Washington has 64,278 registered contractors in this site's directory; King, Snohomish and Pierce counties hold 49.6%

Washington's Department of Labor & Industries publishes its contractor registration data on data.wa.gov. From the file retrieved Oct. 30, 2026, this site's directory lists 64,278 contractors with active registrations and Washington addresses it could place in a county.

By type

• General contractors: 44,484
• Specialty contractors: 13,675
• Electrical contractors: 4,310
• Plumbing contractors: 1,809

Contractors register with L&I under chapter 18.27 RCW. Under RCW 18.27.040, every applicant files a continuous surety bond of $30,000 as a general contractor or $15,000 as a specialty contractor, with the State of Washington as obligee. The bond is conditioned on paying workers, taxes and suppliers, and on paying judgments for breach of contract, including improper work. If the surety cancels the bond, the registration is suspended automatically until a new bond is filed. Electrical contractors are licensed separately by L&I under chapter 19.28 RCW.

By county

• King County: 15,818
• Snohomish County: 8,790
• Pierce County: 7,260
• Spokane County: 4,942
• Clark County: 4,552
• Whatcom County: 2,272
• Kitsap County: 2,154
• Thurston County: 1,944
• Benton County: 1,765
• Skagit County: 1,475
• Yakima County: 1,333
• Chelan County: 968

King County alone has 15,818, or 24.6% of the list. Its general contractors number 10,939. Spokane County, with 4,942, has the most east of the Cascades, and Clark County, across the Columbia River from Portland, has 4,552.

General and specialty

The counties with the most general contractors are King (10,939), Snohomish (5,886), Pierce (4,803), Spokane (3,446), Clark (3,082). For specialty contractors, they are King (3,547), Snohomish (2,137), Pierce (1,668), Clark (996), Spokane (988).

The bond is there for customers and suppliers. Under RCW 18.27.040, anyone with a claim covered by the bond can sue the contractor and the bond in superior court, naming the surety. A residential homeowner suing for breach of contract must file within two years from the date the work was substantially completed or abandoned, whichever came first.

Electrical and plumbing

The counties with the most electrical contractors are King (943), Pierce (565), Snohomish (518), Spokane (357), Clark (325). For plumbing contractors, they are King (389), Snohomish (249), Pierce (224), Spokane (151), Clark (149).

Where WSDOT is bidding

WSDOT's Oct. 26 Call for Bids lists contracts in six counties. The number of registered contractors in each, from this site's directory:

• Pierce County: 7,260
• Clark County: 4,552
• Whatcom County: 2,272
• Skagit County: 1,475
• Island County: 830
• Kittitas County: 641

A firm needs more than an L&I registration to bid those jobs as a prime: WSDOT issues bidding proposals only to prequalified contractors. But each contract will need subcontractors for trucking, erosion control, planting, striping, signing, traffic control and other work, and those subs need active registrations.

By WSDOT region

• Northwest Region: 29,681
• Olympic Region: 13,857
• Southwest Region: 7,053
• Eastern Region: 5,926
• South Central Region: 5,210
• North Central Region: 2,551

The Northwest Region, which includes King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties, has 46.2% of the state's listed contractors.

Renewals coming up

Registrations expire on a rolling basis throughout the year. Of the 64,278 records, 2,740 carry an expiration date before Jan. 1, 2027: 1,064 in November and 1,611 in December, and 65 on the last days of October. General contractors that keep an approved-sub list should recheck those firms, since a lapsed bond or registration can affect a sub's eligibility to work.

Using the list

Every listing in our directory links to its county hub and shows the registration type and expiration date from L&I's data. Registration is separate from WSDOT prequalification, which is required to bid state highway contracts. See our registration guide.