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Equipment Breakdown Insurance in Virginia

Virginia requires an annual certificate inspection of power boilers and high-pressure, high-temperature water boilers, plus an annual external inspection under pressure if possible. Heating boilers and pressure vessels subject to internal corrosion receive a certificate inspection every two years. A two-month grace period may follow those intervals. If the object is insured, the Department of Labor and Industry tells you to use a qualified inspector from the carrier; if it is not, use a contract fee inspector. 1,3

What Is Equipment Breakdown?

Equipment-breakdown coverage can help repair covered machinery or building equipment after a mechanical or electrical failure. It fits businesses that depend on equipment to operate; check whether lost income, spoilage and utility failures are included. Read the national Equipment breakdown guide.

Virginia Requirements

RequirementDetails
Power-boiler inspectionsCertificate inspection annually, and an external inspection annually while under pressure if possible. 1
Heating boilers and corrosive vesselsCertificate inspection every two years. 1
Grace periodTwo months beyond the certificate interval. The chief inspector may add up to three more months after a satisfactory external inspection and a monthly fee. 1

What to Watch for in Virginia

  • Fewer Than Four Apartments Are Outside the Article

    The article does not apply to boilers or fired or unfired pressure vessels on the property of a private residence or an apartment house of fewer than four apartments. That cutoff is four apartments, not the six-unit test used in some other states. Hot-water supply boilers, water heaters, and unfired hot-water storage tanks heated indirectly are exempt when heat input, temperature, and capacity do not exceed 200,000 Btu per hour, 210°F, and 120 gallons. 2

  • Air-Only Tanks Have Their Own Size Test

    Unfired vessels at or below 15 pounds operating pressure are exempt with no size limit. So are vessels that do not exceed 5 cubic feet and 250 psig, or 1.5 cubic feet and 600 psig, or a 6-inch inside diameter. An air-only vessel is exempt if volume does not exceed 8 cubic feet and operating pressure is not greater than 175 pounds. Objects above those tests stay on the biennial certificate route if they are subject to internal corrosion. 2

  • Insured Objects Start With the Carrier's Inspector

    The Commissioner certifies special inspectors, who inspect without cost to the Commonwealth. The Department says you should contact a qualified inspector from your insurance carrier if you are insured, or a qualified contract fee inspector if you are not. After a satisfactory report, the agency issues the inspection certificate. Since January 1, 1973, a nonexempt boiler or pressure vessel may not be installed or operated unless it has been inspected and certified. 1,3

  • The Extra Three Months Are Not Automatic

    A two-month grace period may elapse between certificate inspections. The chief inspector may extend a certificate for up to three additional months beyond that grace period only after a satisfactory external inspection, and a fee applies for each month beyond the grace period. Do not run a boiler past the printed certificate date on the assumption the extension has been granted. 1

Who Regulates Insurance in Virginia

Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance

The Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance administers Virginia insurance laws, oversees insurers and insurance producers within its authority, and provides regulatory and consumer resources. You can use the department's complaint process to raise an insurance issue and its licensing resources to check insurance professionals. 4,5,6

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2.25% of premium plus up to 0.1% Bureau Special Fund assessment The NAIC's state chart lists a 2.25% of premium plus up to 0.1% Bureau Special Fund assessment charge for surplus-lines coverage for Virginia (the chart's state entries were reviewed in October 2025). Your broker may collect the applicable amount with the premium. Surplus-lines insurers are not licensed in the state and generally are outside state guaranty-association protection; ask your broker to explain the insurer's financial protections and any diligent-search requirement that applies to your placement. 7,8

Providers With Documented State Licenses

No provider in Spot’s research documents both a state license record and this coverage line. This does not establish that providers are unlicensed. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm availability with a provider when requesting a quote.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Virginia

  1. Is the building a private residence or an apartment house of fewer than four apartments?
  2. For each air receiver, which volume and pressure exemption, if any, applies?
  3. Will the next certificate inspection be the carrier's inspector or a contract fee inspector?
  4. What date is on the certificate, and has any grace-period extension actually been approved?

Equipment Breakdown in Virginia: FAQ

Are boilers in a four-unit apartment house exempt in Virginia? 2

No. The exemption covers private residences and apartment houses of fewer than four apartments. A four-apartment house is not under that exemption. 2

Who inspects a Virginia boiler that is not insured? 3,1

The Department says to use a qualified contract fee inspector if you are not insured, and a qualified inspector from the carrier if you are. The agency issues the certificate after it reviews a satisfactory report. 3,1

Equipment Breakdown in Other States

Other Coverage in Virginia

Sources

  1. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Act. Virginia Legislative Information System; §§ 40.1-51.9 and 40.1-51.10, including grace period and certificate requirement. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. § 40.1-51.8. Exemptions. Virginia Legislative Information System; § 40.1-51.8(2), (5), and (10)–(12); page dated 9/29/2026. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety. Virginia Department of Labor and Industry; Carrier inspector if insured; contract fee inspector if not; certificate after a satisfactory report. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance. Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance; Official regulator website; insurance oversight and consumer/professional resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Insurance Department Directory. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance entry; official contact and website listing. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Surplus Lines Insurance Premium Taxes. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; VA row; state surplus-lines premium-tax rate reviewed October 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Guaranty Associations & Funds. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Coverage of claims from insolvencies of insurers licensed in a state; surplus-lines insurers are nonadmitted. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  9. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  10. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  12. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  13. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

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