How do I check a Washington contractor's license?

Washington licenses contractors through the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Search at lni.wa.gov → "Look up a Contractor" (verify.lni.wa.gov). Enter the contractor name, UBI number, or contractor registration number. Washington has the most transparent contractor lookup in the US — the result page shows license status, bond status and amount, AND current liability insurance amount inline, without requiring a separate carrier call. Confirm all three are active.

What makes Washington's L&I lookup different from other states?

Washington is the only state in our series where the official lookup displays the contractor's current liability insurance amount and bond status directly inline with the license status. In other states you must call the insurance carrier separately to verify the COI is active. Washington L&I shows: license status, license type (General vs Specialty), bond amount and status, insurance carrier and current coverage amount, plus any "Found-against" judgments. The transparency is real consumer protection.

What are Washington''s contractor license types?

Washington has two main residential license types: (1) General Contractor — can perform any kind of construction work; (2) Specialty Contractor — limited to specific trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, painting, etc.). General contractors carry a $12,000 bond; specialty contractors carry a $6,000 bond. For senior aging-in-place projects, a General contractor or a Specialty in the relevant trade works. Match the type to your project before signing.

What insurance and bond does Washington require?

Washington L&I requires every active contractor to carry: (1) a continuous performance bond — $12,000 for General, $6,000 for Specialty; (2) general liability insurance — $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage minimum (or $250,000 combined single limit); (3) workers compensation if employees. These minimums are below industry norms — for senior projects over $10,000, request $1 million GL and verify with the carrier. But the baseline displayed on L&I is real and consumer-checkable.

What is the difference between a contractor bond and insurance?

A contractor bond is a financial guarantee that the contractor will perform the work and follow the law; if they fail, you can file a bond claim. Insurance protects against accidents — general liability covers property damage and injury caused by the work, workers compensation covers injured workers. Washington L&I displays both directly. Bond claims go through L&I; insurance claims through the carrier. For senior projects, you want both bond + GL + WC all active.

What contractor scams target Washington seniors?

Three patterns. (1) Post-wildfire and post-windstorm contractors in Eastern Washington and along the coast — Pacific Northwest fire seasons drive aggressive out-of-state activity. (2) Driveway sealing crews in Spokane, Tacoma, Olympia metro senior suburbs. (3) Earthquake-retrofit pitches in the Seattle-Bellevue area — fabricated urgency about "your home needs seismic upgrades" targeting older homeowners. Washington AG Consumer Protection Division pursues these with the state's Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act enhancing penalties for fraud against people 60+.

How do I report a bad contractor in Washington?

File a complaint with L&I at lni.wa.gov → File a Contractor Complaint. L&I investigates, can fine, suspend, or revoke registration, and processes bond claims (up to the $12K/$6K bond amount) for unfinished or defective work. For consumer fraud generally: Washington AG Consumer Protection at atg.wa.gov. The Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act enhances penalties for elder home-repair fraud. The L&I complaint is free.

Washington Contractor License Lookup (L&I) 2026

The short version: Washington has the most transparent contractor lookup in the US — verify.lni.wa.gov displays license status, bond status AND amount, AND current liability insurance carrier and coverage amount all inline. License types: General (any work, $12K bond) or Specialty (specific trade, $6K bond). The L&I-required insurance minimum ($200K liability) is light for senior projects — request $1M GL and verify with the carrier directly. Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act enhances penalties for fraud against people 60+.

Washington L&I: best transparency in the US

Of the 13 states in this series, Washington has the cleanest single-page contractor verification — verify.lni.wa.gov returns license status, bond status, AND current insurance information directly on one result page.¹ Other states make you call the carrier separately to confirm insurance is currently active. Washington displays it.

For senior homeowners, this transparency translates into ten minutes of pre-hire verification that catches almost every category of contractor problem — expired bond, lapsed insurance, prior judgments — before signing anything.

This is the Washington-specific companion to our national state contractor license lookup guide. For the master pre-hire workflow, see How to Find a Senior-Friendly Contractor.

