Washington Subcontractor License Requirements: What GCs Must Verify Before Work Starts
Washington doesn't license most trades the way Florida or California do — it requires every contractor to register with Labor & Industries, and certifies the people doing electrical and plumbing work. Which subs need what, what a GC should check, and what an unregistered sub can cost you.
The most common mistake: checking registration and not the workers' comp account beside it. Under Washington law a prime contractor can be billed for a sub's unpaid L&I premiums — and the L&I lookup that shows the registration shows the account status too.
Washington requires every construction contractor — general or specialty — to register with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) before bidding or working, which means posting a bond and carrying liability insurance. Electrical work additionally needs an L&I electrical contractor license and certified electricians, and plumbing work must be done by L&I-certified plumbers. Before a sub starts, look it up on L&I's Verify a Contractor tool and confirm the registration is active, any trade license or certificate is current, and its workers' comp account is in good standing.
In this guide
How Washington contractor registration works
Washington requires every contractor to register with L&I — general contractors and specialty contractors alike, roofers and framers included. It is called registration rather than licensing because there is no trade exam, but it is not optional: an unregistered contractor cannot legally bid, advertise or work.
To register, a contractor must post a surety bond — $30,000 for a general contractor, $15,000 for a specialty contractor — and carry general liability insurance at the statutory minimums. A contractor with employees also needs a workers' comp account with L&I, since Washington's workers' comp is a state fund. Registrations are renewed every two years, and L&I suspends a registration whose bond or insurance lapses.
Registration is the floor, not the trade. A registered electrical sub still needs an electrical contractor license, and the people pulling wire need electrician certificates. Registration alone does not qualify anyone to do licensed trade work.
Trades that need more than registration
| Trade | What L&I requires |
|---|---|
| Electrical | An electrical contractor license for the business, with a designated administrator or master electrician, and journey-level or specialty electrician certificates for the workers |
| HVAC / refrigeration | Contractor registration for the business; the electrical side of HVAC work falls under L&I's electrical program and its HVAC/refrigeration specialty certificate |
| Plumbing | Plumbing work on someone else's property must be done by L&I-certified plumbers or supervised trainees |
| Elevators & conveyances | Elevator contractor license and licensed elevator mechanics |
| Asbestos abatement | L&I asbestos contractor certification, with certified workers and supervisors |
Roofing, framing, drywall, painting, concrete, landscaping and carpentry need registration only — but unlike Texas, that registration is required. An unregistered roofing crew in Washington is working illegally, not just uninsured.
What GCs should verify
The registration is active
Look the sub up on L&I's Verify a Contractor tool before work starts. Suspended or expired registrations are common, and a bond or insurance lapse suspends one automatically.
The workers' comp account is in good standing
The same lookup shows the sub's L&I workers' comp account. Under RCW 51.12.070 a prime contractor can be liable for a sub's unpaid premiums; the statute excuses a GC whose sub is registered and has an account in good standing, which is why checking it — and keeping a record that you did — matters.
Trade licenses and certificates cover the work
For electrical work, both the business license and the electricians' certificates. For plumbing, certified plumbers on site.
The name matches your subcontract
The registered business name and UBI should match the entity you are contracting with and the name on its certificate of insurance.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- L&I contractor registrations are re-checked against L&I’s own records every day, so a suspension for a lapsed bond or insurance shows on the sub’s record rather than at the next job.
- Every check is logged with a timestamp — the kind of record that answers “did you check?” after the fact.
- The registration sits beside the sub’s COI and W-9, so the two Washington checks live on one record.
The workers' comp account status is read on L&I's own lookup; we track the registration and the certificate, not the premium account.
See how Washington license tracking worksWhat an unregistered sub costs
Infractions and fines
Working, bidding or advertising without registration is an infraction under RCW 18.27.200, with fines of $1,200 to $10,000, and each day of unregistered work is a separate infraction.
The sub's unpaid premiums
A prime contractor can be assessed for a subcontractor's unpaid workers' comp premiums under RCW 51.12.070 unless the sub met the statute's conditions, including being registered and having an account in good standing.
No right to sue for payment
Under RCW 18.27.080, an unregistered contractor cannot sue to collect for work that required registration — which also tends to mean a sub that cannot stand behind its warranty or indemnity.
Permits and schedule
Unregistered and unlicensed contractors cannot pull permits, and electrical work by uncertified workers fails inspection. Both land on the GC's schedule.
How to look up a Washington contractor
L&I's Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business tool covers registrations, electrical and plumbing licenses and certificates, and workers' comp account status in one place. Search by business name, UBI or registration number.
- Collect the UBI and registration number at onboarding and put them in the subcontract.
- Check the registration, the bond and insurance on file, and the workers' comp account in the lookup — not from a copy of a certificate the sub sends.
- For electrical and plumbing subs, check the trade license and the certificates of the people who will be on site.
- Record what you found and when. Registrations renew every two years; note the expiration against your schedule.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- Subs send their registration number, certificate and W-9 through one upload link — no account, no portal login.
- A registration nearing expiry is on the Monday summary on every plan; on Starter and above the sub is emailed at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days with the link to send the renewal.
- The COI is read on upload — every coverage row with its own limits and dates — and filed on the same record as the registration.
Tracking registrations for Washington subs?
Everything above is a check you can run by hand. This is what it looks like when it runs itself.
On the free plan
- Your first 25 subs, no credit card
- Subs upload certificates, licences and W-9s through a one-time link — no account, no app
- Every certificate read automatically: coverage rows, limits and each policy’s own dates
- Contractor licences checked against the state board’s own records
- A Monday summary of everything expired or expiring
Per-deadline alerts at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days, sent to your team and to the sub, start on Starter. Compare plans
Stop checking by hand
Set up your roster today
Add your subs — or import the whole list from a spreadsheet on Starter — send each a one-time upload link, and the certificates, licences and W-9s arrive already read. No demo, no sales call, no implementation project.
Start free — no credit card →Up and running in about 10 minutes.
Explore what it does: License verification · AI COI parsing · Expiration alerts · Sub onboarding