Flagger Certification Changes

VDOT issued a memorandum in late 2023 announcing an update to its Flagger Certification program. The announcement introduced new certification requirements requiring that all flaggers be certified using ATSSA’s Flagger Certification program. Since the announcement, the Department has established steps and dates to transition to the new certification requirement. Effective Dec. 31, 2024, the Department will end the in-house flagger certification program consisting of a 30-minute YouTube video and 25-question test. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, all flaggers for VDOT projects must have one of the following certification cards:

• ATSSA Flagger certification
• VDOT now accepts either the in-person or online flagger certification
• VDOT will accept either the national ATSSA certification or a state-specific ATSSA flagger certification (such as ATSSA’s NC or MD flagger certification)
• VDOT Basic Work Zone Training Certification
• VDOT Intermediate Work Zone Training Certification
• ATSSA Traffic Control Technician (TCT) or Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) certification
• VDOT flagger cards issued before Dec. 31, 2024 will remain valid and be accepted until their expiration date two years after issue

It is the responsibility of Contractors for all Construction, Maintenance, and Land Use Permit activities to verify that all flaggers (including subcontractors) on the project site are currently certified per Section 105.14 of the Road and Bridge Specifications and Chapter 6E - Flagger Control in the VWAPM. Flaggers shall always carry their certification cards whenever performing flagging activities. Note that ATSSA flagger certification cards are only valid if the flagger is listed in ATSSA’s online database.

Contractors should also note that the ATSSA training programs teach the requirements of the federal MUTCD. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that VDOT-specific requirements are followed for all flagging operations on VDOT roads.