applies to your office, and ask the zoning office about permitted use.
6. Meet with a CPA about tax registration, payroll, and your entity's tax treatment.

For official fee and filing details, use these sources: the Department of Health Professions at https://www.dhp.virginia.gov/, the State Corporation Commission at https://www.scc.virginia.gov/businesses/, and Virginia Tax at https://www.tax.virginia.gov/. Because dental ownership, financing, and local tax issues can be complex, consult a qualified Virginia health care attorney and a CPA before you commit.