The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries registers contractors, and roofing is one of the specialties that require registration. A roofer should give a registration number that can be looked up, and the work must stay within the specialty it is registered for.
Key takeaways
- Ask for the registration number and the business name in writing before work starts.
- Check the number with L&I and confirm the business name and the roofing specialty match.
- A specialty contractor works only within its registered specialty.
- This guide does not state bond amounts, because the sources conflict on them.
What a registration is
A registration is the state record that a business is allowed to do a specific kind of work.
L&I registers contractors and records the specialties each one may work in. The registration is not a guarantee of the quality of the work and does not describe how a job will be run. It is the first record a homeowner should check, because it shows whether the business is registered and for which work.
Roofing is one of the specialties that require registration in Washington. A roofer who is registered for another specialty, such as general carpentry or a different trade, is not registered for roofing under that record, and the homeowner should ask which specialty applies to the job.
- Registration is a record, not a quality check
- Roofing is a registered specialty
- Confirm the specialty for the job
How to look up the number
The lookup is done on the L&I website with the registration number the roofer gives you.
Ask the roofer for the state registration number and the business name exactly as registered. Enter the number in the L&I contractor lookup on the L&I website at lni.wa.gov. Check that the business name, the status and the specialty on the record match what the roofer gave you on the estimate.
If the number is not found, or the name on the record is different, do not start the work. Ask the roofer to explain the difference in writing, and check the answer with L&I before any payment is made.
- Number and business name asked for in writing
- Lookup on lni.wa.gov
- Mismatch means no start until explained
Matching the specialty to the work
The specialty must cover the work offered, and a scope that goes beyond it needs a second registration.
A roof job can include carpentry for the frame, metalwork for the flashing and a special cover for the gutter. The homeowner should ask which parts of the job the roofer will do under its own registration and which parts, if any, will be done by someone else. Subcontracted work is a point to settle in writing, with the subcontractor named.
The crew does not give a legal view on which specialty a particular job falls under. The homeowner can ask L&I to confirm the specialty for a job that is unclear.
- Each part of the job assigned to a specialty
- Subcontractors named in writing
- L&I asked where the job is unclear
What the bond question looks like
Bond amounts are not stated on this page, because the sources recorded for this site disagree.
Many contractors are required to carry a bond. The sources recorded for this site give conflicting amounts, so this guide does not state one. The homeowner who wants to know the bond that applies should ask the roofer for the figure in writing and check it with L&I.
A bond protects the owner in some cases, but it is not the same as insurance, and it does not cover every problem with the work. The homeowner should ask what is covered and by whom, and get the answer in writing.
- Bond amount checked with L&I
- Bond is not the same as insurance
- Coverage answer kept in writing
Insurance and written proof
Ask for proof of insurance in writing, and check what it covers.
The registration page on L&I is one check. The roofer should also give a written statement of the insurance it carries, with the name of the insurer and the period covered. The homeowner should read what the policy covers before the work starts, because a general statement is not the same as a policy.
This guide does not state that any roofer is insured. The homeowner should get the proof and check it.
- Proof of insurance requested in writing
- Insurer and period recorded
- Coverage read before work starts
Keeping the record
The registration check, the estimate and the scope are kept together.
Save the lookup result with the date, and keep it with the estimate and the scope. If a dispute arises later, the record shows what the business was registered for on the date the work was agreed. The same file is useful for a claim, for a sale of the house and for any later permit.
The owner should also keep the names of the people working on the roof, and check them against the business the registration names.
- Lookup saved with its date
- Kept with the estimate and scope
- Names of crew checked against registration
Why the registration record matters on a roof
A roof is a specialty job, and a registration record shows whether the business is allowed to do it.
Roof work involves the frame, the covering, the flashing and sometimes the electrical and the metal work around the chimney or the gutter. A business that holds a registration in one specialty is not automatically registered for every part of the roof. The record shows which specialty the business holds, and the homeowner can compare that with the job on the estimate.
The record is also the first thing a regulator will look at if a complaint is made. A homeowner who has saved the lookup result with the date has a clear starting point, and a homeowner who has not may have to reconstruct it later.
- Roof work spans several trades
- Specialty on the record compared to the job
- Saved lookup is the first thing a regulator asks for
Reading the L&I record
The record shows the business name, the registration status and the specialties, and each one should be read.
