Washington Contractor Registration and Trade Fees
The 17 verified whole-dollar state fees Washington publishes — the contractor registration schedule (ch. 18.27, WAC 296-200A-900) and the electrical and plumbing trade schedules (WAC 296-46B-909 and WAC 296-400A-045, both effective 2026-07-01), all charged by the Department of Labor & Industries. City permits and city business licences are not state fees in Washington — the local layer sets those.
01 State fees vs local fees vs permit fees
STATE CREDENTIAL FEE (L&I)≠LOCAL PERMIT FEE (city/county)≠CITY BUSINESS LICENCE
- State credential fees — listed below: the registration issuance and reinstatement, the electrical contractor and certificate schedule, and the plumbing contractor and certificate schedule, all charged by L&I. S-WA-18-27-020
- Registration expires on a 24-month cycle — the renewal is valid on receipt of fee + bond proof + insurance proof; reinstatement is $70.90 with proof of correction. S-WA-18-27-060
- The trade schedules are set by WAC — electrical at WAC 296-46B-909 and plumbing at WAC 296-400A-045, both effective 2026-07-01. S-WA-LNI-ELEC-CONTRACTOR S-WA-LNI-PLUMB-CONTRACTOR
- Permit fees are local — RCW 18.27.110 imposes the permit VERIFICATION duty, not a state permit fee; the city or county sets the permit fee. No local amount is published here.
02 Contractor registration — WAC 296-200A-900 (L&I)
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration — reinstatement WAC 296-200A-900 verbatim ($70.90), corroborated by the L&I Register page. A lapse of ≤30 days with bond + insurance maintained does NOT make the contractor 'unregistered' (RCW 18.27.010(15)) — reinstatement applies beyond that / after suspension (research §L.1/§J). | $70.90 | renewal | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-200A-900 |
| Contractor registration — duplicate certificate WAC 296-200A-900 verbatim ($16.50). Ancillary schedule items read beside it: certified letter $33.80, service of process $66.20, refund service $33.00, copies $2.40/page (max $37), annual listing publication $214.70 — published on the fees page, not all seeded as rows (research §L.1). | $16.50 | miscellaneous | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-200A-900 |
| Contractor registration — issuance / renewal / reregistration (2 years) WAC 296-200A-900 verbatim ($150.20), amended by WSR 26-10-060 Order 25-30 effective 2026-07-01 (read 2026-10-04); corroborated by the L&I Register page ('$150.20') and Form F625-001-000 (rev. 07-2026). Statutory base $100 under RCW 18.27.075, revised biennially by the fiscal growth factor — the rule amount is the operative one (research §L.1). | $150.20 | application | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-200A-900 |
03 Electrical — WAC 296-46B-909, eff. 2026-07-01 (L&I)
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical contractor license (general or specialty) — issuance / renewal, 24 months, in person/mail/fax WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($353.90), WSR 26-10-060 eff. 2026-07-01 (read 2026-10-04). ONE bond ($4,000) covers multiple specialty electrical licenses (RCW 19.28.041) — but each license carries its own fee (research §L.2). | $353.90 | license | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Electrical contractor license — online renewal (24 months) WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($306.20 online renewal rate). >90 days expired → cannot renew online (L&I Electrical Contractor page) (research §L.2/§J). | $306.20 | renewal | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Electrical contractor license — reinstatement WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($71.50); L&I Electrical Contractor page cites the same figure for reinstatement (read 2026-10-04) (research §L.2). | $71.50 | renewal | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Master electrician certificate — renewal WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($202.20 master; $175.70 administrator; late rates $404.50/$351.40). Individual certificate renewal also requires the 24 h / 3-year CE (research §L.2/§K). | $202.20 | certification | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Journey level electrician exam WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($80.30 journey exam; master first attempt $106.70, master retest $125.00). Exams scheduled with PSI after L&I approval (research §K/§L.2). | $80.30 | miscellaneous | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Original electrician certificates (journey $114.60 / master $204.60 / administrator $160.00; trainee $56.00) WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim — journey $114.60 (row amount), master $204.60, administrator $160.00, trainee $56.00 initial / $48.10 renewal. The row amount is the most common credential (journey); siblings published here (research §L.2). | $114.60 | certification | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
| Journey or specialty electrician certificate — renewal WAC 296-46B-909 verbatim ($106.40 in person; $92.60 online). Renewal on your birthday every 3 years with 24 h CE (L&I Electrician page) (research §L.2/§J). | $106.40 | certification | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909 |
04 Plumbing — WAC 296-400A-045, eff. 2026-07-01 (L&I)
