Washington law and your protectionsPlanning

How to Verify a Contractor in Washington State

By the JDI Construction teamReviewed by Arthur Kulchitskiy, CEOUpdated October 20266 min read

Quick answer

Washington registers construction contractors rather than licensing them. Under RCW 18.27.020, anyone who bids on or performs remodeling work must be registered with the Department of Labor & Industries, which requires a bond of $30,000 for a general contractor or $15,000 for a specialty contractor, plus liability insurance. Check any contractor free at L&I's Verify tool before you sign.

Checking a contractor in Washington takes about five minutes and costs nothing. The state keeps a public record of every registered contractor, and the law puts real consequences on anyone who works without being on it. This page explains what registration is, what it does and does not prove, the bond and insurance minimums as of October 2026, and how to read the state lookup.

Registration is not a license

Washington does not license general or remodeling contractors. RCW 18.27.020(1) says "Every contractor shall register with the department", meaning the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Registration shows that the business has filed a bond, carries liability insurance and is on the state's record. It is not a test of skill. L&I says so plainly: "Washington state does not require contractors to pass a competency or skills test to become registered (though L&I does test and license electricians and plumbers)."

You will see both words in official material. L&I's own web pages sometimes say "license", and many contractors do too. "Registered" is the term the statute uses for construction contractors. "Licensed" or "certified" is correct for electricians and plumbers.

Who has to register

RCW 18.27.010(1)(a) defines a contractor as anyone who, in an independent business, undertakes, offers or bids to "construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve" a building or any part of one. The definition names two kitchen trades directly: "the installation of carpeting or other floor covering" and "cabinet or similar installation". A cabinet installer, a flooring installer and a tile setter all need to be registered, as does the company running the whole remodel.

Under RCW 18.27.020(2)(a) it is illegal to "advertise, offer to do work, submit a bid, or perform any work as a contractor without being registered". RCW 18.27.100(3)(a) also requires the current registration number on advertising that shows the contractor's name or address, and on materials used to solicit homeowners. If a bid, a truck or a website has no number on it, ask for one.

General and specialty contractors

Registration comes in two kinds, and the Verify record shows which one a business holds.

	General contractor	Specialty contractor
Definition in RCW 18.27.010	A contractor "whose business operations require the use of more than one building trade or craft upon a single job or project or under a single building permit"	A contractor whose operations do not fall within the general contractor definition
Subcontracting	May run several trades on one job	"May only subcontract work that is incidental to the specialty contractor's work"
Bond, RCW 18.27.040(1)	$30,000	$15,000
Fits a kitchen remodel when	The job combines cabinets, plumbing, electrical, drywall and flooring	You hire one trade for one task, such as a countertop or flooring installer

A full kitchen remodel is multi-trade work under a single permit. A company registered only as a specialty contractor is not set up, under that definition, to run one.

Bond and insurance minimums as of October 2026

Bond. RCW 18.27.040(1) sets the bond at "$30,000 if the applicant is a general contractor or $15,000 if the applicant is a specialty contractor." Those amounts took effect July 1, 2024. Before that date they were $12,000 and $6,000. Contractors already registered were allowed to keep the old bond until their next renewal, and because a registration period cannot run longer than two years, the old amounts should have aged out by mid-2026. Check the amount on the Verify record rather than assuming.

Insurance. RCW 18.27.050(1) requires at least "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." That section was last amended in 2001, so the figures are low compared with the price of a kitchen. A contractor may carry more than the minimum, and L&I says the Verify record shows the policy's coverage amount.

If either the bond or the insurance policy is cancelled or expires, the registration is suspended automatically (RCW 18.27.040(1) and 18.27.050(2)).

The bond is one fund shared by every customer, supplier and worker with a claim against that contractor. What it covers, how insurance differs and how workers' comp fits in are explained in contractor insurance, bonds and workers' comp.

How to look a contractor up

Go to L&I's "Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business" tool at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify.
Search by business name, registration number, workers' comp account or Washington UBI number. The registration number is the most reliable search.
Confirm the record says the registration is active, and that the business name matches the name on your bid and contract.
Read the rest of the record, not just the status line.

According to L&I, the record shows whether the business has an active contractor registration and "an active and paid-to-date workers' comp account covering any employees", along with "safety or construction citations", "lawsuits against their bond" and "names of business owners". L&I also says it shows the insurance policy and coverage amount, how long the business has been registered, other business names used in the past, past infractions, and the bond and bonding company details.

If you would rather ask a person, L&I's contractor information line is 1-800-647-0982.

What happens when a contractor is not registered

The penalties fall on the contractor, but the exposure lands on you.

It is a crime. RCW 18.27.020(2) makes it a gross misdemeanor to advertise, bid or work as a contractor without being registered, or while a registration is suspended or revoked.
It is also a civil infraction. Under RCW 18.27.340, as amended effective July 1, 2024, the penalty for failure to register is "not less than $1,200, nor more than $10,000". Under RCW 18.27.200, each day and each worksite is a separate infraction.
The contractor cannot sue you for payment. RCW 18.27.080 bars a contractor from bringing an action for compensation without proving it was registered when it contracted.
You have no bond to claim against. L&I: "Unregistered contractors carry no bond or insurance to protect consumers."
You may be treated as an employer. L&I warns that if you hire an unregistered person, "you could be considered that person's employer, with wage, tax, workers' comp, safety, and record-keeping requirements."

L&I takes reports of unregistered or fraudulent contractors online and at 1-888-811-5974. Other warning signs are collected in remodeling scams and contractor red flags.

What registration does not tell you

A clean Verify record does not tell you whether a contractor designs well, shows up, communicates or stands behind the work. Use it as the first screen, then move on to references, past kitchens and the written scope. The questions to ask a kitchen contractor give you a script for that conversation.

Registration also connects to the paperwork that follows. Before work starts on a job of $1,000 or more, a registered contractor must hand you a disclosure statement that repeats its registration number, bond amount and expiration date. That notice is covered in contracts, deposits and change orders.

JDI Construction is a family-owned design-build remodeler that has operated in Vancouver since 2007. If you want to see how we would approach your kitchen, start with our Vancouver kitchen remodeling page, and look us up first.

Common questions

Does a handyman need to be registered for a small kitchen job in Washington?

RCW 18.27.090(9) exempts work on one project where the total price for labor, materials and everything else is less than five hundred dollars. The exemption does not apply to a job split into pieces to stay under the limit, or to a person who advertises as a contractor. Almost any kitchen work beyond a minor repair will be above that figure.

What if a contractor's registration lapses during my project?

RCW 18.27.114(3) requires the contractor to notify you if its registration expires or is revoked or suspended before your contract is completed. Under RCW 18.27.010(15), a contractor that has kept a valid bond and insurance and whose registration has lapsed for 30 or fewer days is not treated as unregistered. You can recheck the status in L&I's Verify tool at any time.

Does the city check registration when a permit is issued?

Yes. RCW 18.27.110 bars a city, town or county from issuing a construction building permit for work by a contractor that must be registered without verifying the registration is current. The registration number is printed on the permit, and the applicant receives a written notice about the risk of using an unregistered contractor.

Can I verify an electrician or plumber the same way?

Yes. L&I says the same Verify tool confirms whether an electrician or plumber is certified. Those trades are licensed and certified by L&I under chapters 19.28 and 18.106 RCW, which is a different system from contractor registration.

What does it mean if a contractor carries a bond higher than $30,000?

WAC 296-200A-030 requires larger bonds from contractors with final judgments involving a residential single-family dwelling in the previous five years: $40,000, $60,000 or $90,000 for a general contractor with one, two, or three or more judgments, and $20,000, $30,000 or $45,000 for a specialty contractor. A contractor may also choose a larger bond voluntarily, so ask rather than assume.

Sources

Checked October 2026. Rules, fees and programs change; confirm the current requirement with the agency before you rely on it.

This page is general information for homeowners, not legal advice. For a decision about your own contract, lien or dispute, talk to a Washington attorney.