Short answer
Washington does not have a small-job handyman exemption. Under RCW 18.27, anyone who performs construction, alteration, repair or improvement work for compensation must be registered with the Department of Labor and Industries. "Handyman" is a description of the work, not a legal category — and hiring an unregistered one shifts real risk onto you.
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The rule, plainly
Washington's contractor registration statute is broad. It covers people who, for compensation, undertake to construct, alter, repair, add to, subtract from, improve, move, wreck or demolish a building or structure, or do any part of that work.
There's no threshold in that language for "small jobs." Unlike some states with a dollar-value exemption, Washington's registration requirement doesn't turn on project size.
**What that means practically:** the person you hire to hang a door, tile a backsplash or build a fence should be registered. If they're not, they're operating outside the statute, and the consequences land partly on you.
What "registered" gets you
A registered contractor carries three things an unregistered one doesn't:
**1. A surety bond.** As of July 1, 2024, **$30,000 for general contractors, $15,000 for specialty contractors** — raised from $12,000 and $6,000, the first increase since 2001. This is the pool a homeowner can claim against if the work is defective or abandoned. Against an unregistered person, there is no bond.
**2. General liability insurance.** Historically at least $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or a $250,000 combined single limit. If unregistered work damages your house or your neighbor's, there may be no coverage — and your homeowners policy may decline a claim arising from unlicensed work.
**3. Workers' compensation** for employees. If an uninsured worker is injured on your property, you can face exposure you did not anticipate.
The risks you carry when you hire unregistered
**Injury liability.** An uninsured worker hurt on your property is the most serious exposure. Your homeowners policy may or may not respond, and it may not cover the full amount.
**No bond to claim against.** If the work is defective or abandoned, your remedy is a lawsuit against an individual, who may have nothing to collect from.
**Insurance claim problems.** If unpermitted, unlicensed work later causes a loss — a leak from an improperly done shower, a fire from bad wiring — your carrier can raise questions about the claim.
**Permit problems.** Unregistered contractors generally can't pull permits, which means either the work goes unpermitted or you pull an owner-builder permit and take on liability for work you didn't perform.
**Resale disclosure.** Unpermitted work is a disclosure item in a Washington sale. It can affect financing and price.
**A lien you can still face.** A material supplier who wasn't paid can lien your property regardless of the installer's registration status.
What genuinely doesn't require registration
A few narrow situations:
**Your own work on your own home.** A homeowner may perform work on their own property. Permits are still required for permitted scopes, and you take on the liability and the disclosure obligation.
**Employees.** Someone employed by a registered contractor works under that contractor's registration.
**Certain non-construction services.** Cleaning, landscaping maintenance, appliance servicing and similar work generally fall outside the construction registration statute — but the line is narrower than people assume. Installing an appliance is different from repairing one.
**Some materials-only sales** without installation.
If you're unsure whether a specific job falls inside the statute, L&I is the authority — not the person quoting the work.
The specialty vs. general distinction
Registration comes in two forms:
**General contractor.** Can perform or coordinate work in more than one trade. $30,000 bond.
**Specialty contractor.** Registered for a single defined trade — tile, drywall, roofing, electrical. $15,000 bond.
A specialty contractor working outside their registered scope is a compliance problem. When you check the L&I record, confirm the registration type matches the work you're hiring for.
**Separately:** electrical and plumbing work in Washington require their own trade certifications beyond general contractor registration. A general contractor coordinating a remodel employs or subcontracts certified electricians and plumbers for those scopes.
What registration provides, side by side
