PDFWAC 296-200A-080

How is a suit filed against a contractor?

(1) A civil suit against a contractor must be filed in the superior court of the county in which the work was done or of any county in which jurisdiction of the contractor may be had. Unless the suit is filed in a superior court, the department will not be able to direct payment on an unsatisfied final judgment against a secured contractor.
(2) Notice that a suit has been filed (a summons and complaint) against a contractor, the contractor's bond, and/or the contractor's deposit must be exclusively delivered to the department by registered or certified mail to: P.O. Box 44450, Olympia, Washington 98504-4450 or by any delivery requiring notice of receipt to: 7273 Linderson Way S.W., Tumwater, WA 98501. The notice must be addressed to the department and must include three copies of the summons and complaint filed against the contractor, the contractor's bond and/or the contractor's deposit. The person filing the suit must pay the service fee to the department as identified in WAC 296-200A-900.
(3) The summons and complaint against a contractor must include the following information:
(a) The name of the contractor exactly as it appears in the contractor's registration file;
(b) The contractor's business address;
(c) The names of the owners, partners or officers of the contractor if known; and
(d) The contractor's registration number.
(4) If the suit joins a bonding company, the summons and complaint should also include:
(a) The name of the bonding company that issued the contractor's bond;
(b) The bond number; and
(c) The effective date of the bond.
(5) If the suit is against a contractor using an assigned account in lieu of a bond, the complaint must also include:
(a) The name of the institution where the assigned account is held;
(b) The account number; and
(c) The date the assigned account was opened.
(6) Service is not considered complete until the department receives the documents in Tumwater with the required fee and three copies of the summons and complaint.
(7) Within two days of receiving a summons and complaint, the department must mail a copy of the summons and complaint to the registrant at the address listed on the registrant's application or at their last known address provided to the department and to the registrant's surety.
(8) The department will return a summons and complaint without it being served, if the department cannot readily identify either the contractor or bonding company being sued, if the action did not arise under chapter 18.27 RCW, or if the fee and three copies of the summons and complaint are not received.
[Statutory Authority: 2023 c 213, 2019 c 155, and chapter 18.27 RCW. WSR 24-10-086, § 296-200A-080, filed 4/30/24, effective 7/1/24. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.27 RCW, 2011 c 15, and 2011 c 301. WSR 11-23-140, § 296-200A-080, filed 11/22/11, effective 12/31/11. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.27 RCW and 2007 c 436. WSR 08-16-091, § 296-200A-080, filed 8/4/08, effective 9/4/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.27.040, 18.27.070, 18.27.075, 18.27.125, 2001 c 159, and chapter 18.27 RCW. WSR 03-20-097, § 296-200A-080, filed 9/30/03, effective 11/17/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.22.350, 43.22.434, 43.22.480, 43.22.500, 18.27.040, 18.27.070, 18.27.075, 70.87.030, 19.28.041, 19.28.051, 19.28.101, 19.28.121, 19.28.161, 19.28.201, 19.28.211, 19.28.341, 2001 c 7, 2002 c 249, and chapters 19.28, 43.22, 18.27, and 70.87 RCW. WSR 02-12-022, § 296-200A-080, filed 5/28/02, effective 6/28/02. Statutory Authority: Chapter 18.27 RCW. WSR 97-24-071, § 296-200A-080, filed 12/2/97, effective 1/5/98.]