What the L&I lookup actually shows

Search verify.lni.wa.gov by contractor name, UBI number, or registration number. The result page displays, inline:

License status — Active / Expired / Suspended / Revoked
License type — General Contractor or Specialty Contractor (specific trade)
Bond status and amount — $12,000 General / $6,000 Specialty
Insurance carrier and current coverage — public liability, property damage, sometimes combined-single-limit amounts
Found-against judgments — court findings against the contractor
Registration history — issue date, expirations, renewals

Steps 3 and 4 are what makes Washington unique. In states like Michigan or Virginia, you’d verify license at the state board AND separately call the insurance carrier to confirm the COI is currently active. Washington does it on one page.¹

License types: General vs Specialty

Type	Scope	Bond
General Contractor	Any kind of construction work	$12,000
Specialty Contractor	Limited to specific trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, etc.)	$6,000

For most senior aging-in-place projects, either type works depending on scope:

Whole-room remodels involving multiple trades → General contractor
Single-trade work (electrical upgrade, HVAC install, roofing) → Specialty contractor in the right trade

Match the type to the work. A Specialty roofer cannot legally remodel your bathroom; a General can subcontract trade work to Specialty contractors.

Insurance minimums — the gap to mind

Washington’s L&I-required insurance minimums are below industry norms:

General liability: $200,000 public liability + $50,000 property damage, OR $250,000 combined single limit
Property damage: included in the above

For senior aging-in-place projects over $10,000, these floors are light. The standard industry recommendation is $1,000,000 general liability. The good news: L&I displays the carrier name, so you can call the carrier directly to verify higher coverage if the contractor claims it.

See Contractor Insurance & Bonding for the broader verification workflow.

The Washington bond claim — meaningful recourse

If a Washington contractor fails to complete work or violates the contract, you can file a bond claim through L&I against the contractor’s $12,000 (General) or $6,000 (Specialty) bond. The claim process is administrative — no lawsuit required — and L&I administers payouts up to the bond amount.

The bond is below typical project values (a $24,000 bathroom remodel exceeds the $12,000 General bond), so it’s not full financial protection. But it’s meaningful baseline recourse, and L&I’s administrative process is faster and cheaper than small-claims court.

Washington senior scam patterns

Pacific Northwest fire seasons — Eastern Washington wildfires drive out-of-state storm-chaser contractor activity targeting senior homeowners.
Coastal windstorms — Western Washington Pacific storms produce post-windstorm door-to-door roofer pitches.
Earthquake-retrofit pitches — Seattle/Bellevue area: “Your home needs seismic upgrades before the next quake” is a fabricated-urgency pitch targeting older homeowners. Never act on unsolicited seismic pitches; consult your county’s building department first.
Spokane/Tacoma/Olympia driveway crews — spring/summer traveling sealcoat targeting senior neighborhoods.
Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act — Washington enhances civil and criminal penalties for fraud against people 60+; AG Consumer Protection prioritizes these.³

If something goes wrong

L&I-licensed contractor: file at lni.wa.gov → File a Contractor Complaint. L&I can fine, suspend, revoke, AND processes bond claims (up to $12K/$6K).
Consumer fraud generally: Washington AG Consumer Protection at atg.wa.gov.
Elder financial abuse: AG Consumer Protection + county Adult Protective Services. Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act applies.

Washington verification in 30 seconds:

Search verify.lni.wa.gov — license, bond, AND insurance shown inline (unique in US)
General Contractor ($12K bond) for multi-trade work; Specialty ($6K bond) for single trade
L&I minimum insurance is light ($200K) — request $1M for senior projects over $10K
Bond claim through L&I provides administrative recourse up to bond amount
Pacific NW fires/windstorms/seismic-pitch scams; never door-to-door, never AOB
Problems → L&I complaint + bond claim, Washington AG, Senior Citizens Consumer Protection Act

Citations

Look Up a Contractor. Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), retrieved June 5, 2026. secure.lni.wa.gov/verify.

Contractor Registration Requirements. Washington Department of Labor & Industries, retrieved June 5, 2026. lni.wa.gov.

Washington Consumer Protection. Office of the Washington Attorney General, retrieved June 5, 2026. atg.wa.gov.

Home Improvement Scams Targeting Older Adults. AARP Fraud Watch Network, June 2024. aarp.org/fraud-watch.