We use public records to help you make a shortlist. They show what a contractor has filed and where they have worked in Bellingham. They can't tell you whether someone will be right for your home.
Washington requires contractors to register with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I); electricians and plumbers hold separate L&I electrical and plumbing contractor licenses.
77% of the 529 firms on the Bellingham permit file match an active license in Washington L&I contractor registration and electrical and plumbing contractor license data. Our match can miss a firm that files under another name, so a missing match is a reason to check, not a finding.
Ask the contractor for the license number and look it up at Washington L&I contractor lookup. How to check a contractor's license in Washington →
The middle value recorded on this contractor's matching permits. It's a permit value, not a quote or the final price. Ask for a written estimate.
Matching Bellingham permits in the most recent year of our data. It shows recent recorded activity here, not every job the company did.
For contractors with at least 5 permits a year or more old, the share that passed final inspection. A permit can stay open because of paperwork or timing, so this isn't a workmanship grade.
How long their permits take from issue to final inspection, using the city's dates, compared with other Bellingham contractors in the trade. Shown for firms with 10+ permits.
Matched by name against Washington L&I contractor registration and electrical and plumbing contractor license data. Name matching can miss a license, so always check the number yourself.
About the ranking: The score combines how much of this exact work a contractor has on record, how often their older permits reached completion (where we can measure it), how well their usual job size matches your budget, how recently they've been active, and how much of their work is near you. A measure we can't calculate is left out rather than guessed, and a thin record pulls the score toward the middle. A contractor whose matched license has a problem is listed after everyone else. You set the weights with the sliders on every list.
Bellingham specifics: Bellingham's permits record the contractor's business name but no state registration number, so firms are matched to L&I by name, and a slightly different name can stay unmatched. Only building permits (new homes, ADUs, additions, remodels) and fire sprinkler permits record a job value, so electrical, solar, EV charger, HVAC, water heater, plumbing and side sewer permits show no typical cost. Neither the city nor the county records a ZIP code, so locations are by city neighborhood.
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The numbers: Bellingham permit statistics · How long permits take in Bellingham
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