Washington · Checked October 22, 2026
Registration only. Washington does not license roofers and gives no exam. Every contractor — general or specialty — must register with Labor & Industries before bidding, advertising or doing work, post a surety bond ($30,000 general / $15,000 specialty), and carry general liability insurance. Roofing is one of L&I's 63 specialty trades under a specialty registration.
| Item | Washington |
|---|---|
| Regime | L&I contractor registration (RCW 18.27) — roofing is a specialty, no license or exam |
| Exam | None. No competency exam for contractor registration. Electrical/plumbing are separate licensed programs — not roofing. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | $150.20 |
| License / registration fee | $150.20 for issuance (2-year registration) |
| Total state cost | $150.20 L&I fee + bond premium (market, fraction of $15,000/$30,000) + liability insurance + Dept. of Revenue business license costs — Fee confirmed on L&I Register as a Contractor page and WAC 296-200A-900 (effective July 1, 2026 schedule): $150.20 issuance/renewal/reregistration; reinstatement $70.90. |
| Bond | Surety bond (or assignment of savings) — $30,000 general contractor / $15,000 specialty contractor, RCW 18.27.040, amounts effective July 1, 2024 (2SHB 1534; raised from $12,000/$6,000). Continuous; cancellation suspends registration. |
| Insurance minimums | General liability insurance policy required to register — certificate filed with L&I; L&I registration page does not publish a single minimum amount in the text retrieved, so amount is Not published here. Workers' comp / industrial insurance applies with employees. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | Mailed applications about 3-4 weeks to process/activate per secondary summary of L&I guidance; online faster — Not published as a primary guarantee |
| Renewal | Every 2 years; renewal fee $150.20 (WAC 296-200A-900) |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty Contractor Registration — Roofing specialty | both | Single-trade registration. Roofing listed among L&I's 63 specialties. Bond $15,000. |
| General Contractor Registration | both | For work in 2+ unrelated trades or general contracting incl. roofing. Bond $30,000. |
Subcontractors must be registered themselves before performing work — registration is per business; hiring an unregistered sub exposes the hiring contractor. Specialty registration limits the firm to that one trade.
Cities require a local business license endorsement on the state business license and building permits; Seattle and other cities add local business licensing, but the contractor credential is the state L&I registration.
No specific deductible-waiver statute found. No Washington statute specifically banning a roofer from paying, waiving or advertising away a deductible was found in RCW 18.27 or the insurance code. Note on a claim circulating in secondary guides — a 'separate roofing endorsement plus an extra $6,000 bond for projects over $1,000': no such endorsement, fee or bond appears on L&I's Register as a Contractor page, in RCW 18.27.040, in WAC 296-200A-900, or in L&I's specialty list. The $1,000 figure in Washington law is the Disclosure Statement threshold (RCW 18.27.114), not an endorsement trigger — the endorsement claim should not be relied on.
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