What the state actually requires

Most construction work in Washington is done by contractors who must register with the Department of Labor & Industries. Registration is not optional paperwork, and it is what gives you a path to recover money if something goes wrong. Three things have to be true:

  • Registration. The contractor holds a current certificate of registration with L&I (RCW 18.27.030 and the surrounding chapter).
  • A surety bond. $30,000 for a general contractor, $15,000 for a specialty contractor, filed with the state (RCW 18.27.040).
  • Insurance or financial responsibility. $50,000 for property damage, $100,000 for injury to any one person, and $200,000 for injury to more than one person (RCW 18.27.050).

Those are the statutory minimums, the floor rather than the ceiling. A large general contractor typically carries far more. The figures on each ContractorPilot profile are what that contractor actually has on file, not the minimum.

How to check, step by step

L&I runs a public contractor verification tool. It is free, it does not require an account, and it is the fastest way to confirm the person standing in front of you is who they say they are.

  • Get the license number before you agree to anything. It should be on the contractor’s business card, their bid, their truck, and their website.
  • Look the number up on the L&I contractor verification tool (secure.lni.wa.gov/verify).
  • Confirm the license is active and that the trade matches the work. A general contractor license does not cover specialty electrical or plumbing work on its own.
  • Check that a bond is on file and that insurance coverage is current.
  • Read the license history for prior violations, and look for a homeowner recovery claim.

Every profile on this site pulls the same license number, status, bond amount, and insurance record out of the public WA L&I data on data.wa.gov, so you can do the same check without leaving the page.

The number on the truck is not the number you check. A common way homeowners get burned is a contractor working under someone else’s license number, or with a bond that has lapsed. Check the number yourself rather than trusting that it was read off correctly.

What to do if they will not give you a license number

Treat that as the answer. Under RCW 18.27.080, a contractor who was not duly registered when the work was contracted for cannot bring or maintain an action in court for the work or for breach of contract. In plain terms: an unregistered contractor has no enforceable contract with you, and you have no bond claim to make. If someone asks for a deposit before you can verify their license, walk away.

If something goes wrong after the job starts

Washington has a homeowner recovery program administered by L&I under RCW 18.27.410. Beginning July 1, 2026, eligible homeowners can apply for recovery payments for financial losses from work done by registered construction contractors, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Payment from the account is capped at $25,000 per contractor per parcel, or the amount unpaid on the judgment, whichever is less. This is a claim against the state fund, not a replacement for the contractor, and it has strict eligibility rules, so keep your contract, your receipts, and written communications from the start.

L&I also advises getting at least three written bids, asking for references, and requesting a performance bond on larger projects. You can post your job free on this site to start collecting bids.

Related: Washington contractor bond and insurance requirements.

Sources

Everything above comes from Washington state primary sources. These are the pages the requirements are written on, so you can read the actual language and check the figures yourself.