Hiring for a patio, path or garden wall

Which registration covers it

L&I's landscaping specialty covers nonload-bearing slabs and walkways, garden walls, decorative wooden decks, and fences and screens up to six feet. (WAC 296-200A-016) A company that builds them is a contractor and has to be registered.

• A specialty contractor posts a $15,000 bond. (RCW 18.27.040, read Oct 18, 2026)
• For liability insurance, L&I describes the minimum as $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined single limit. (L&I, read Oct 18, 2026) (RCW 18.27.050)
• L&I's Verify tool shows whether the registration is active and the company is bonded and insured. (L&I)

When a wall or patio needs a permit

Each local exemption list stops at a four-foot retaining wall:

• Seattle: retaining walls and rockeries up to 4 feet, and patios or walks less than 18 inches above grade, need no permit in most cases. (Seattle SDCI)
• Tacoma: retaining walls up to 4 feet are exempt. (Tacoma) A site development permit applies once the job moves more than 50 cubic yards of soil or adds or replaces 2,000 square feet or more of hard surface. (Tacoma)
• Unincorporated King County: most retaining walls of 4 feet or less need no permit outside critical areas. (King County)
• Unincorporated Pierce County: retaining walls up to 4 feet are on the exempt list. (Pierce County)

A taller wall, or a big patio in Tacoma, is outside those lists. Ask the city or county before you sign, and write down who will apply.

Questions for the crew

1. What is your L&I registration number? I will check it on Verify.
2. How tall will the wall be at its highest point, and does that need a permit here?
3. Who applies for any permit, and is the fee in the price?
4. Will the contract list the size, the materials and the finish date?

Next

Read what registration, the bond and insurance cover or how to hire a lawn or landscape company.