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designated plumber assignment (initial or change) WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ($53.20); the L&I Plumbing Licensing Requirements page publishes the same figure (both sides agree — no conflict) (research §L.3). | $53.20 | miscellaneous | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumbing contractor license — reinstatement WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ($74.00). CONFLICT-WA-001 (OPEN): L&I's page shows $69.50 (pre-increase figure) — preserved beside this row, never merged (research §L.3). | $74.00 | renewal | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumber exam application (journey / residential / residential service) WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ($202.10); corroborated by the L&I Get or Renew page (both sides agree). Medical gas exam application $74.30 (research §K/§L.3). | $202.10 | miscellaneous | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumber certificate — renewal or first card, journey/residential/residential service (3 years) WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ($242.70); L&I Get or Renew page corroborates and adds the LATE rule: the fee DOUBLES after expiration ($485.40 total), and >90 days expired → retest ($189.80) + certification fee (research §L.3/§J). | $242.70 | certification | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumbing contractor license — issuance / renewal / reregistration (2 years) WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ('For each issuance, renewal or reregistration of a license … $148.10'), WSR 26-10-060 eff. 2026-07-01 (read in full 2026-10-04). CONFLICT-WA-001 (OPEN): the L&I Plumbing Licensing Requirements page shows renewal $139.10 — the pre-6.51%-increase figure — beside this row; encoded amount follows the WAC (rule > page), L&I figure preserved in the conflict record (research §L.3/quality gate). | $148.10 | license | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumber trainee certificate (annual) WAC 296-400A-045 verbatim ($60.00, one year); L&I corroborates. Siblings published beside it: backflow renewal $167.40, domestic pump $242.80, medical gas renewal $166.90, temporary permit (120 days) $100.30 (research §L.3). | $60.00 | certification | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045 |
| Plumber certification — retest to reinstate (>90 days expired) L&I Get or Renew page verbatim: '90 calendar days after your certification has expired — … you must retest to reinstate your certification. A retesting fee of $189.80 will apply along with your certification fee' (read 2026-10-04). Not in the WAC read excerpt — published from the L&I page (research §J/§L.3). | $189.80 | miscellaneous | Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) | S-WA-LNI-PLUMB-RENEW |
CONFLICT-WA-001 (OPEN) — plumbing renewal amounts
The WAC figures above are encoded (rules above agency pages in the authority hierarchy); L&I's plumbing-renewal page publishes different renewal and reinstatement amounts. Both sides render in the conflict card below — never silently reconciled.
05 Withheld on purpose — never guessed
NOT VERIFIED — no number published
- The statewide electrical work-permit fee schedule — no amount was read from an official source; the permit RULE is verified, the amounts are not.
- Local permit fee amounts — Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue each set their own; LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED.
- City business-licence fees — a general business licence is separate from the state registration (RCW 18.27.130 carve-out); no amount is published here.
- The CONFLICT-WA-001 L&I figures — preserved only as the conflicting claim, never encoded as a deterministic amount.
06 Documented conflicts
Source AS-WA-WAC-296-400A-045
WAC 296-400A-045 (official rule, WSR 26-10-060 Order 25-30, effective 2026-07-01, read in full 2026-10-04): 'For each issuance, renewal or reregistration of a license … $148.10' (valid two years); 'Reinstatement of a plumbing contractor license $74.00.'
WAC 296-400A-045 — Plumbing contractor and plumber certificate feesSource BS-WA-LNI-PLUMB-CONTRACTOR
L&I Plumbing Licensing Requirements page (official, read 2026-10-04): application '$148.10', RENEWAL '$139.10' (online/mail/in person), REINSTATEMENT '$69.50'. Arithmetic note: $139.10 × 1.0651 ≈ $148.07 and $69.50 × 1.0651 ≈ $74.03 — the L&I page amounts match the PRE-6.51%-increase values while its own application fee ($148.10) matches the new WAC value, i.e. the page appears to carry stale renewal/reinstatement figures from before the WSR 26-10-060 package took effect 2026-07-01.
L&I — Plumbing Licensing RequirementsStatusneither value published
OPEN — no L&I erratum found. HANDLING: deterministic logic encodes the WAC amounts (fee rows FEE-WA-PLUMB-CONTRACTOR-ISSUE $148.10 and FEE-WA-PLUMB-CONTRACTOR-REINSTATE $74.00; renewal row RENEW-WA-PLUMBING) because the fee is SET BY RULE (RCW 18.106 fees set by rule; WSR 26-10-060 Order 25-30 is the operative amendment) and the authority hierarchy resolves rule > agency page. The L&I figures ($139.10 / $69.50) are preserved verbatim here and published beside every affected fee row — never deleted, never merged, never used as a fact.
Analysis notes
Detected 2026-10-04 while seeding FEE-WA-PLUMB-CONTRACTOR-ISSUE. Material to anyone quoting a Washington plumbing renewal price — exactly why neither side is silently chosen (research §L.3/§Q).
07 Sources
S-WA-18-27-060statute
RCW 18.27.060 — Certificate of registration — Issuance, duration, renewal — Suspension
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=18.27.060S-WA-LNI-ELEC-CONTRACTORboard page
L&I — Electrical Contractor (license requirements, bond, renewal, reinstatement)
https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/electrical/electrical-licensing-exams-education/electrical-contractorS-WA-LNI-PLUMB-RENEWboard page
L&I — Get or Renew Your Certification (plumber exams, fees, 3-year renewal, late ladder)
https://lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/plumbing/plumber-certification/get-or-renew-your-certificationS-WA-LNI-REGISTERboard page
L&I — Register as a Contractor (registration steps, bonds, insurance, disclosure, renewal)
https://www.lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/contractors/register-as-a-contractor/S-WA-WAC-296-46B-909regulation
WAC 296-46B-909 — Electrical license, certificate and examination fees
https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=296-46B-909S-WA-WAC-296-200A-900regulation
WAC 296-200A-900 — Contractor registration fee schedule
https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=296-200A-900S-WA-WAC-296-400A-045regulation
WAC 296-400A-045 — Plumbing contractor and plumber certificate fees
https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=296-400A-045