Virginia Law

A. Licenses for manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers, renovators, reupholsterers, supply dealers.

1. Every importer and every person manufacturing, renovating or reupholstering any bedding or upholstered furniture or processing or selling any filling material to be used in articles of bedding or upholstered furniture, such as a distributor/wholesaler or supply dealer, shall first obtain a license from the commissioner for each place of business, subsidiary, branch or branch factory operated or contracted by him for such purpose.

2. Such license shall be numbered; shall, unless sooner revoked, expire one year from the date of issue; shall be renewable annually through receipt of a fee; and shall not be transferable. The commissioner shall assign a uniform registry number to each licensee.

3. Each branch, branch factory and subsidiary shall be responsible for the contents and for the tagging, as provided in this chapter, of items of bedding and upholstered furniture made, remade, renovated, reupholstered, or imported by it and offered for sale or use in the Commonwealth.

4. Every person who, on his own account or for others, sells or distributes either directly or indirectly to any person either at wholesale or retail any bedding, filling material, shoddy pad, or upholstered furniture by means of a permanent location, car, truck, catalog, office, Internet sales or in any other manner, shall obtain from the commissioner a license for each such method of sale or distribution.

B. Permits for sterilizers and sanitizers. Every person who, on his own account or for others, is a sterilizer or a sanitizer shall obtain from the commissioner a permit for each location at which sterilizing or sanitizing operations occur. Any person applying for approval of a process by which filling materials, bedding, or upholstered furniture are sanitized or sterilized shall submit to the commissioner a description of the process, test results and any apparatus and method to be used in such process. Upon approval of such process by the commissioner and payment of the current annual permit fee by the applicant, a numbered permit for use of such process shall be issued. Such permit shall expire one year from the date of issue. Nothing herein shall prevent any person from having any sanitizing or sterilization required by this chapter performed by any person who has a valid permit for such purposes, provided the number of such permit appears on the tag attached to each article as required by § 32.1-219 of the Code of Virginia.

C. General provisions.

1. Any person subject to this section must obtain a new license or permit when there is change of ownership or a change of Federal Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). A new license or permit is not required for a change of company name or address if the ownership remains the same, but the person must notify the commissioner of such change within 30 days after such change. Licenses and permits are nontransferable.

2. Every person subject to this section doing business at the same address under more than one firm name shall obtain a license for each firm name.

D. Procedure for obtaining a license or permit.

1. Submit a written application for license or permit to the Bedding Program on a form provided by the Bedding Program prior to selling in the Commonwealth.

2. With the application, submit the required application fee, in accordance with the fee schedule, in the form of a check in U.S. dollars.

E. Issuance of license or permit. The Bedding Program shall issue the appropriate license or permit to the applicant after:

1. A properly completed application is submitted;

2. The appropriate fee, if required, is submitted;

3. A preoperational inspection shows that the manufacturer, importer, distributor, wholesaler, renovator, reupholsterer, or supply dealer is in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.