Every applicant to the board for a certified general, certified residential, or licensed residential real estate appraiser license must meet the following qualifications:

1. The applicant must meet the current educational and experience requirements and submit a license application to the department or its agent prior to the time the applicant is approved to take the licensing examination.

2. The applicant must sign, as part of the application, a statement verifying that the applicant has read and understands the Virginia real estate appraiser license law and the regulations of the board.

3. The applicant must report any action taken by any board or administrative body in any jurisdiction against a professional or occupational license, certification, or registration issued to the applicant, to include any suspension, revocation, or surrender of a license, certification, or registration, imposition of a monetary penalty, or requirement to take remedial education or other corrective action. The board, in its discretion, may deny licensure to any applicant for any prior action taken by any board or administrative body in any jurisdiction. The applicant has the right to request further review of any such action by the board under the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq. of the Code of Virginia).

4. In accordance with § 54.1-204 of the Code of Virginia, each applicant must disclose the following information:

a. All misdemeanor convictions involving fraudulent or dishonest acts, sexual offense, non-marijuana drug distribution, or physical injury within five years of the date of the application; and

b. All felony convictions.

The board, in its discretion, may deny licensure to any applicant in accordance with § 54.1-204 of the Code of Virginia.

5. The applicant must be at least 18 years of age.

6. The applicant must have successfully completed minimum education standards established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board in its January 2022 Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. The Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria and Interpretations of the Criteria, effective January 1, 2022, are incorporated by reference. For applications received on or after January 1, 2026, the applicant must have successfully completed the minimum education standards established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board in its January 2026 Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria. The Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria, effective January 1, 2026, are incorporated by reference.

7. The applicant must successfully complete a minimum of two hours of education on fair housing and appraisal bias administered by the board or approved by the board.

8. The applicant must, as part of the application for licensure, verify the applicant's experience in the field of real estate appraisal.

a. All applicants must submit, upon application, sample appraisal reports as specified by the board.

(1) All experience must be acquired within the five-year period immediately preceding the date application is made and be supported by adequate written reports or file memoranda, which must be made available to the board upon request.

(2) The board, at its discretion, may extend the five-year period for applicants who have suffered serious personal illness or injury, death in the immediate family, obligation of military service or service in the Peace Corps, or for other good cause of similar magnitude approved by the board. Documentation of these circumstances must be provided to the board.

b. Experience requirements.

(1) Fee and staff appraisals. To qualify for fee and staff appraiser experience, an individual must have prepared written appraisal reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and demonstrate competence in the act or process of valuation of real property or preparing an appraisal report.

(2) Ad valorem experience. Ad valorem tax appraisal experience may be obtained either through individual property appraisals or through mass appraisals as long as applicants under this category of experience can demonstrate the use of techniques to value real property similar to those being used by fee and staff appraisers and the effective utilization of the appraisal process.

(a) To qualify for ad valorem tax appraisal experience for individual property appraisals, an individual must have prepared written appraisal reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. An applicant claiming only ad valorem tax appraisal experience must also include a fee and staff appraiser assignment as part of the application.

(b) To qualify for ad valorem tax appraisal experience for mass appraisals, an individual must have prepared mass appraisals or have documented mass appraisal reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, including Standard 6.

(c) To qualify for ad valorem tax appraisal experience, the applicant's experience log must be attested to by the applicant's supervisor.

(3) Reviewer experience. Reviewer experience must not constitute more than 1,000 hours of total experience claimed, and at least 50% of the review experience claimed must be in field review wherein the individual has personally inspected the real property that is the subject of the review.

(a) To qualify for reviewer experience, an individual must have prepared written reports after January 30, 1989, recommending the acceptance, revision, or rejection of the fee and staff appraiser's opinions that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, including Standard 3.

(b) Signing as "Review Appraiser" on an appraisal report prepared by another will not qualify an individual for experience in the reviewer category. Experience gained in this capacity will be considered under the cosigner subcategory of fee and staff appraiser experience.

(4) Real estate consulting experience. To qualify for real estate consulting experience, an individual must have prepared written reports that comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. Real estate consulting must not constitute more than 500 hours of experience for any type of appraisal license.

c. Experience hours.

(1) The applicant for a licensed residential real estate appraiser license must have a minimum of 1,000 hours of appraisal experience obtained in no fewer than six months. Hours may be treated as cumulative in order to achieve the necessary 1,000 hours of appraisal experience.

(2) The applicant for a certified residential real estate appraiser license must have a minimum of 1,500 hours of appraisal experience obtained in no fewer than 12 months. Hours may be treated as cumulative in order to achieve the necessary 1,500 hours of appraisal experience.

(3) The applicant for a certified general real estate appraiser license must have a minimum of 3,000 hours of appraisal experience obtained in no fewer than 18 months. Hours may be treated as cumulative in order to achieve the necessary 3,000 hours of appraisal experience. At least 50% of the appraisal experience required (1,500 hours) must be in nonresidential appraisal assignments and include assignments that demonstrate the use and understanding of the income approach. An applicant whose nonresidential appraisal experience is predominately in such properties that do not require the use of the income approach may satisfy this requirement by performing two or more appraisals on properties in association with a certified general appraiser that include the use of the income approach. The applicant must provide evidence that the applicant has substantially contributed to the development of the income approach in such reports.

