How to become a vet tech in Virginia

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Virginia vet techs hold the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) license, issued by the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, a state board within the Department of Health Professions. State law says no one may practice as a veterinary technician without this license. Unlicensed assistants may do only the tasks the rules let a veterinarian delegate to them. To get licensed, you earn a degree from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program (or an AAVSB PAVE certificate), pass the VTNE and apply to the board. There is no state exam.

Virginia vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Virginia
Title	LVT (Licensed Veterinary Technician)
Issued by	Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine, a state board within the Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP).
Type	State license.
Required to work as a tech	Yes No one may practice as a veterinary technician in Virginia without a board license. Unlicensed assistants may do only tasks the rules let a veterinarian delegate to them.
Education	A degree in veterinary technology or veterinary nursing from an AVMA- or CVMA-accredited program, or an AAVSB PAVE certificate. The exam route has no on-the-job option.
Exams	The Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE), run by AAVSB. No state exam; you sign a statement that you have read and will follow Virginia's laws and rules.
Renewal and CE	Every year; licenses expire December 31. 8 hours of approved CE each year, no carryover. Your first renewal after licensure by exam is CE-exempt.
Moving from another state	Endorsement, at the board's discretion, if another state licensed, certified or registered you, you practiced 2 of the past 4 years, hold an accredited degree or passed the VTNE, and did 16 CE hours in 4 years.

How to get your LVT in Virginia

Earn a degree in veterinary technology or veterinary nursing from a program accredited by the AVMA or the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). The board's rule also accepts a PAVE certificate from AAVSB instead of an accredited degree.
Pass the VTNE, which is run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Virginia accepts the VTNE or another national vet tech exam the board approves.
Apply to the board for a veterinary technology license by examination. Have your school send an official transcript showing your degree.
Ask AAVSB to release your VTNE score to Virginia. If you took the VTNE through Virginia less than a year ago, no score transfer request is needed.
If you have ever held a vet tech license, certification or registration in another state, have each of those boards send a verification, including for expired credentials.
Sign the statement that you have read and will follow Virginia's veterinary laws and rules, and pay the fee. As listed in the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine's fee rule (18VAC150-20-100) as of October 2026, the LVT application fee is $65. Your application stays open for one year.

The licensing rules list no minimum age and no fingerprint background check. The board may refuse a license to someone convicted of a felony or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Virginia's statute lets an LVT perform acts related to an animal's treatment or health maintenance under the "immediate and direct supervision" of a Virginia-licensed veterinarian. An LVT may never perform surgery, diagnose or prescribe. The board's rule defines immediate supervision as the veterinarian being immediately available, in person or electronically, and giving a specific order based on observing and diagnosing the patient within the last 36 hours. The rules do not define "direct supervision" and do not say whether the veterinarian must be on site for routine LVT work. The rules also do not list every LVT task. Instead they list what a veterinarian may not delegate to an assistant, and the board's guidance fills in some LVT duties.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Induce sedation or anesthesia, or intubate	Not addressed The rules do not list these tasks for LVTs; they bar only assistants from them. All LVT work is under a veterinarian's immediate and direct supervision.	No An assistant may monitor a sedated or anesthetized patient only if a vet or LVT stays on the premises until full recovery.
Place IV catheters or give chemotherapy injections	Not addressed The rules do not list these tasks for LVTs; they bar only assistants from them. All LVT work is under a veterinarian's immediate and direct supervision.	No
Scale teeth below the gum line (subgingival)	Not addressed The rules do not list this task for LVTs; they bar only assistants from it.	No A properly trained assistant may polish and scale above the gum line only.
Extract single-rooted teeth and close skin	Yes, with conditions: on the vet's diagnosis and direct orders. Not biopsies, subcuticular closures or gingival flap closures.	No The rules carve these out of "surgery" only when an LVT does them.
Give a rabies vaccine	Yes, with conditions: under the immediate and direct supervision of a veterinarian on the premises.	No The law lists only veterinarians and LVTs.
Access Schedule II-V controlled drugs	Yes The drug rules name vet techs among the few people allowed access, along with veterinarians and pharmacy staff.	No Assistants may not inventory, prepare, give or dispense them.

