Contractor registration
- Register with L&I before you advertise, bid, or perform construction work. Working unregistered brings substantial fines.
- Choose general (multiple trades or managing subcontractors) or specialty (one trade). L&I recognizes 63 specialties, including roofing, painting, HVAC, and tree removal.
- Get your Washington business license and UBI number from the Department of Revenue first. The business name must match exactly on your registration, bond, and insurance.
- Application fee: $150.20. Registration renews every two years.
- There's no trade exam for contractor registration itself.
Bonding
- A continuous surety bond (or an assignment of savings) is required to register.
- General contractors: $30,000 bond. Specialty contractors: $15,000 bond. These amounts rose in 2024; older sources listing $12,000 / $6,000 are out of date.
- Contractors with past unpaid residential judgments may need a higher bond.
- Your yearly bond cost is a premium, usually a small percentage of the bond amount, based largely on credit.
- A bond protects customers, workers, and suppliers — not your business. If a claim is paid, the surety collects the money back from you.
Insurance
- Liability insurance required for registration: $200,000 public liability plus $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined single limit.
- L&I must be listed as the certificate holder, and the policy must be kept in force.
- Workers' comp: Washington is a state-fund state. If you have employees, you must buy coverage from L&I — private insurers can't sell it here.
- LLC members who work in the business can often be exempt from workers' comp but may elect coverage.
- Many clients and general contractors require higher liability limits in their contracts. Commercial auto is needed for business vehicles.
Professional licenses
- Electrical work requires an electrical contractor license from L&I, with a licensed administrator or master electrician. Individual electricians need their own certificates.
- Plumbing work requires L&I plumbing certification for the workers doing it, in addition to contractor registration.
- Other trades have separate state credentials, such as elevator, boiler, and manufactured home installation.
- Architecture, engineering, and land surveying are licensed through the Department of Licensing.
- Most jobs still need local building permits from the city or county.
These are Washington state and federal requirements. Cities and counties often add their own. Requirements and fees change — confirm with the agency before you apply. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
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