How to Verify a Washington Contractor
Washington runs a free public register showing any contractor's registration, bond, insurance and infraction history. Here is how to read it, and what should stop you signing.
What to check, in order
Four fields do most of the work. Two minutes on the register is the cheapest protection available to a Washington homeowner.
Registration status
It should read as active. Expired, suspended or revoked all mean the same thing for your purposes: do not sign yet.
Surety bond
Check it is current and note the expiry date. This is your financial recourse, and it does not help you if it lapses next month.
Liability insurance
Confirm it is in force. This covers damage to your property during the work — which is not the same thing as the bond.
Infraction history
Look at what is published. One old resolved item is context. A pattern of unresolved infractions is a decision.
Business name match
The name on your written bid should match the register exactly. A mismatch is one of the most reliable warning signs there is.
Save a copy
Screenshot or save the record on the day you sign. If status changes later, that copy shows what was represented to you.
Washington's Department of Labor & Industries publishes a free public register of registered contractors showing registration status, surety bond, liability insurance and infraction history. Search any contractor before signing, and check that the business name on your bid matches the register exactly.
Why the name match matters so much
A contractor operating under a name that does not appear on the registration record is, at best, doing paperwork badly. At worst it is deliberate — trading under a clean name while the registration carries a history. It costs nothing to compare the two, and it is the single check most homeowners skip.
What the bond is and is not
The surety bond is a financial instrument providing recourse for valid claims against a registered contractor. It is not unlimited, it is not insurance, and it does not cover everything. But it exists specifically for the situation where work goes wrong and the contractor will not put it right, and a lapsed bond removes that protection entirely.
Written bids and registration numbers
Washington requires registered contractors to include their registration number in advertising. A written bid with no registration number anywhere on it should prompt a question before it prompts a signature.
If something goes wrong
L&I operates a formal complaint process for issues with registered contractors, and the surety bond exists as recourse. Both work better when you have documentation — the written scope, the bid, photographs, and the copy of the register you saved on the day.
Frequently asked questions
The Department of Labor & Industries operates a free public verification tool on its website. Search by business name, registration number or owner name. It is free, it does not require an account, and it takes about two minutes.
Then they are not a registered contractor in Washington, and you should not sign. Registration is a legal requirement for contracting work in this state, and its absence is not a technicality.
It means one thing has been done correctly. Still check the register itself — the number should correspond to an active registration, with a current bond and insurance, under a business name matching the bid. All four together are the check; the number alone is not.
Save a copy, dated. If a dispute arises later and the contractor's status has changed in the meantime, your dated copy is evidence of what was represented to you when you signed.
Yes, and we would encourage it. We check registration, bond, insurance and infraction history before connecting anyone — but a homeowner who knows how to check for themselves is better protected than one relying on anybody's assurance, including ours.
Tell us what needs doing
One short form. We match you with a licensed, L&I-registered contractor serving your area — usually within one business day.
- No obligation and no cost to you
- Every partner is L&I registered, bonded and insured
- You choose whether to proceed after the quote
Prefer to call? (206) 555-0142
Find your contractor
Tell us the job. Takes under a minute.