Do I need to be bonded to get a business license.

[joshuadjames]

I have been doing small side jobs such as mowing and pruning for awhile now and have begun to seriously examine going into business for myself. My friend and I have also considered a partnership.

I do not have much start up money or equipment. My main concern is with being legit as I build up clientele and re-invest some of my profit into the operation. After some research, i seem to be at an impasse. It appears that, in Washington state at least, in order to apply for and receive a business license for landscaping, I am required to have a $6,000 bond.

Does anyone know if, in fact, this is true? If so, is there any legal way around it?

[cpritch]

http://www.dol.wa.gov/mls/wali.htm

This looks like it could be very helpful. Just click on "continue" on the page and fill in the information as it asks. When you are finished, it will give you a complete list of what you need to do in order to start your business for the state as well as for your county. Pretty cool little tool if you ask me. I went through it and plugged in some info and it does look like you need to be bonded to get the required business license for landscaping, however, I didn't find where it gave an amount required. It gives you a list of contact numbers for questions, so I would start by calling some of those agencies that they provide. I wish Kansas had a tool like this. . .Good Luck!