Contractor Gone ยท Washington
Contractor gone in Washington: where the money can come from
Washington has no fund, but every registered contractor carries a bond and the L&I verify page shows exactly what is on it and who has already sued. Bond claims are first come, first served, so file early. The Attorney General's consumer division takes abandoned-job complaints.
Run the free check for Washington
The four paths in Washington
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| Contractor bond | Contractor bond, Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). Amount: bond amount (general contractors commonly $30,000, specialty $15,000; confirm). How: Registered contractor; a lawsuit against the contractor and the bond in Superior Court, within the bond's time limit. Deadline: generally within two years of the work ending (confirm). confirm Agency page |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Mostly protected | On owner-occupied single-family residential work, a sub's lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor when you received its notice (RCW 60.04.031). |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the L&I contractor registration. Look up the license. The L&I verify page shows the bond, insurance, and any lawsuits against the bond.
Deposits and the contract
No statute caps deposits or sets a refund clock. confirm
Small claims
District Court, small claims, generally up to $10,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the bond; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- File the complaint with Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) and ask for the bond and surety details. Bond claims are paid in order; file early.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. On owner-occupied single-family residential work, a sub's lien is limited to what you still owed the contractor when you received its notice (RCW 60.04.031).
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Washington's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the bond claim, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.