The full, sourced version of this guide is here.
The registration is the license to start. The first job is where new contractors actually get burned, usually on contracts and getting paid.
You are registered. Now the goal shifts from paperwork to doing one job cleanly so you get paid and stay compliant. A few things separate a professional first job from an amateur one.
Under RCW 18.27.100, any advertising that shows your name or address must show your current registration number, and so must cards, flyers, and other materials you use to solicit homeowners. Signs on your vehicles and on-premises signs are exempt. Put it on your bids and contracts too: it is required on your advertising, and customers (and L&I) can look you up on the verify tool. A visible number builds trust and keeps you compliant at the same time.
Before you start a residential job (four or fewer units) worth $1,000 or more, or a commercial job between $1,000 and $60,000, RCW 18.27.114 requires you to give the customer a written disclosure statement. Skip it and you cannot bring a lien claim on that job, and the omission is an infraction. A written contract protects both sides. It should spell out scope, price, payment schedule, and change-order handling. Handshake deals are how new contractors end up unpaid with no way to enforce.
Here is the one that costs people real money: in Washington, an unregistered contractor generally cannot use the courts to collect, and sloppy paperwork weakens your lien rights even when you are registered. Send the required preliminary notices, keep signed change orders, and document everything. The boring paperwork is what lets you collect when a customer decides not to pay. I have seen good work go unpaid purely because the paperwork was not there.
Washington has no statewide cap on contractor deposits that we could confirm in chapter 18.27 RCW or the lien statute, so put the deposit amount, what it covers, and how refunds work in the written contract before you take money. If you need lien rights, know the clock: record the lien no later than 90 days after you stop furnishing labor or materials (RCW 60.04.091). Pull permits where the work requires them. And verify any subcontractor is registered on the L&I verify tool before they set foot on your job. An unregistered sub is your problem, not theirs. If you are hiring help instead, get your workers' comp squared away first.
The free builder gives you the startup path. The membership goes deeper on first-job contracts, notices, and getting paid.
Build My Free RoadmapPrimary Washington state agencies first, then supporting references. Figures verified July 2026. Always re-check current amounts before you file.