Get Started

General Liability Insurance in Washington

Washington requires registered contractors to provide insurance or an assigned account for property and personal-injury claims, with statutory amounts of $50,000 for property, $100,000 for injury or death to one person, and $200,000 for multiple people. A contractor using an account must disclose that choice on bids and contracts, and claimants need a court judgment to recover from it; the separate contractor bond is not the same requirement as liability insurance. 1,2

What Is General Liability?

General liability can protect your business when a customer or visitor claims you caused injury or damaged their property. It suits businesses serving customers or working on their premises; your own building, tools and stock need property coverage. Read the national General liability guide.

Washington Requirements

RequirementDetails
Washington contractor registration financial responsibility$50,000 property / $100,000 one person / $200,000 multiple people; insurance or accepted assigned account 1,2

What to Watch for in Washington

  • Independent Construction Business Scope

    Washington’s contractor definition reaches independent businesses bidding or performing construction, repair, alteration, demolition, roofing, siding, and related work attached to real estate; a consultant acting as general contractor is included. Check the legal entity and work classification before relying on registration evidence. 1

  • Assigned Account Is Not a Policy

    A contractor may use an assigned account instead of insurance for the registration financial-responsibility amount, but must tell every contracting party and bid recipient. The statute says collection from that account requires a court judgment; ask whether the contractor uses insurance or an account and request the corresponding proof. 2

  • Registration Bond Serves Different Claims

    Washington separately requires a $30,000 bond for general contractors or $15,000 for specialty contractors; its listed conditions include labor, taxes, materials, and adjudicated breach-of-contract amounts. It is not the RCW 18.27.050 liability insurance/account amount, so do not count the bond as your GL limit. 3

  • Construction Indemnity Has a Fault Limit

    For covered construction agreements entered after June 11, 1986, a promise to indemnify for the indemnitee’s sole negligence is void; a concurrent-negligence clause is enforceable only to the indemnitor’s fault and with specific express wording. Have the broker compare the contract’s indemnity and defense wording with the actual insurance endorsements. 4

Who Regulates Insurance in Washington

Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner administers Washington insurance laws, oversees insurers and insurance producers within its authority, and provides regulatory and consumer resources. You can use the department's complaint process to raise an insurance issue and its licensing resources to check insurance professionals. 5,6,7

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 2% of premium The NAIC's state chart lists a 2% of premium charge for surplus-lines coverage for Washington (the chart's state entries were reviewed in October 2025). Your broker may collect the applicable amount with the premium. Surplus-lines insurers are not licensed in the state and generally are outside state guaranty-association protection; ask your broker to explain the insurer's financial protections and any diligent-search requirement that applies to your placement. 8,9

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for General liability; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Washington. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • CorgiCorgi Insurance Services, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Corgi’s company producer-license table lists 50 jurisdictions: 49 states and the District of Columbia, including DC license 3003091619. New Mexico does not appear in the table and is not included here; the omission does not establish that Corgi is unlicensed there. The company-reported table has no stated as-of date and does not establish product availability. 12
  • ERGO NEXT InsuranceNext First Insurance Agency, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28ERGO NEXT’s current license table lists Next First Insurance Agency, Inc. in 50 jurisdictions, including Washington, DC; New York is excluded because its table rows name Next Insurance Services and AP Intego, not Next First. The table is company-reported; it does not establish product availability or provide state-regulator verification for each entry. 14
  • HiscoxHiscox Insurance Company Inc.Insurer · checked 2026-09-28Hiscox’s U.S. company information states that Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. is licensed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is company-reported insurer authority for this entity and does not establish which company issues every Hiscox-branded product. 13
  • RisklyticsRisklytics, Inc.Insurance producer · checked 2026-09-28Risklytics’ licensing page lists its Massachusetts resident agency license plus state license records in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington; it identifies the NPN record date as September 10, 2026. This list is company-published and not a product availability map. 15
  • TechInsuranceSpecialty Program Group LLCInsurance producer · checked 2026-09-28TechInsurance’s current licensing page names Specialty Program Group LLC / SPG Insurance Solutions and lists state license numbers, but labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses” rather than identifying a license for the named agency. RI is omitted because this disclosure does not establish agency authority there; this is a search limitation, not an assertion that the company is unlicensed. The remaining state entries are company-reported and are not an insurance product availability map. 16
  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 17

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Washington

  1. Is the contractor’s registration financial responsibility an insurance policy or an assigned account?
  2. If it is an account, will the contractor provide the required notice on our contract or bid and explain the judgment requirement?
  3. Does the certificate meet Washington’s separate property and injury amounts, and who is the named insured?
  4. Does our construction agreement ask us to take responsibility for another party’s negligence, and what additional-insured coverage is separately required?

General Liability in Washington: FAQ

What liability amounts does Washington require for contractor registration? 2

The statute lists $50,000 for property damage, $100,000 for injury or death to one person, and $200,000 for injury or death to more than one person. The contractor may provide insurance or an accepted assigned account for this requirement. 2

Can a Washington contractor use an assigned account instead of general liability insurance? 2

Yes. An assigned account may satisfy the chapter’s financial-responsibility requirement, but the contractor must notify each customer or bid recipient, and recovery from the account requires a court judgment. 2

General Liability in Other States

Other Coverage in Washington

Sources

  1. RCW 18.27.010, Definitions. Washington State Legislature; § 18.27.010(1), contractor and general-contractor definitions; current code includes 2026 c 77, 2023 c 213, and other amendments. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. RCW 18.27.050, Insurance or financial responsibility required. Washington State Legislature; § 18.27.050(1)–(3)(c), amounts, registration suspension, account held for judgment and mandatory disclosure; current code read 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. RCW 18.27.040, Bond or other security required. Washington State Legislature; § 18.27.040(1), (3)–(5), general/specialty bond amounts and covered claim classes; §§ (8)–(11), security and judgment process; 2023 amendments effective July 1, 2024. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. RCW 4.24.115, Construction indemnity. Washington State Legislature; § 4.24.115(1)(a)–(b), sole and concurrent negligence limits and mutually negotiated workers-compensation immunity waiver; applies to agreements entered after June 11, 1986. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner; Official regulator website; insurance oversight and consumer/professional resources. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. Insurance Department Directory. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner entry; official contact and website listing. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. Surplus Lines Insurance Premium Taxes. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; WA row; state surplus-lines premium-tax rate reviewed October 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. Guaranty Associations & Funds. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Coverage of claims from insolvencies of insurers licensed in a state; surplus-lines insurers are nonadmitted. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  10. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  11. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  12. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  13. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. About Risklytics. Risklytics; What we do; Who we insure; Licensing; Agency licenses table dated 2026-09-10. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Insurance Licenses by State. TechInsurance; Current state table; identifies TechInsurance as a division of Specialty Program Group LLC d/b/a SPG Insurance Solutions; lists DC 3000041536 and labels Rhode Island “Individual licenses,” without an agency license number. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot