How to Become a Mason in Virginia

$26/hr

Learn brick-and-block construction through regional apprenticeship, Toano masonry classes and supervised work with safe cutting and scaffold access.

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About this Guide

Start with the skills used to build straight, sound brick and block walls. Learn to read drawings, mix mortar, set units and keep courses level. Virginia Peninsula offers classroom practice in Toano, while BAC Local 1 serves Northern Virginia. Follow training with supervised work on reinforcement, openings and wall details before taking responsibility for whole sections.

Who's hiring masons in Virginia

Virginia · this week
Live on American Recruits

Employers across Virginia are hiring masons right now

A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.

See who's hiring
Live postings
Steady
Open roles in Virginia
Applicants per role
Low
Few applicants — good time to apply
Typical time to hire
2–4 weeks
From applying to starting

Mason skill levels in Virginia

The trade is not one job, it is three, and they are separated by what you are legally allowed to do rather than by how good you are. Knowing which level you are aiming at tells you which hours, which exam and which certificates actually matter.

AWhere you startApprentice Mason

Paid from day one, working under a licensed hand while you bank the hours that lead to your own card.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Material handling, layout and site preparation
  • ✓Basic installation work under supervision
  • ✓Tool and equipment staging for the crew
  • ✓Clean-down, housekeeping and site safety tasks
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't work unsupervised on anything the state licenses
  • ✕Can't pull permits or sign inspection paperwork
What they need to hold
OSHA 10 (Construction)Apprentice registration where the state requires itFirst Aid / CPR
Worth doing
Take every free ticket your employer offers. At this level they cost you nothing, they follow you for the rest of your career, and they make you more employable than the next apprentice.
Where recruiters stall
People get stuck here by not documenting hours. If nobody signed for them, the board won't count them, and four years of work can turn into two years of credit.
Only hire when
You can run a small task without being walked through it, and your hours log is signed and current.
JThe main goalJourneyman Mason

Qualified to work on your own. This is the level nearly every job ad is really asking for, and the biggest pay step you will ever get.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Install and troubleshoot without supervision
  • ✓Read and build from drawings without constant clarification
  • ✓Take responsibility for your own work at inspection
  • ✓Direct one to three apprentices on a task
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't pull permits in your own name in most states
  • ✕Can't act as licence-holder of record across sites
What they need to hold
Journeyman card where the state issues oneOSHA 30 (Construction)Trade-specific safety training, kept current
Worth doing
Sit the exam the month you become eligible. Every month you wait is money you are not earning at the higher rate, and the material is freshest right after your classroom hours finish.
Where recruiters stall
The exam is where most people stall, usually on lookup speed rather than knowledge. Practise finding answers in the book against a clock, not just reading it.
Only hire when
Your hours are in, your instruction is done, and you can size a job and defend the answer without checking.
MWhere it leadsMaster / Lead Mason

You run work rather than just do it: crews across sites, permits where the trade allows, and the option of qualifying a business of your own.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Run crews across more than one site
  • ✓Own compliance and inspection outcomes
  • ✓Estimate and scope packages of work
  • ✓Train and sign off the people below you
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Still can't trade as a business without a contractor licence, insurance and usually a bond
What they need to hold
Master or supervisor card where the state issues oneContinuing education current for the licence cycleOSHA 30 and trade safety training kept current
Worth doing
The card is worth money even if you never start a company: shops need a qualifying individual and will pay a premium for one who stays.
Where recruiters stall
People reach this level and discover that running a business is a different job from running a crew. Learn estimating and cashflow before you take the leap, not after.
Only hire when
You have held the level below for the required period and you have been running work rather than doing it.

What does a mason earn in Virginia?

Masons in Virginia start around $18.92 an hour and reach $31.85 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $26.29.

Hourly range
$18.92–$31.85
Virginia · per hour
See the full mason salary guide →

What you're legally required to have

Employees need no personal mason license. Virginia contracting generally requires licensing above $1,000, subject to exemptions. Employers must provide hazard training, silica controls and safe scaffolds for assigned masonry work.

