Washington Contractor License Bond$30,000 General | $15,000 Specialty

Contractors who must register with L&I under RCW 18.27 must file a surety bond (or an approved assigned savings account) as a condition of registration under RCW 18.27.040, and you cannot legally advertise, bid, or perform construction work without an active registration. RCW 18.27.090 lists specific exemptions from registration (for example, certain owner-occupants and some separately licensed trades), so check with L&I if you think one applies. Company size and revenue alone do not exempt you.

The amount is set by which registration class you hold under RCW 18.27.040, not by your project value. A general contractor (one who works in more than one building trade or craft on a single job) posts a $30,000 bond. A specialty contractor (limited to one trade or craft, such as concrete, painting, or roofing) posts a $15,000 bond. Pick the class that matches the work you will actually contract for -- registering as general when you only do one trade doubles your bond.

No -- the L&I registration bond only satisfies the state licensing requirement. It does not satisfy a project owner. Public-works contracts in Washington and almost every private commercial GC contract require a separate performance and payment bond sized to the contract value (often 100% of the contract), which is an entirely different underwriting product than your fixed-dollar registration bond. If you are moving from residential into commercial GC or MEP work, line up your bonding capacity early -- those bonds are underwritten on your financial statements and work-in-progress, not just credit.

No general competency exam is required to register as a construction contractor in Washington. The state relies on registration, the surety bond, and insurance rather than testing. The exception is specific trades: electricians, plumbers, and elevator mechanics still need their own trade certification or license on top of L&I registration. Without an exam step, registration is often faster than in exam states like California -- check L&I for current processing times.

You pay a small annual premium, not the full bond amount. The $30,000 general bond typically runs $300-$1,500 a year, and the $15,000 specialty bond roughly half that, depending on personal credit. Strong credit gets the lowest rate; weaker credit pays more, and challenged-credit applications are reviewed.

The bond is the first layer of consumer protection: a homeowner harmed by a contractor files a claim against the bond. Under 2SHB 1534 (2023), beginning July 1, 2026, L&I administers a Homeowner Recovery Program, funded by contractor-registration fines and penalties, that may pay a homeowner with an unpaid final judgment against a registered contractor on their primary residence after they have pursued the bond -- capped at $25,000 per contractor per parcel, subject to available funds and at L&I's discretion. Your bond is what L&I checks; the recovery program is a limited backstop behind it.

Washington carries the heaviest flat registration bond in the Pacific Northwest at $30,000 general / $15,000 specialty. Oregon licenses through the CCB under ORS 701 with bond amounts tiered by endorsement, and Idaho's contractor registration relies on liability insurance rather than a general state registration bond. Washington's amounts -- combined with no exam -- reflect the state's choice to substitute financial protection for competency testing. If you contract across state lines, budget for each state separately; an Oregon CCB bond does not satisfy Washington L&I and vice versa.