Washington - Bonds & Insurance

Getting approved for a $1 million performance bond requires more than simply having strong revenue. Sureties may evaluate a contractor's character, capacity, capital, financial statements, working capital, project experience, backlog, management team, credit, and the specific construction project. Learn what contractors can do to prepare for larger bonding requests, strengthen their financial profile, improve bonding capacity, and work with a surety professional before biddin

What do surety companies look for in a contractor? Learn how sureties evaluate contractors before issuing bonds, including the Three C's—character, capacity, and capital. This guide explains how financial statements, working capital, backlog, project experience, management, credit, profitability, banking relationships, and the specific construction project can affect bonding approval and a contractor's ability to qualify for larger bonds.

Working capital is an important part of a contractor's financial profile when seeking construction bonds. This guide explains how current assets, current liabilities, accounts receivable, debt, profitability, backlog, and cash flow can affect a contractor's bonding capacity. Learn what sureties evaluate beyond working capital, how contractors can strengthen their financial position, and why preparing for larger bonding opportunities should begin before bidding on the project.

Why do contractors get denied for performance bonds? Learn the most common reasons sureties decline or question a bond request, including insufficient working capital, weak financial statements, poor credit, limited project experience, excessive backlog, weak cash flow, poor job-cost controls, excessive debt, and projects that exceed a contractor's demonstrated bonding capacity.

What is the difference between dealer plates and temporary tags? This guide explains how dealer plates and temporary registration are generally used, what dealers should know about test drives, customer sales, out-of-state buyers, expiration dates, recordkeeping, and plate security. Because requirements vary by state, learn why dealers should verify current DMV rules before using dealer plates or temporary tags.

Want to qualify for larger construction bonds? Learn how surety companies evaluate contractors and what you can do to increase your bonding capacity. This guide covers working capital, profitability, financial statements, project experience, backlog, credit, job costing, management, and contract review. Discover how preparing your construction business financially and operationally can help you pursue larger projects and stronger bonding opportunities.

Getting your first performance bond can be challenging if you have never worked with a surety before. This guide explains how contractors can prepare for their first performance bond, what sureties typically review, what financial information may be required, how credit and experience can affect underwriting, how much a performance bond may cost, and what contractors can do to build bonding capacity over time.

Temporary tags are an important part of the vehicle sales process, but the rules vary by state. Learn what auto dealers need to know about issuing temporary tags, verifying buyer information and insurance, keeping records, expiration dates, dealer plates, out-of-state buyers, and compliance. Understanding the rules can help dealers avoid costly mistakes, penalties, customer problems, and potential dealer license issues.

What happens if your dealership insurance lapses? Learn how an insurance lapse can affect your dealer license, vehicle inventory, liability protection, and overall business. This guide explains what can cause a lapse, what to do if coverage expires, the difference between garage liability and dealer open lot insurance, and how dealers can prevent costly gaps in coverage.

Learn how to get a contractor license in Washington with this complete step-by-step guide. Discover Washington L&I contractor registration requirements, general and specialty contractor classifications, the required $30,000 or $15,000 contractor bond, liability insurance, application process, fees, renewal requirements, and common mistakes to avoid when starting or operating a contracting business.