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WashingtonTrades: Pay, Licensing, Apprenticeships and Lien Law

Washington licenses general, electrical and plumbing contractors at the state level. HVAC contractors and roofers register with the state.

What do the trades pay in Washington?

Median hourly pay, May 20251. Pick a trade for training, pay and the license.

Electrician

Wiring, panels and fixtures

$45.78/hrWashington median

Plumber

Water, drain and gas lines

$38.96/hrWashington median

HVAC tech

Heating, cooling and ductwork

$36.38/hrWashington median

Roofer

New roofs and repairs

$29.16/hrWashington median

General contractor

Runs the job and the crews

$52.68/hrWashington median, construction supervisors

Is there work in Washington?

Construction jobs in Washington, September 2026: 218,100, up 0.4% from a year earlier.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026

New homes permitted in Washington, September 2026: 2,157, down 30.0% from a year earlier.

Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026
Washington issued 946 new contractor licenses in the last 30 days.Washington L&I license file, Oct 28, 2026
Licensing

Who licenses contractors in Washington?

Washington licenses general, electrical and plumbing contractors at the state level. HVAC contractors and roofers register with the state.2

Washington contractor license requirements

License examRenewalBond and insurance

License lookup

Check a Washington contractor

Enter the license number or business name. We read it from the state board's own file.

Washington license lookup: what a record shows

Getting paid · Washington

Miss a date, lose the lien

60 daysafter you first furnished, to cover all of your work (10 days on new single-family homes): send the notice of right to claim a lien.3
  • Record the claim of lien: 90 days after you stopped furnishing4
  • Sue to enforce: 8 calendar months after recording5

Work out your dates Every Washington lien rule

Training

Training near you

Apprentices are hired first and paid while they learn on the job and in class. Trade school comes first and charges tuition.

Apprenticeships in Washington

Trade schools in Washington

Near you

Where to train and find work near you

Union locals take apprenticeship applications and send members out to union contractors. Open-shop chapters run apprenticeship classes for the people their member contractors hire.

IBEW union locals

4 more IBEW locals

Electrical training centers (JATCs)

IEC chapters (open shop)

No IEC chapter lists an office in Washington. Chapters cover several states; the finder shows each one's area. IEC chapter finder

Electrician apprenticeships in Washington

UA union locals

Training

UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.

PHCC chapters

Plumber apprenticeships in Washington

SMART union locals

No SMART local has its office in Washington. Search the SMART local union directory.

Sheet metal training centers

PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)

ACCA member contractors near you

Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Washington.

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Washington

Carpenters union locals

  • Carpenters Local 59Spokane
  • Carpenters Local 206Kent
  • Carpenters Local 360Lacey
  • Carpenters Local 425Burlington
  • Carpenters Local 1136Kettle Falls
  • Carpenters Local 2761McCleary

Training

Union carpentry apprenticeships run through the regional council's training centers. Carpenters regional council finder

Home builder associations

9 more chapters
General Contractor apprenticeships in Washington

Roofers union locals

  • Roofers Local 54Kent
  • Roofers Local 153Tacoma
  • Roofers Local 189Spokane

Training

Roofers locals run their apprenticeship through a joint committee with union contractors.

Contractor associations

The national trade group for roofing contractors is the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Roofer apprenticeships in Washington

Trade schools: where to apply

All 25 trade schools in Washington

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Washington, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
  2. WA L&I - Contractor Registration (lni.wa.gov)
  3. Washington lien law: RCW 60.04.031(1)-(3) (app.leg.wa.gov)
  4. Washington lien law: RCW 60.04.091 (app.leg.wa.gov)
  5. Washington lien law: RCW 60.04.141 (app.leg.wa.gov)
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
  7. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
  8. BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
  9. Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)
  10. L&I contractor license data (Department of Labor and Industries (L&I)) (data.wa.gov, Oct 28, 2026)
  11. L&I Electrical / Plumber certification (lni.wa.gov)