Painter in Washington: licence, certification and what employers require (2026)

Washington does not license painters: no state licence for painters as employees. This page says what a painter licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Washington, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

No state licenses painters as employees; a painting contractor licence applies in some states if you work for yourself. Your lead-safe certification (EPA RRP) is federal and carries over to Washington; it is required for work on pre-1978 housing everywhere.

What to have ready before you move

• EPA RRP lead-safe certificate
• A portfolio or references

Start the paperwork before you give notice. There is no Washington licence to wait for, so the only clock is the employer's.

What people get wrong

• Working on older housing without RRP certification; the fines are federal

Who hires painters in Washington

Painters in Washington are hired by painting contractors, property management companies, builders and industrial coatings firms. The metros with the most of that work are Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver and Bellevue. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Washington openings page.

For the money side: the median painter in Washington earned $58,520 a year ($28 an hour) in May 2024 across 8,820 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Washington has no state income tax on wages. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Washington, on one page

The Washington page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Washington employers hiring from out of state.