The L&I record shows the registered business name, the status of the registration and the specialty or specialties the business is registered for. Read each field against the estimate. A business name that differs by a word, a status that is not active or a specialty that does not include roofing are each a reason to stop and ask.
If the business has changed its name or its address, the record should show the change. A roofer who cannot explain a change in name or address has not answered the question, and the homeowner should ask again in writing.
- Business name read against the estimate
- Status checked as active
- Specialty checked for roofing
What to ask the roofer before the lookup
The questions asked before the lookup make the lookup quicker and the answers easier to check.
Ask for the registration number, the business name as registered, the address on the registration, the names of the people who will work on the roof and any subcontractor who will do part of the job. Ask whether the roofer will pull any permit, and who will be the applicant. Get each answer in writing on the estimate.
The answers are then checked with the lookup and the county office. A mismatch between the answers and the record is the thing to resolve before any work begins.
- Registration number and name asked
- Crew names and subcontractors asked
- Permit applicant named in writing
Subcontractors and the chain of responsibility
A subcontractor works under the business that hires it, and the owner should know who that is.
A roofer may hire a subcontractor for the metal work, the chimney or the gutter. The subcontractor should be named on the estimate with its own registration number, where it has one, and the homeowner should check that number with L&I in the same way. A subcontractor who is not named is a gap in the record.
The owner should ask who is responsible if the subcontracted work fails. A clear answer, given in writing, is part of the protection the registration gives.
- Subcontractors named on the estimate
- Each subcontractor checked the same way
- Responsibility for subcontracted work asked
Where the sources differ, the guide says so
The sources recorded for this site disagree on some figures, and those figures are left out.
The bond amounts and the registration fees for roofing differ across the sources recorded for this site, so neither is stated here. The homeowner should check the current figure with L&I and get the answer from the roofer in writing.
A guide that gave a figure from a source that was out of date would be wrong in a way the homeowner could not see. That is why the figure is left out, and the question is left open for the owner to check.
- Conflicting figures not stated
- Owner checks the current figure with L&I
- Question kept open in writing
When a registration problem appears
A registration problem found after the work starts is a reason to stop and check.
If the lookup shows a different business, a lapsed status or a specialty that does not cover the work, stop the work and ask the roofer to explain in writing. A reasonable roofer will accept the check and answer it. A roofer who resists the check is telling the homeowner something useful.
A complaint about a contractor or its registration goes to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries. The homeowner should keep the estimate, the scope, the lookup and every message that relates to the work, so the complaint has a complete record to start from.
- Stop work if the record does not match
- Written answer requested
- Complaint goes to L&I with the file
Checking a registration after the job starts
A registration can change during a job, so the check is repeated if the work runs for a long time or the business changes.
A roof job that runs over several weeks can outlast a change in the business: a new name, a new owner, a registration that lapses or a specialty change. The owner should repeat the lookup if the work continues beyond a few weeks, or if the crew changes, and keep the new result with the file.
If the business is sold or renamed during the work, the owner should ask in writing who the contract now binds and check that business with L&I before the next payment is made.
- Lookup repeated for long jobs
- Changes in name or owner checked
- Next payment held until checked
Questions about the crew
The people on the roof should be named and checked against the business that holds the contract.
The owner should ask who will be on the roof, whether they are employees of the registered business or of a subcontractor, and whether any of them hold a separate registration. The names are written on the job sheet and kept with the file.
A crew that cannot say who is on the roof has not met the basic test of a clear job. The owner should not sign until the question is answered in writing.
- Names of crew written on the job sheet
- Employee or subcontractor stated
- Separate registrations asked for
Frequently asked questions
Where do I check a Washington roofer?
On the L&I website, using the registration number the roofer gives you. Confirm the business name and the roofing specialty match.
Does a registration mean the work will be good?
No. It shows the business is registered for the specialty. It does not describe how the job will be done, so the scope and references still matter.
What if the roofer will not give a number?
Do not start the work. A roofer who will not give a registration number in writing has not met the first step of a sensible purchase.
Who do I call about a contractor problem?
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries handles contractor registration. For a claim problem, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner takes complaints through its online portal.
Sources
- Washington State Department of Labor and Industries - contractor registration
- Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner - Consumer Complaint Center
This guide is general information for Ferry County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.