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Washington: under $500 a job without a contractor registration
In Washington a job under $500 needs no state contractor registration. Plumbing and electrical: state license; HVAC: only the electrical part needs a state certificate · not fully confirmed. Read from Washington's own pages, checked November 6, 2026.
The limit in Washington
The limit: Under $500 per job. In short: under $500 per project, labor + materials; above that you must register as a contractor with L&I.
What counts: "the aggregate contract price of which for labor and materials and all other items is less than five hundred dollars" (one undertaking or project, by one or more contracts) Materials count toward the limit, not just your labor.
Conditions: not part of a larger or major operation; no splitting into contracts under $500 to evade; must not advertise or put out any sign or card indicating you are a contractor; electrical and plumbing work need L&I certificates regardless of size.
Washington uses contractor registration (bond, insurance) rather than a competency license.
Licenses in Washington
General contractors: State registration. All construction contractors (general and specialty, residential and commercial) must register with L&I; casual jobs under $500 total (labor and materials) are exempt unless the person advertises as a contractor.
Plumbing: State license. L&I plumber certificate required to do plumbing on someone else's property (chapter 18.106 RCW).
Electrical: State license. L&I electrician certificate required (chapter 19.28 RCW).
HVAC: Only the electrical part needs a state certificate · not fully confirmed. No standalone mechanical HVAC license found; the electrical parts of HVAC/refrigeration work need the L&I HVAC/refrigeration specialty electrician certificate (06A). Contractors still register under RCW 18.27. No state page says in words that there is no separate HVAC license.
Your license number in Washington
Your license number: Registered contractors must show the number on advertising and materials that ask retail customers for work (the state reads this as estimates and bid proposals). None of these rules names invoices.
In the rule's words: “All advertising that shows the contractor's name or address shall show the contractor's current registration number. ... All materials used to directly solicit business from retail customers who are not businesses shall show the contractor's current registration number.” (RCW 18.27.100(3)(a); L&I says this includes estimates and bid proposals)
Where Washington's own pages disagree
The law names advertising and "materials used to directly solicit business"; the state's Labor and Industries page reads that as including estimates and bid proposals.
Washington's board, and when this was checked
The board: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) - Contractor Registration. As of November 6, 2026. Dates on the state's pages: WAC 296-46B-920 effective April 1, 2024.
This is a summary of each state's own pages as of November 6, 2026, not legal advice. Rules change, and cities and counties add licenses of their own. Check with your state's board, linked on this page, before you rely on it.
Compare Washington with every state's limit.
Official sources for Washington
8 of Washington's own pages, each quoted with its link:
- RCW 18.27.090 Exemptions (RCW 18.27.090(9)): “Any work or operation on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts, the aggregate contract price of which for labor and materials and all other items is less than five hundred dollars, such work or operations being considered as of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature.”
- RCW 18.27.090 Exemptions (RCW 18.27.090(9)): “The exemption prescribed in this subsection does not apply to a person who advertises or puts out any sign or card or other device which might indicate to the public that he or she is a contractor”
- L&I - Register as a contractor (chapter 18.27 RCW): “Washington State requires all construction contractors to register with L&I.”
- L&I - Register as a contractor: “When you advertise, solicit bids or offer to perform work, you must always include your contractor registration number. This includes business cards, Yellow Page ads, newspaper ads, internet ads, estimates and bid proposals.”
- RCW 18.27.100 Business practices - Advertising (RCW 18.27.100(3)(a)): “All materials used to directly solicit business from retail customers who are not businesses shall show the contractor's current registration number.”
- L&I - Electrician (chapter 19.28 RCW): “To work in the electrical construction trade in Washington, you must have a valid electrician certificate issued by L&I.”
- L&I - Plumbing (chapter 18.106 RCW): “Only L&I-certified plumbers can legally perform plumbing work on someone else's property.”
- WAC 296-46B-920 Electrical/telecommunications license/certificate types and scope of work (WAC 296-46B-920 (06A)): “Install, repair, replace, and maintain HVAC/refrigeration: Telecommunications, Class 2 low-voltage control circuit wiring/components in all residential occupancies”
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