(4) Applicants completing a Licensed Residential Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) Program will receive credit for:

(a) 100% of the experience required by board regulations as a condition of licensure as a licensed residential real estate appraiser;

(b) 67% of the experience required by board regulations as a condition of licensure as a certified residential real estate appraiser; or

(c) 33% of the experience required by board regulations as a condition of licensure as a certified general real estate appraiser.

(5) Applicants completing a Certified Residential PAREA Program will receive credit for:

(a) 100% of the experience required by board regulations as a condition of licensure as a licensed residential real estate appraiser or certified residential real estate appraiser; or

(b) 50% of the experience required by board regulations as a condition of licensure as a certified general real estate appraiser.

8. 9. Applicants must pass the board-approved examination within 24 months of being approved to take the examination.

9. 10. Applicants for licensure who do not meet the requirements set forth in subdivisions 3 and 4 of this section may be approved for licensure following consideration of their application by the board.

An applicant for licensure as an appraiser trainee must meet the following educational requirements in addition to those set forth in subdivisions 1 through 5 and 9 10 of 18VAC130-20-30.

1. Within the five-year period immediately preceding application for licensure, the applicant must have successfully completed 75 hours of approved real estate appraisal courses from accredited colleges, universities, or junior and community colleges; adult distributive or marketing education programs; local, state, or federal government agencies, boards, or commissions; proprietary schools; or real estate appraisal or real estate related organizations. The classroom hours must include the 15-Hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course.

2. Complete an Appraiser Qualifications Board approved course specifically oriented to the requirements and responsibilities of supervising appraisers and appraiser trainees.

3. There is no experience requirement for the appraiser trainee classification.

4. Responsibilities of supervising appraisers.

a. The appraiser trainee must be subject to direct supervision by a supervising appraiser who completed an Appraiser Qualifications Board approved course specifically oriented to the requirements and responsibilities of supervising appraisers and appraiser trainees, has been state certified for at least three years, is in good standing, and has not been subject to any disciplinary action within the last three years that affects the supervising appraiser's legal eligibility to engage in appraisal practice.

b. The supervising appraiser must be responsible for the training and direct supervision of the appraiser trainee by:

(1) Accepting responsibility for the appraisal report by signing and certifying the report is in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice;

(2) Reviewing the appraiser trainee appraisal reports; and

(3) Personally inspecting each appraised property with the appraiser trainee until the supervising appraiser determines the appraiser trainee is competent in accordance with the Competency Provision of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice for the property type.

c. The appraiser trainee is permitted to have more than one supervising appraiser, but a supervising appraiser may not supervise more than three trainees at one time, unless a state program in the licensing jurisdiction provides for progress monitoring, supervising certified appraiser qualifications, and supervision and oversight requirements for supervising appraisers.

d. An appraisal experience log must be maintained jointly by the supervising appraiser and the appraiser trainee. It is the responsibility of both the supervising appraiser and the appraiser trainee to ensure the appraisal experience log is accurate, current, and complies with the board's requirements. At a minimum, the appraisal log requirements are (i) type of property, (ii) date of report, (iii) address of appraised property, (iv) description of work performed by the appraiser trainee and scope of the review and supervision of the supervising appraiser, (v) number of actual work hours by the appraiser trainee on the assignment, and (vi) the signature and state certification number of the supervising appraiser. Separate appraisal logs must be maintained for each supervising appraiser, if applicable.

A. Content.

1. Prior to licensure, applicants must have successfully completed (i) the 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice course and; (ii) an eight-hour valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations course as described in the January 2026 Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria; and (iii) a minimum two-hour course on fair housing and appraisal bias as described in § 54.1-2013 B of the Code of Virginia.

2. While various appraisal courses may be credited toward the classroom requirement specified for each classification of licensure, all applicants for licensure as an appraiser trainee or a licensed residential, certified residential, or certified general real estate appraiser must demonstrate that course work included coverage of the required topics listed in this subdivision.

3. Any course related to fair housing and appraisal bias designed to meet the requirements of 18VAC130-20-30 7 must include instruction on (i) the legacy of segregation, unequal treatment, and the historic lack of access to opportunities in housing; (ii) unequal access to amenities and resources on the basis of race, disability, and other protected classes; (iii) federal, state, and local fair housing laws; and (iv) anti-bias practices.

4. All appraisal and appraisal-related offerings presented for prelicense credit must have a final, written examination. The examination may not be an open book examination.

4. 5. Credit toward the classroom hour requirement to satisfy the educational requirement prior to licensure will be granted only where the length of the educational offering is at least 15 classroom hours, except for the eight-hour course on valuation bias and fair housing laws and regulations.

B. Instruction. With the exception of courses taught at accredited colleges, universities, junior and community colleges, or adult distributive or marketing education programs, all other prelicense educational offerings given after January 1, 1993, must be taught by instructors certified by the board. All courses in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice must be instructed by an Appraisal Qualifications Board certified instructor.

A. Approval letters issued under this chapter for educational offerings will expire two years from the last day of the month in which they were issued, as indicated in the approval letter. The reapproval fee will be equivalent to the original approval fee specified in 18VAC130-20-240.

B. Any course related to fair housing and appraisal bias designed to meet the requirements of 18VAC130-20-30 7 must be reviewed annually by the Fair Housing Board.