Licence & registrationMust haveGet this wrong and the hours you work may not count toward your licence.0 / 3
0 / 3
Safety trainingMust haveWithout these you won't get through the gate on most sites.0 / 3
0 / 3
Working legally & getting paidMust haveKnow your status before you start — it decides your tax and your cover.0 / 3
0 / 3
Site access & practicalSite-drivenDriven by the site you are sent to rather than by law, but they still stop a start date.0 / 3
0 / 3

Where to train as a mason in Virginia

Build wall layout, mortar handling and unit-placement skills through BAC apprenticeship or college masonry instruction. Add construction safety learning, then practice cutting controls, scaffold access and wall construction under supervision.

Union apprenticeship

BAC Local 1

This federally registered masonry program serves Northern Virginia through its regional local. Classes meet at IMI in Bowie, Maryland, generally every other Saturday. The provider describes class attendance as unpaid. Start with its apprenticeship application to discuss bricklaying, the regional work area and training arrangements.
Typical length3 years
What it costs$0 tuition
College masonry

Virginia Peninsula Community College

At Toano Trades Center, practice blueprint reading, mortar work and concrete masonry. The published total combines masonry instruction with NCCER Core. Full tuition is shown, with eligibility-based FastForward assistance available. Students work with the tools used for unit placement, measuring and cutting while learning wall construction.
Typical length240 hours
What it costs$3,300 full tuition
Safety course

Danville Community College

OSHA 10 Construction introduces workplace hazards through the college's Workforce Services office. Add this awareness course to hands-on masonry training. Employers still provide instruction for your cutting tasks and scaffold assignment. Bring questions about saw dust, working platforms and movement of heavy units to your jobsite supervisor.
Typical length10 hours
What it costs$125 tuition

What recruiters actually look for

Certificates get you past the first filter. These are the things foremen and recruiters decide on, and they change depending on which level you are applying at.

Qualities that get you hired

01You turn up, every day, on time
Why it matters: At apprentice level nobody expects you to be fast or skilled yet. Attendance is genuinely what separates the apprentices who get kept from the ones who do not.
02You ask instead of guessing
Why it matters: Shops would far rather answer the same question twice than fix a mistake behind a wall. Asking reads as safety awareness, not ignorance.
03You own basic tools and look after them
Why it matters: It signals you take the trade seriously. Turning up with nothing tells a foreman you might not be back next month.
04You can take a correction without sulking
Why it matters: The trade runs on blunt feedback. How you take it in week one tells a foreman whether you are worth training.

What holds people back

!

No signed record of your supervised hours

!

Long gaps with no explanation at all

!

Leaving three or four shops inside a year

!

No OSHA card when the site requires one

!

Certifications that lapsed and were never renewed

!

Listing a licence as 'in progress' as though it is held

!

No supervisor anyone can call

From no experience to hired

The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.

Month 0–3

Decide and enrol

Month 3–12

Get taken on as an apprentice

Year 1–4

Bank your supervised hours

Year 4

Sit the licence exam

Year 4+

Get hired at journey rate

Certifications that pay off

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
BAC Local 1 Bricklayer Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$3.91$8,133$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.81$1,685$1595 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.27$562$596 weeks
Supported Scaffold User+$0.11$229$358 weeks
Aerial/Scissor Lift (MEWP) Operator+$0.07$146$5922 weeks
OSHA Silica in Construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) Training+$0.03$62$3025 weeks

Questions people ask

Can I take small masonry contracts without a business license?▾
Yes, if each project stays at $1,000 or less, below the point where DPOR's Board for Contractors requires a contractor license. A specific exemption covers work up to $25,000 for properly licensed residential, commercial or home improvement contractors. Local business requirements still apply.
Do I need training before working on masonry scaffolds in Virginia?▾
Yes. VOSH requires training from a qualified person on the hazards of the scaffold type you use. Crew members who erect, move or dismantle scaffolds also need training from a competent person.
Which route gives me brick-and-block practice?▾
Virginia Peninsula teaches masonry layout, mortar and concrete masonry. BAC Local 1 offers apprenticeship in the regional masonry trades. Ask its training office about bricklaying intake and job assignments. Danville's course adds safety awareness. Choose craft instruction first when your goal is laying walls.

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Source: Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Brickmasons and Blockmasons, SOC 47-2021; excludes premium pay and benefits, stone setting and concrete finishing.

Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.