Does Seattle issue its own general contractor license?
Answered by AskBaily Editorial · Updated
Short answer
No. Washington L&I registers general contractors statewide under RCW 18.27 — there is no separate city-level GC license in Seattle. What Seattle adds is an SDCI permit process, a Master Use Permit track, the Seattle Energy Code (stricter than state), Shoreline Management overlays, Landmarks Preservation review, Critical Areas, and Tree Protection. Always verify the L&I record directly at secure.lni.wa.gov.
In detail
Seattle does not issue its own general contractor license. The State of Washington holds that authority exclusively, and Washington Labor and Industries registers every general and specialty contractor under RCW 18.27 (Registration of Contractors) and the implementing rules at WAC 296-200A. The state framework requires contractors to post a 12,000 dollar bond for general work or 6,000 dollars for specialty trades, carry general liability of at least 250,000 dollars per occurrence and 200,000 dollars in property damage, and maintain an active UBI tax registration with the Department of Revenue.
The authoritative verification source is the Department of Labor and Industries license-lookup portal at secure.lni.wa.gov. That tool exposes the registration status, bond and insurance status, judgment history, and any open infractions or stop-work orders. A contractor who is suspended, expired, or shows recent infractions is a hard pass regardless of how good the bid looks.
What Seattle layers on top of the L&I registration is a permit and design-review apparatus operated by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI). The relevant city instruments include the Seattle Building Code under SMC Title 22, the Seattle Energy Code (SMC Title 22, Subtitle V, considerably stricter than the state energy code), the Master Use Permit framework for projects triggering SEPA review under WAC 197-11, Critical Areas regulations under SMC 25.09, the Tree Protection Ordinance under SMC 25.11, Shoreline Management overlays under SMC 23.60A, and Landmarks Preservation Board jurisdiction under SMC 25.12. None of these are licensure of the contractor; they are permit and process controls on the work product.
For electrical and plumbing trade work, Seattle additionally enforces the city electrical code through SDCI electrical inspectors and requires permits under SMC Title 22, Subtitle VII. A general contractor can hold the prime contract but must subcontract trades to L&I-licensed electricians and plumbers, each verifiable through the same lookup portal.
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