Does a contractor need to be registered to work in Washington State?
Every contractor in Washington registers with Labor and Industries before advertising, bidding or working, keeps the registration bond and liability insurance on file, and renews every 24 months. An unregistered contractor commits a gross misdemeanor and cannot sue for payment, and a contractor may use only registered subcontractors.
The duties, in the library's order
| Duty | Window and section | If missed |
|---|---|---|
| Be registered with Labor and Industries before advertising, offering to do work, bidding or performing any work as a contractor, and do no such thing while the registration is suspended or revoked | none setRCW 18.27.010(1)(a), (15), 18.27.020(1), (2)(a), (b), (5), 18.27.090, 18.27.200(1), 18.27.205, 18.27.340 | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Hold a current registration, with the bond and insurance in force throughout, when contracting for the work, or lose the right to sue for payment or for breach of the contract | none setRCW 18.27.080 | the claim is barredMissed claims |
| Use only registered subcontractors, and keep a list of all direct subcontractors with a copy of each one's certificate of registration available for inspection by Labor and Industries | none setRCW 18.27.020(2)(d), (e), (3), 18.27.062, 18.27.200(1)(c), (e) | an offenceLapsed compliance |
| Show the registered name or address on all advertising, contracts, correspondence and signs that show the contractor's name or address, and the current registration number on all advertising that shows them | none setRCW 18.27.020(2)(c), 18.27.100(1)-(5), (8) | a breach of contractLapsed compliance |
| Keep on file with Labor and Industries a continuous surety bond of USD 30,000 for a general contractor or USD 15,000 for a specialty contractor, and liability insurance of USD 50,000 for property damage, USD 100,000 for one person and USD 200,000 for more than one person | none setRCW 18.27.010(5), (12), 18.27.040(1)-(3), (7), (8), (11), 18.27.050, 18.27.060(3) | the claim is barredMissed claims |
| Renew the certificate of registration, with the fee and proof of bond and liability insurance, on or before its expiry date two years after issue | 24 monthsRCW 18.27.010(15), 18.27.040(2), 18.27.060(1), (4) | the claim is barredMissed claims |
What the library notes on each duty
Quoted a whole sentence at a time from the library's note on each row.
Be registered with Labor and Industries before advertising, offering to do work, bidding or performing any work as a contractor, and do no such thing while the registration is suspended or revoked
RCW 18.27.010(1)(a), (15), 18.27.020(1), (2)(a), (b), (5), 18.27.090, 18.27.200(1), 18.27.205, 18.27.340 · none set · an offence
- Advertising, offering to do work, bidding or performing work unregistered, or while suspended or revoked, is a gross misdemeanor (s 18.27.020(2)(a), (b)).
- Each worksite is a separate gross misdemeanor, and so is each day worked unregistered after a citation from the department (s 18.27.020(5)).
- A contractor whose registration has lapsed for 30 days or fewer, and who kept the bond and the insurance or assigned account in force, is not an unregistered contractor (s 18.27.010(15)).
Hold a current registration, with the bond and insurance in force throughout, when contracting for the work, or lose the right to sue for payment or for breach of the contract
RCW 18.27.080 · none set · the claim is barred
- No contractor may bring or maintain an action in a Washington court to collect compensation for work, or for breach of a contract, for which registration is required, without alleging and proving that it was registered and held a current and valid certificate when it contracted for the work or entered into the contract (s 18.27.080).
Use only registered subcontractors, and keep a list of all direct subcontractors with a copy of each one's certificate of registration available for inspection by Labor and Industries
RCW 18.27.020(2)(d), (e), (3), 18.27.062, 18.27.200(1)(c), (e) · none set · an offence
- Subcontracting to or using an unregistered contractor is a gross misdemeanor (s 18.27.020(2)(e)) and an infraction (s 18.27.200(1)(e)), and so is letting an unregistered contractor work under one's own registration (s 18.27.020(2)(d), 18.27.200(1)(c)).
- It is not unlawful to employ a contractor that was registered when it entered into the contract, unless the department has notified the registered contractor in writing that the other has become unregistered (s 18.27.020(3)).
Show the registered name or address on all advertising, contracts, correspondence and signs that show the contractor's name or address, and the current registration number on all advertising that shows them
RCW 18.27.020(2)(c), 18.27.100(1)-(5), (8) · none set · a breach of contract
- The current registration number is required on all advertising that shows the name or address, and on all materials used to solicit business directly from retail customers who are not businesses (s 18.27.100(3)(a)).
- The section does not expressly require the number on a bid or a contract, only the registered name or address.
Keep on file with Labor and Industries a continuous surety bond of USD 30,000 for a general contractor or USD 15,000 for a specialty contractor, and liability insurance of USD 50,000 for property damage, USD 100,000 for one person and USD 200,000 for more than one person
RCW 18.27.010(5), (12), 18.27.040(1)-(3), (7), (8), (11), 18.27.050, 18.27.060(3) · none set · the claim is barred
- A general contractor uses more than one building trade on a single job or under a single building permit, or superintends or consults on contractor work; every other contractor is a specialty contractor (s 18.27.010(5), (12)).
- Cancelling the bond, or the bond being impaired by an unsatisfied judgment, automatically suspends the registration until a new bond is filed and approved (s 18.27.040(1), (7)).
Renew the certificate of registration, with the fee and proof of bond and liability insurance, on or before its expiry date two years after issue
RCW 18.27.010(15), 18.27.040(2), 18.27.060(1), (4) · 24 months · the claim is barred
- A certificate of registration is valid for two years and must be renewed on or before its expiration date (s 18.27.060(1)).
- A renewal is valid on the day the department receives the fee and proof of bond and liability insurance, if sent by certified mail or another means with proof of delivery, and the receipt serves as proof of renewal until the department verifies it (s 18.27.060(4)).
What this page is, and is not
It is the section text this library holds for Washington State, read from the Revised Code of Washington and the Washington Administrative Code, among them chapter 39.12 RCW, chapter 60.04 RCW and chapter 19.122 RCW, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the statutes, the contract you signed and its specifications.
Demiton does not track jobs in Washington yet. These pages set out the duties the library holds for a Washington job, so you can check your own.
No library of law is complete, and Demiton never says this one is. An obligation the library does not hold, and you did not add, is not protected. You can add your own to any job.