White-glove lawn
& landscape care
for the Tri-Cities.

Like a driver's license for doing landscaping work — you can't legally bid, advertise, or work without it.

What it means: Washington requires anyone performing landscape contracting work to register as a Specialty Contractor with L&I. Operating unregistered is a criminal violation, not just a fine.

If you skip it: Advertising, bidding, or working unregistered is a criminal offense, and registration is automatically suspended if the bond or insurance lapses.

Key numbers: $15,000 specialty bond · $200k/$50k liability minimums · renews every 2 years · $141.10 fee.

Separate from contractor registration — like needing a special endorsement on top of a regular license.

What it means: Fertilization and weed control require a separate WSDA Commercial Pesticide Applicator license. Contractor registration alone doesn't cover this.

If you skip it: Civil penalties up to $7,500 per violation, enforced separately from L&I standing.

Not like other states — Washington runs one state fund for everyone. You can't shop around for a private insurer.

What it means: Coverage is purchased directly through L&I. If you have even one employee, you need an active L&I account before they start work.

If you skip it: An uninsured workplace injury becomes a direct, uncapped liability — there's no policy to absorb the claim.

The most common new-owner mistake: assuming "it's a service, so no sales tax." In Washington, landscaping is treated like selling a product.

What it means: Mowing, fertilizing, and design/install for homeowners or businesses is a retail sale — charge sales tax on top of the job price, based on where the job is performed.

The exception: Materials installed for the customer (mulch, fertilizer, sod, plants) can be bought tax-free with a reseller permit, since the customer pays tax on them through the invoice instead.

If you skip it: Uncollected sales tax is still owed to the state — it comes out of your margin if you didn't charge it at the time.

Washington counts hours by the week, not the day — a 10-hour Tuesday isn't overtime by itself, but the 41st hour in a week always is.

What it means: Overtime is 1.5x the regular rate past 40 hours/week. Crew leads and techs almost never qualify as exempt — the salary bar is far higher than most small landscaping payrolls.

2026 numbers: $17.13/hr minimum wage · $25.70/hr minimum overtime rate · $80,168/yr exempt salary floor.

A short administrative step, easy to forget in the excitement of a new hire — but it has a hard clock attached.

What it means: Every new or rehired employee must be reported to the WA State Support Registry within 20 days of hire — name, SSN, date of birth, hire date.

If you skip it: Late or missed reporting carries civil penalties.