ProntoBill

Free checklist for contractors

Washington contractor compliance checker

For residential general contractors in Washington. Answer a few questions about a job and get a checklist for it: your L&I registration, bond and insurance, the customer disclosure notice, and sales tax. No account and no email.

Last reviewed September 28, 2026Leer en español

Informational guidance, not a legal determination. It reads Washington’s statutes and the data L&I and DOR publish. Each item links the state’s own text. Check with a construction lawyer how the rules apply to your contracts.

The personal checklist needs JavaScript. The general checklist below covers the same rules.

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ProntoBill is an invoicing app for contractors. It keeps track of your registration and renewal dates, calculates sales tax on invoices, and reminds you when a notice is due.

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The general checklist

The same rules, for any residential job in Washington.

  1. Register with L&I. Your registration number is required on advertising and direct solicitation; it is not required on estimates or invoices (you may still print it there). Documents that show your name or address use them as registered. RCW 18.27.100
  2. Keep a contractor bond and general liability insurance in force, at L&I’s amounts for your type of registration. L&I
    • General contractor: bond $30,000; insurance: property damage $50,000, injury to any one person $100,000 and injury to more than one person $200,000, or $250,000 combined single limit (RCW 18.27.040, RCW 18.27.050, checked November 5, 2026). Source
    • Specialty contractor: bond $15,000; insurance: property damage $50,000, injury to any one person $100,000 and injury to more than one person $200,000, or $250,000 combined single limit (RCW 18.27.040, RCW 18.27.050, checked November 5, 2026). Source
    • If you, or an owner, officer or partner on an earlier registration, had a final judgment in the past five years under this chapter involving a residential single-family dwelling, L&I may require a bond of up to three times the usual amount when you register, renew or reinstate (RCW 18.27.040(11)).
    • After switching from a general to a specialty registration, the bond cannot be reduced for two years (L&I).
  3. Before work starts on residential work priced at $1,000 or more (1–4 units), give the customer L&I’s Disclosure Statement, have them sign it, and keep a signed copy for 3 years. On a building with 5 or more units, give it anyway. Not owed when your customer is another contractor. RCW 18.27.114
  4. Collect Washington sales tax at the job site’s rate on work for a customer who isn’t a contractor, stated separately on the invoice. B&O tax is your own. WAC 458-20-170

Questions

Is this legal advice?
No. It’s informational guidance, not a legal determination: Washington’s statutes and L&I’s and DOR’s published data, read on the date shown. Check with a construction lawyer how they apply to your contracts.
Do I need an account?
No. Nothing here needs an account or an email. Print the page or take a screenshot to keep your checklist.
Do you keep what I type?
No. Your answers stay in your browser and are not sent to us or to the state. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, processes standard request information, such as your device’s IP address, to deliver the page and protect against abuse.
What isn’t covered?
Lead paint in pre-1978 homes, electrical, plumbing and elevator contractors (they register under other laws), employees and workers’ compensation, and local permits.