What Washington requires
To register as a contractor with the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), you need a continuous surety bond and general liability insurance, along with your business registration. The bond is $30,000 for general contractors and $15,000 for specialty contractors. General liability must be at least $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined.
The steps
- Apply for your bond. A short application and a credit check for the owner.
- Make sure the bond shows the exact legal business name, UBI number and owners on your L&I registration.
- Get general liability insurance, with L&I listed as the certificate holder.
- Submit your registration to L&I with the application, fee, bond and insurance certificate.
- Keep both active. If either cancels, L&I is notified and your registration can be suspended.
What a bond costs
You pay a premium that's a small percentage of the bond amount. The rate depends mostly on your personal credit and experience. Bad credit doesn't always mean no. We have specialty markets for harder cases.
Get it all from one place
Most new contractors need the bond, general liability and often commercial auto at the same time. We place them together so your paperwork lines up and L&I gets what it needs.