Get Quotes from Top Handymen in Seattle, WA

Are You Licensed to Practice as a Handyman in Seattle?

Handymen who wish to operate in Seattle are required to register as Specialty Contractors with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Handymen who fail to do this can face gross misdemeanor charges, which are punishable by fines of up to $5,000, jail time of not more than 12 months, or a combination of both.

Interested parties that wish to complete this registration process will be required to fill out and submit an Application for Contractor Registration Form, along with the stipulated application fees, in person at the Seattle office of the Department of Labor and Industries located at:

Note that contractor registration applicants are typically required to register their businesses with the Washington State Department of Revenue before submitting the application form. These parties must also provide proof of adequate insurance and bonding. Alternatively, parties that do not wish to complete the registration process in person may submit a notarized copy of the application form, along with the stipulated application fees and other relevant supporting documents, via mail-in to:

Queries concerning state-mandated Seattle handyman registration requirements can be directed to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries via email. Inquiries can also be made by calling this department either at the toll-free number 1-800-647-0982 or at (360) 902-5226 and selecting option two.

Note that even though Seattle does not issue occupational licenses to handymen who wish to operate within its jurisdiction, it typically requires these individuals to obtain local Business License Tax Certificates before they conduct business in the city. These certificates are issued by the Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services through its License and Tax Administration Office, and they are mandatory for all businesses in the city. However, exemptions are made for businesses with an annual gross income of not more than $2,000. Seattle business license tax certificate applications can be completed online or by mailing an Application for Business License Tax Certificate Form to:

Inquiries concerning the Seattle business license tax certificate issuance process can be directed to the city's License and Tax Administration at (206) 684-8484.

It is your responsibility to ensure that any handyman you hire in Seattle has complied with all necessary local and state-level regulatory requirements. To this end, you can confirm that your intended handyman possesses a current city-issued business license tax certificate by utilizing the Seattle License and Tax Administration Office's Find a Business portal. Similarly, you can verify that your handyman has been duly registered with the state's Department of Labor and Industries via this department's Verify a Contractor online portal.

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Handymen in Seattle?

When undertaking home repair, improvement, or maintenance projects in Seattle, requesting and comparing estimates from at least three different handymen in the city is a good way to ensure that you pay a fair rate for the required service. Depending on the nature of the job, handymen in Seattle may utilize either hourly or flat fee rates when calculating their cost estimates. Nonetheless, the total amount that you will have to pay for your home repair, improvement, or maintenance task is generally dependent on the following factors:

• The scope of the task
• The urgency of the task
• The cost of materials needed to carry out the task
• The amount of time and labor required to complete the task

Note that it is never a good idea to automatically hire the handyman who submits the lowest estimate, especially if this estimate is significantly lower than the others. This is because some unscrupulous handymen deliberately submit low-cost estimates for the sole purpose of getting you to hire them, after which they either increase the cost of the project, perform a shoddy job, or abscond with the payment for the job. As such, always request an explanation for any submitted estimates that are noticeably different from the others and consider it a red flag if the handyman cannot satisfactorily explain the reason for this marked difference.

Seattle handymen earn an average wage of $54,120 annually. The table below compares and contrasts the average hourly wages of handymen and other general maintenance and repair workers in Seattle with those of workers in this industry across Washington State and major American cities:

Do You Require a Permit to Complete This Work in Seattle?

Permits are typically required for most building and construction-related activities in Seattle. These include work done in buildings that are located in environmentally critical areas and minor repairs and alterations that cost more than $6,000 within a six-month period. Permits must also be obtained for any work that involves load-bearing supports, reduces a building's egress, light, ventilation, or fire resistance, or results in changes to the building envelope, regardless of the size or cost of the project.

Nonetheless, exemptions are usually made for several types of tasks that are commonly performed by handymen. These include, but are not limited to:

• Painting
• Chimney re-pointing
• Kitchen cabinet installations
• Surface finishing over existing wall and ceiling systems
• Insulation installation in existing buildings
• Installation or repair of on-grade patios and concrete slabs
• Construction or repair of fences that are less than eight feet high and do not have any concrete or masonry elements that are higher than six feet
• Construction or repair of platforms, walks, and driveways that are less than 18 inches above grade and are not over a basement or other building stories
• Roofing and siding repair or replacement in detached one and two-family houses, provided that the work does not involve making changes to the building envelope and is as good as the existing structure.
• Limited in-kind repairs or replacements to deteriorated parts of a building or structure

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections is responsible for issuing permits for building and construction-related projects, and applications for these permits can be made online via the Seattle Services Portal. Note that first-time permit applicants will have to register a user account to access this portal properly. Applicants are also typically required to use a GIS map and other property information resources provided by the Department of Construction and Inspections to determine all relevant construction, land use, and zoning requirements and restrictions that may apply to their intended projects.

Depending on the nature and scope of the construction activity, the department may also require site plans and other necessary documents before it issues the requested permits. Once all submitted documents have been reviewed and approved, applicants will have to pay a stipulated fee, after which they can print the approved permit and plans and commence work on their projects.

It is important to note that all building and construction-related activities in Seattle must conform to the city's building codes and development standards, regardless of whether or not they require permits. Also, projects for which permits have been issued generally require inspections at various steps of the construction activity to confirm compliance with these codes and standards. It is advisable to contact the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections to get specific information on the permitting requirements that may apply to your home repair, improvement, or maintenance project before it commences. This department can be contacted at:

What Works Can You Do Legally as a Handyman in Seattle?

Per Section 296-200A-016 of the Washington Administrative Code, handymen in Seattle who have been duly registered with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries can legally perform any type of home repair, improvement, and maintenance work that falls under the following criteria:

• The work is done solely by the handyman
• The work does not exceed a total value of $2,000
• The work is limited to minor and casual work on existing residential property
• The work does not require a building permit

Note that while these handymen can perform minor electrical and plumbing works, such as replacing faucets and light fixtures, work that involves installing, altering, replacing, or modifying electrical and plumbing systems must be done by state-licensed electricians and plumbers, respectively.

Hiring a state-registered handyman provides you with a level of assurance that your task will be handled by professionals and that the work will be done satisfactorily. An added advantage to hiring registered handymen is that these professionals are more likely to recognize and inform you about tasks that require the attention of duly licensed specialty contractors.

Listed below are cost estimates for common services offered by handymen in Seattle:

Do You Carry the Necessary Insurance Policy for Handymen in Seattle?

Making sure that your intended handyman is properly insured is of utmost importance when undertaking home repair, improvement, and maintenance tasks in Seattle. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23,400 nonfatal occupational injuries were recorded amongst general maintenance and repair workers across the country in 2020. A total of eight fatal occupational injuries were also recorded amongst this category of workers in Washington State alone during this period. Hiring an insured handyman ensures that you do not have to make any out-of-pocket expenses to cover the costs of these injuries or any other work-related accidents that may occur during your project.

Handymen that operate in Seattle must meet certain insurance and bonding requirements before they can complete the statutorily required contractor registration process with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Per these requirements, handymen in the city must post a Washington Continuous Contractor Surety Bond of $6,000 and maintain a general liability insurance policy of at least $200,000 in public liability and $50,000 property damage or a combined single limit of $250,000.

Always request proof of this insurance and bonding from your intended handyman and contact the relevant issuing organizations to authenticate it. You can also contact the Department of Labor and Industries at (360) 902-5226 or toll-free number 1-800-647-0982 to make inquiries concerning its mandatory insurance and bonding requirements for handymen in Seattle.