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How to Verify a Professional's License in Norfolk?

The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation offers 48 occupational license types through its various boards to qualified professionals in Norfolk. To minimize complaints when hiring Norfolk professionals, you must confirm if such professionals have been duly licensed according to relevant board regulations. For instance, if the project you are considering is valued at $1000 and you intend to hire a building-related professional, then this individual is statutorily required to have a Class C license which confirms valid practice in Norfolk. In addition to minimizing complaints, hiring a licensed professional ensures that you are not committing any prohibited acts under applicable licensing laws. You can verify a Norfolk professional's license via the License Lookup tool provided by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

After confirming the validity of a professional license, you must ensure your project is done per applicable city regulatory requirements. This entails obtaining all necessary permits for your project before work commences. For instance, in city projects involving construction or alteration of buildings and structures, you have to apply to the City Planning Department, which issues permits via its Development Services Center & Building Safety (Permits & Inspections) Office. Failing to obtain required permits may result in penalties and sanctions. You can contact the Permits & Inspections Office at (757) 664-6565 for more information on Norfolk permit requirements.

Do Norfolk Neighborhood Councils
Issue Permits?

There are currently 151 active civic and business associations in the various neighborhoods located in Norfolk. These associations exist to ensure residents of each neighborhood are more involved in decisions that will positively shape the neighborhood. You can use the city's Civic Association List and Business Association List to access information on your specific neighborhood civic or business associations, like meeting days and locations. If you are unsure of the association your neighborhood belongs to, you can find out via the Norfolk AIR map. Even though Norfolk Civic and Business Associations do not issue home improvement or construction permits, they strongly influence policies that positively affect the neighborhood. For instance, these associations' collectively embarked on a facilities improvements project that resulted in the renovation of the East Ocean View Community and Senior Center and the addition of the new senior center. Similarly, the associations proposed an infrastructural improvement project in 2021 to replace the deteriorated Botanical Garden Cobblestone bridge structure and repair the adjacent sections of the canal bulkhead.

How Do You File an Unfair Business
Complaint in Norfolk?

The Norfolk Sheriff's Office has set up a Consumer Protection Unit where you can file a complaint against a professional for unfair business practices, and you can contact this unit at (757) 664-4344 or file a report online if you have any business complaints. Once the Consumer Protection Unit receives your report, it works with the appropriate agencies where necessary to review the matter. The Norfolk Police Department Economic Crimes Division and the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office also provide city-level law enforcement if there is a case of alleged criminal misconduct. Note that these agencies act in prosecutorial roles, which means they can only investigate and charge the accused professionals if a probable criminal case is proved. If you seek personal restitution, you need to file a civil action in the Norfolk General District Court, which has jurisdiction to decide civil action where the money judgment claim does not exceed $25,000. Where your claim is $5000 or less, you will have to file in a Small Claims Court. You can contact the Norfolk General District Court at (757) 664-4910 to get more information on how to file a civil action. Note that small claims actions are typically handled without legal representation, which makes it easier for you to access justice without accruing legal fees or a professional knowledge of the law. Nonetheless, it is advisable to get proper legal advice on how to proceed with your claim before filing in this court, and you can achieve this by contacting the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association at (757) 622-3152 or via email for lawyer referrals or pro bono service.