Board guidance also says an LVT may perform cystocentesis and may extract a multi-rooted tooth once the veterinarian has sectioned it. The board has decided that unlicensed assistants may not perform cystocentesis because it is invasive. Veterinarians who let unlicensed staff do work reserved for licensees can be disciplined.

Veterinary assistants in Virginia

Virginia has no state permit or registration for veterinary assistants; the board does not list them among the professions it regulates. A veterinarian may delegate these tasks to a properly trained assistant: grooming, feeding, cleaning, restraining, assisting in radiology, setting up diagnostic tests, prepping a patient or equipment for surgery, dental polishing and scaling above the gum line, drawing blood, and filling Schedule VI prescriptions under a Virginia veterinarian's direction. An assistant may also give Schedule VI drugs, including by injection, under the veterinarian's immediate supervision, but never chemotherapy drugs. The veterinarian must have physically examined the patient within the previous 36 hours and stays responsible for the delegated work. During surgery, an assistant may adjust the dials on anesthesia equipment under the veterinarian's direction. Equine dental technicians are a separate credential, registered by the same board.

Renewal and continuing education

LVT licenses renew every year. The board says all licenses expire December 31, and online renewal opens in November. As listed in the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine's fee rule (18VAC150-20-100) as of October 2026, the LVT renewal fee is $50 ($25 for an inactive license) and the late fee is $20.

8 hours of approved CE every year. Hours do not carry over to the next year. The statute sets a 6-hour floor; the board's rule requires 8.
Courses must be clinical veterinary or veterinary technology courses, or courses that improve patient safety, such as medical recordkeeping or OSHA compliance. Practice management courses about efficiency or profit do not count.
Approved sponsors include the AVMA and its associations, NAVTA, state vet tech associations, AAHA, government agencies, community colleges with an approved vet tech program, and providers approved through AAVSB RACE.
Up to 1 of the 8 hours can come from unpaid care for low-income patients served through a local health department or free clinic, at 1 CE hour per 3 hours of service.
Your first renewal after licensure by exam is CE-exempt. Keep your CE documents for two years; the board runs random audits and expects documents within 14 days.
You can renew up to one year late with a late fee. After that, reinstatement is up to the board and requires CE for the lapsed years, up to two years. An inactive license needs no CE, but you may not practice on it.

Recent changes

Vaccines at rabies clinics (2024): a 2024 law (Chapter 241, in force July 1, 2024) lets approved rabies clinics offer microchipping and other animal health vaccines. LVTs may give those vaccines at the clinic under the immediate and direct supervision of a veterinarian on the premises.
Student guidance (2024): the board revised its guidance on preceptorships and externships for vet tech students on October 21, 2024.
Veterinarian-only changes (2024 to 2026): traineeship laws in 2024 and 2026 and an emergency rule effective September 16, 2026 cover veterinarian trainees, not LVTs. The board's 2024 and 2026 law-change notices list no change to LVT licensure, scope or titles.

FAQ

Can I work in a Virginia clinic without an LVT license?

Yes, as a veterinary assistant, but only on the tasks a veterinarian may delegate to an assistant. You may not practice as a veterinary technician, and tasks such as inducing anesthesia, intubating, placing IV catheters or giving rabies vaccines are off limits.

I am credentialed in another state. Can I transfer to Virginia?

Possibly, through licensure by endorsement, which the board grants at its discretion. You need a current license, certification or registration from another US jurisdiction, clinical practice in at least two of the past four years, an accredited degree or a passed VTNE, and 16 CE hours in the past four years. A certification issued only by a veterinary technician association does not qualify; you would apply by exam instead, which needs an accredited degree or PAVE certificate and a VTNE score.

Can I work as a tech after graduation while my license is pending?

No. The board says that once you graduate you no longer qualify for practical training and may not perform vet tech duties until you are licensed.

Can a Virginia LVT pull teeth?

Yes, single-rooted teeth, on the veterinarian's diagnosis and direct orders. Board guidance also allows a multi-rooted tooth once the veterinarian has sectioned it into single-rooted parts.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Virginia?

Virginia's veterinary law has no "veterinary nurse" title; the state credential is Licensed Veterinary Technician. The board accepts veterinary nursing degrees and veterinary nurse credentials from other jurisdictions toward the LVT license. State law makes it unlawful to use a title that may reasonably be confused with a licensed designation without holding the license.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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