Structural pest control licensing
Is your exterminator licensed in Washington?
WSDA is unusually straight with users about what a blank result means, and it is worth quoting to anyone who assumes they mistyped: if the search returns nothing, the person or company is either UNLICENSED OR INACTIVE. That is the same trap California has, except Washington tells you upfront. Before concluding either way, check the obvious causes it also lists — a mistyped license number, a misspelling, or a legal name that differs from the trading name (Bob versus Robert). If you still get nothing, call WSDA on (877) 301-4555 rather than assuming. Pair this page with the Washington law entry: because the whole state fight is over who introduced the infestation, hiring a verifiably licensed operator who documents their findings is also how you build evidence.
- Who regulates it
- WSDA
- Verification
- Online
- Check before paying
- The business license
The regulator
The credential to look for
Open the official Washington search →
Renting in Washington? Before you pay for treatment, check whether your landlord is legally responsible for the cost. Washington bed bug law →
What to verify, in order
The business license, not just the technician
Most states license the company and certify the individual separately. A certified technician working for an unlicensed business is still an unlicensed job.
The category or phase covers structural work
Licenses are issued by category. An applicator certified for turf and ornamental has no business in your bedroom.
Status is active, not lapsed
Some state databases exclude cancelled licenses from results entirely, so a revoked company returns the same empty result as a typo. If you get nothing, phone the agency before assuming you mistyped.
Complaint and enforcement history
Where a state publishes disciplinary actions they are usually on the board site rather than inside the license search.
Link last confirmed: . State license portals migrate often and licenses lapse daily — treat anything older than a few months as a starting point, not an answer.
Always confirm on the state's own site. This page points at the official database; it does not mirror or cache license records. Status changes daily and only the issuing agency is authoritative.