The Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) is a Division of the Virginia Department of General Services (DGS). DCLS was formed in 1972 when laboratories from several Virginia agencies were combined to provide more efficient and cost-effective testing. DCLS was the first consolidated laboratory in the nation and offers a wide variety of analytical testing in support of state programs.

DCLS provides analytical testing services for agencies of the Commonwealth of Virginia, local government, federal agencies and other states as well as a wide variety of other samples such as gasoline, animal feeds and fertilizers, lottery tickets and blood specimens from all Virginia infants. DCLS performs over 4 million tests a year to help ensure safety and health for Virginia's citizens and environment.

Other DCLS services include examination of human specimens for evidence of outbreaks and emerging infectious diseases such as SARS, West Nile Virus, or Monkeypox, environmental samples in support of environmental protection activities for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and agricultural products to assure quality for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The laboratory also tests commercial products purchased by Virginia agencies to assure that those materials meet agreed on specifications.

DCLS was one of the first 4 state laboratories selected and funded by the federal government to test specimens from people for evidence of exposure to chemical weapons. DCLS is Virginia's confirmatory laboratory for the national Laboratory Response Network, and is the PulseNet Regional Laboratory for the Central Atlantic states. DCLS is a member of the Food Emergency Response Network and the Radiation Emergency Analytical Laboratory Network, and provides emergency analytical support for Virginia, neighboring states and federal agencies in response to public health and environmental threats.

DCLS accredits laboratories that provide testing for public water supplies under the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, laboratories testing milk to meet regulatory requirements of the FDA and laboratories that certify speed detection devices for state and local law enforcement. DCLS is implementing an accreditation program for environmental laboratories that provide analytical results to DEQ to meet requirements of air, water, and waste laws.

Testing capabilities have expanded significantly in recent years to meet the needs of the citizens and public entities of the Commonwealth, particularly in response to terrorism, public health and environmental emergencies throughout Virginia and the Central Atlantic states.