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What Washington requires

Registration
All construction contractors must register with L&I. Working or bidding unregistered is a gross misdemeanor (RCW 18.27.020).
Bond and insurance
A $30,000 bond for general contractors and $15,000 for specialty contractors, plus public liability and property damage insurance (L&I).
Registration number in ads
Advertising that shows a contractor's name or address must show its registration number (RCW 18.27.100). A missing number is a question worth asking.
Certified plumbers
Plumbing on someone else's property is for L&I-certified plumbers; owners may do their own (L&I).

What Washington doesn't require

There's no state certification for mold remediation or water damage restoration. The Department of Health puts it plainly: anyone can call themselves a mold remediation specialist without specialized training or credentials (DOH). Its advice is to check registration, bond and insurance through L&I and to ask about training such as IICRC certification.

Washington's door-to-door cancellation law for installment contracts (RCW 63.14.154) doesn't cover ordinary cash sales, and the federal three-day Cooling-Off Rule excludes sales needed to meet an emergency, such as urgent home repairs (FTC). So for most emergency water calls, assume there's no cooling-off period and read before you sign.

On the call

Ask the contractor

  • Your L&I registration number? (Then check it at L&I Verify.)
  • What will you remove, dry and replace, and why?
  • How will you measure moisture, and will I get the readings?
  • Is the rebuild part of this contract or separate?
  • Who does any plumbing, and are they L&I-certified?
  • Which repairs need a permit, and who pulls it?
  • How is extra work priced, and what's the payment schedule?
  • For mold: what training, and how will you contain the area?

Water, smoke or mold

Get a restoration contractor on the phone

One call connects you with an independent contractor serving Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Issaquah, Sammamish and Mercer Island. Say what happened, where the water came from and how long it's been wet.

Something wet that shouldn't be? Call now.

Your call goes to an independent restoration contractor that works in Bellevue and on the Eastside.

Call (425) 592-3275

Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and privacy policy.

Call (425) 592-3275