By Oussama Chicha, EditorUpdated Checked against primary sources · not yet reviewed by a licensed professionalFact-checked
Quick answer
Washington law requires every contractor to register with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Contractor Registration. The credential is a certificate of registration, valid for two years. Applicants file a surety bond and furnish insurance or financial responsibility. As of July 1, 2026, the contractor registration fee is $150.20 per issuance, renewal or reregistration.
Washington · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-04
State license
Certificate of registration (no exam)
Washington law requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, filing a surety bond and furnishing insurance or financial responsibility; a certificate of registration is valid for two years.
Certificate of registration (no exam). Washington law requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, filing a surety bond and furnishing insurance or financial responsibility; a certificate of registration is valid for two years.
(1) Every contractor shall register with the department.
RCW 18.27.020(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
Each applicant shall file with the department a surety bond issued by a surety insurer who meets the requirements of chapter 48.28 RCW in the sum of $30,000 if the applicant is a general contractor or $15,000 if the applicant is a specialty contractor.
RCW 18.27.040(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
the applicant shall furnish insurance or financial responsibility in the form of an assigned account in the amount of fifty thousand dollars for injury or damages to property, and one hundred thousand dollars for injury or damage including death to any one person, and two hundred thousand dollars for injury or damage including death to more than one person.
RCW 18.27.050(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
A certificate of registration shall be valid for two years and shall be renewed on or before the expiration date.
RCW 18.27.060(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
License classes
Class
Scope
Source
General contractor
Can perform most types of construction work and can hire subcontractors in multiple specialties
Bond. Surety bond of $30,000 for a general contractor or $15,000 for a specialty contractor; in lieu of the surety bond, the contractor may file an assigned savings account. License bond in Washington. Source: RCW 18.27.040(1); RCW 18.27.040(8)
Liability insurance. Insurance or financial responsibility in the form of an assigned account of fifty thousand dollars for injury or damages to property, one hundred thousand dollars for injury or damage including death to any one person, and two hundred thousand dollars for injury or damage including death to more than one person. Source: RCW 18.27.050(1)
(8) In lieu of the surety bond required by this section the contractor may file with the department an assigned savings account, upon forms provided by the department.
RCW 18.27.040(8) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(1) $150.20 for each issuance, renewal or reregistration of a certificate of registration for contractors.
WAC 296-200A-900(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
WSR 26-10-060 (Order 25-30), s 296-200A-900, filed 5/5/26, effective 7/1/26.
WAC 296-200A-900, history · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
Term and continuing education
Term and renewal. A certificate of registration is valid for two years and is renewed on or before the expiration date.
Contracting without a license
It is a gross misdemeanor for any contractor to advertise, offer to do work, submit a bid or perform any work as a contractor without being registered as the chapter requires. After the department issues a citation, each day a person works while unregistered, while the registration is suspended or revoked, or under a registration issued to another contractor is a separate gross misdemeanor.
(2) It is a gross misdemeanor for any contractor to: (a) Advertise, offer to do work, submit a bid, or perform any work as a contractor without being registered as required by this chapter;
RCW 18.27.020(2)(a) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
A person is guilty of a separate gross misdemeanor for each day worked if, after the person receives a citation from the department, the person works while unregistered, or while his or her registration is suspended or revoked, or works under a registration issued to another contractor.
RCW 18.27.020(5) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-03
Washington law requires every contractor to register with the department [1]. The department is the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), and its Contractor Registration program issues the credential, a certificate of registration. Registration also calls for a surety bond and for insurance or financial responsibility.
General and specialty registrations
L&I describes general contractors and specialty contractors, and the difference between them is about reach. A general contractor can take on most types of construction work and can hire subcontractors across multiple specialties [5]. A specialty contractor is held to the one specialty it registered in and cannot hire subcontractors [5].
That split carries into the bond. The statute sets the surety bond at $30,000 for a general contractor applicant and $15,000 for a specialty contractor applicant, issued by a surety insurer meeting the requirements of chapter 48.28 RCW [2]. A contractor may file an assigned savings account with the department instead of the surety bond, on forms the department provides [2].
Insurance is the second piece. Under RCW 18.27.050, the applicant furnishes insurance or financial responsibility, with separate amounts set for property damage, for injury or death to one person, and for injury or death to more than one person [3].
Cost and the two-year cycle
As of July 1, 2026, the contractor registration fee is $150.20 per issuance, renewal or reregistration [6].
A certificate of registration is valid for two years, and it is renewed on or before its expiration date [4]. The fee rule names renewal alongside issuance and reregistration [6].
Penalties for working unregistered
The statute treats contracting without registration as a crime. Advertising, offering to do work, submitting a bid or performing any work as a contractor without being registered as the chapter requires is a gross misdemeanor [1].
The exposure grows once L&I has issued a citation. After the person receives a citation from the department, each day worked while unregistered, while the registration is suspended or revoked, or under a registration issued to another contractor is a separate gross misdemeanor [1].
