Tell us what you'll do. We'll tell you what you need.
No generic list. Answer three questions and get the registration and licenses that actually apply to you, in the order to do them. Free.
1. What work will your business do?
Search or scroll and check everything you plan to offer — pick as many as apply. This decides general vs. specialty registration and any add-on licenses.
2. Will you hire employees (W-2)?
This adds workers' comp and employer steps. Subcontractors are different — answer for real W-2 staff.
No, just me for now
Yes, I'll have employees
3. How do you want to be set up?
LLC adds liability separation and a Secretary of State filing. Sole proprietor is simpler and skips that step.
LLC / corporation
Sole proprietor
Not sure yet
Any of these? (adds a secondary license)
Check anything that applies. These trigger their own certification on top of your registration.
Free. No email required to see your result.
Your customized path
Do these in order
Steps marked Free you can do yourself with the links. Steps marked Guided are where the paid roadmap walks you through each one step by step.
Free account
Create a free account to save this and come back to it.
No card, no cost. A free account gives you a real login on app.contractorlane.com — nothing here disappears when you close the tab, and it's what unlocks the full roadmap the moment you upgrade.
Still optional — you can use everything above without one.
Optional
Or just email me this roadmap + deadline checklist.
Keep the result free. If you want a copy sent to you, enter your email and we will send the roadmap summary plus the basic Washington deadline checklist. This does not create an account.
No email required to use the result. This is only if you want us to send you a copy.
Printable report
Washington Contractor Startup Report
Your trade, bond amount, secondary warnings, and next steps are packaged here so you can print or save the result.
Bond + insurance
What to ask for next
When you call a bond or insurance agent, ask for these exact items:
Washington contractor surety bond for your registration type and legal business name.
General liability certificate using the same legal name and UBI.
L&I listed as certificate holder if required for your registration packet.
Confirmation that bond and insurance effective dates do not lapse before filing.
Want it done right, not guessed?
The $297 Washington Contractor Startup Roadmap walks every step above with source links, filing walkthroughs, the bond & insurance wording to request, DBA setup, and first-job paperwork points to review. One time. Yours.