Washington Masonry License Requirements

Washington registers construction contractors through the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) under RCW 18.27. Masonry is an L&I specialty-contractor category. A masonry business must register in its specialty before it bids, advertises, or performs covered construction work. The registration model requires a $15,000 specialty-contractor bond, liability insurance of $200,000 public liability plus $50,000 property damage or $250,000 combined single limit, and the statutory business and workforce information. L&I does not list a masonry trade-competency examination for contractor registration.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under Revised Code of Washington Chapter 18.27 (Contractors); Chapter 19.28 (Electricians); Chapter 18.106 (Plumbers). L&I registers contractors statewide, certifies individual electricians and plumbers, administers prevailing wage, and conducts complaint investigations.

Official portal: https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/contractors/
Address: 7273 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501
Phone: (360) 902-5226

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). RCW 18.27.030 requires the business’s UBI and identifies the principals and, for a corporation, statutory agent. It does not establish a Washington-residency requirement for contractor registration.

Good moral character

L&I may deny or suspend registration for the statutory grounds, including specified unsatisfied final judgments, unpaid final penalties or fees, an invalid UBI, or non-inadvertent false application information.

Background investigation

The registration statute requires the application information and statutory disclosures; it does not set out a fingerprint-based background-check requirement.

Experience and Education

The cited source set does not publish a fixed year-based experience threshold for this credential. The controlling requirement is no state-level experience minimum; Washington registers contractors without a competency exam.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

UBI (Unified Business Identifier) from the Washington Department of Revenue
Surety bond or cash deposit on file with L&I
Certificate of liability insurance meeting L&I minimums

Exam Requirements

No statewide examination is specified for this pathway. The controlling process is: No Washington L&I masonry trade or business examination is listed for contractor registration

Examination fee: No exam fee — Washington does not administer a masonry trade or business and law exam for L&I registration.

Insurance and Bonds

The applicant must secure and file a $15,000 surety bond before the L&I will release the license.

General liability

L&I requires $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined single-limit coverage. The certificate must use the business’s exact name and list L&I as certificate holder.

Workers' compensation

The registration application requires Washington workers’ compensation coverage information for employees working in Washington, a self-insurer number, or in limited cross-border circumstances the permitted other-jurisdiction certificate. A business with no Washington employees may use its UBI account number instead.

Additional financial requirements

No financial statement required for specialty masonry registration.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$150.20
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 2 years)	$150.20

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Washington masonry.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Washington Specialty Masonry Contractor Registration — L&I must be renewed every 2 years. The fee to renew is presently $150.20. Registration is valid for two years unless suspended or revoked. Bond or insurance impairment automatically suspends it until the required replacement or reinstatement notice is filed and approved.

Continuing education: No L&I continuing-education requirement is listed for masonry contractor registration.

Downloadable Asset

2026 Washington Masonry License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

Washington grants no NASCLA reciprocity for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

Washington’s contractor system is registration-based, not a trade-exam reciprocity program. An out-of-state masonry business must meet Washington’s application, bond, insurance, and applicable workforce requirements before registration.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Masonry license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Masonry Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Washington's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

Idaho Masonry License Requirements — Idaho Contractor Registration (Masonry) — Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses
Oregon Masonry License Requirements — Oregon CCB Construction Contractor License (General) — No Specialty Masonry

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Form the business entity and obtain UBI. Register with the Washington Secretary of State and Department of Revenue to receive a Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number.
Establish the required workforce coverage record. Provide the applicable Washington workers’ compensation account or self-insurer information for Washington employees, or the UBI account number if the business will not employ Washington employees.
Bind general liability insurance. File $200,000 public liability plus $50,000 property damage coverage, or $250,000 combined single-limit coverage, using the exact registered business name.
Post the $15,000 contractor bond. Specialty contractors file a $15,000 continuous bond or permitted assigned savings account under RCW 18.27.040.
Submit the L&I Contractor Registration Application. File the current application with the UBI, bond, insurance certificate, workforce information, specialty election, and the current $150.20 registration fee.
Use the registration number correctly. Advertising that shows the contractor’s name or address must show the current registration number, subject to the statute’s listed exceptions.
Meet project-specific requirements. Confirm permits, building-code responsibilities, contract disclosures, insurance, and jobsite-safety duties before starting work.

Application Checklist

Ahead of submission to L&I, confirm every item on this short list:

Washington Secretary of State entity registration
UBI (Unified Business Identifier) from Department of Revenue
Applicable Washington workers’ compensation coverage information, self-insurer number, or UBI account number if no Washington employees
$200,000 public liability/$50,000 property damage (or $250,000 CSL) certificate
$15,000 specialty contractor bond or permitted assigned savings account
L&I Contractor Registration Application (F625-001-000)
Project-specific permit, code, consumer-disclosure, and safety requirements

Common Filing Mistakes

The following pitfalls summarize the issues most likely to delay, return, or derail a Washington Masonry application based on the published board instructions and source materials cited on this page.

Using the pre-July 2024 specialty bond amount

The current specialty-contractor bond is $15,000; the general-contractor amount is $30,000.

Bond or insurance lapse

Bond and insurance expiration, cancellation, revocation, or withdrawal automatically suspends registration until the required filing is corrected and approved.

Advertising without registration number

Advertising that shows the contractor’s name or address must show the current registration number, subject to the statute’s listed exceptions.

Skipping workforce information

The registration application must include the required Washington employee-coverage information, self-insurer number, permitted cross-border coverage, or UBI account information for a business without Washington employees.

Missing the statutory consumer disclosure

For the covered residential and commercial project ranges in RCW 18.27.114, provide and retain the signed disclosure statement before work begins.

Study and Reference Materials

The following references are cited by the regulator, used in the application process, or commonly used to prepare for the trade scope. Listed for reader convenience; CLR receives no compensation for these recommendations.

RCW 18.27 Registration of Contractors Act — Washington State Legislature. Governing statute for contractor registration in Washington.
Washington Contractor Registration Laws and Rules — Washington L&I / Washington Legislature. Use RCW 18.27 and WAC 296-200A for registration scope, bond, insurance, fees, and renewal.

Other Washington Trade Licenses

For a different Washington credential, see these companion guides published by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Washington have a dedicated masonry license?

No competency-based license. Washington registers all contractors through L&I under RCW 18.27 and tracks specialty trade categories including Masonry. No trade or business and law exam is required.

How big is the bond?

$15,000 for specialty contractors, including masonry; $30,000 for general contractors. Cancellation, revocation, or withdrawal automatically suspends the registration until corrected and approved.

How does workers compensation fit into registration?

The registration application requires workers’ compensation coverage information for Washington employees, an L&I self-insurer number, or the limited cross-border coverage allowed by law. A business without Washington employees may use its UBI account number.

Is there any exam?

No Washington L&I masonry trade or business examination is listed for contractor registration.

What other obligations apply to masonry work?

L&I registration does not replace project-specific permit, building-code, workplace-safety, or contract-disclosure requirements.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.