About Spokane Builder Check
Why this exists
In August 2026, the Spokane Complex Fire tore through Autumn Lane, Fairview, and Old Trails, destroying an estimated 700 to 1,100 homes and other structures. Rebuilding that much housing at once is more than local builders can take on alone, so contractors from outside the area are already arriving in Spokane looking for work.
Most of them are honest. But large disaster rebuilds also draw unlicensed operators and deposit scams — contractors who take a down payment and vanish, or start work without the bond and insurance that protect you if something goes wrong. If you just lost your home, you shouldn't also have to spend hours digging through state licensing databases and court records before you can trust a contractor. This tool does that digging for you, in one place, in plain English.
What's in a report
Search a company's name and this tool puts together a short, sourced report:
- State licensing — whether the company is currently registered with Washington's Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), its license number, and how long it's been active.
- Bond and insurance — the amounts and companies on file, straight from L&I's public records.
- Reputation — a plain-English summary of reviews, news coverage, and any complaints or red flags turned up by web research.
Every fact links back to where it came from — an L&I record, a news article, a review page — so you can check it yourself. That comes from two sources: Washington L&I's open contractor-licensing datasets, published by the state, and live web research that searches public sources for reviews, news, and complaints. Nothing here comes from a private or paid background-check service.
What this tool is not
It's not a recommendation. A report shows you what's on the record — it doesn't tell you who to hire, and it never assigns a grade or score.
It's not a government service. Spokane Builder Check isn't affiliated with the City of Spokane, Spokane County, the State of Washington, or any other government agency.
It can be wrong or out of date. Reports are put together automatically from public records and web searches, both of which can contain mistakes — and a company's license status can change the day after a report runs. Always verify at the official sources linked in the report before you sign anything or hand over money.
Who runs this
Spokane Builder Check is a free, independently run community project built and maintained by Rockwell Rutter, based in Spokane. It isn't a company or a government office — just one local project meant to give people rebuilding after the fire one less thing to worry about.
Questions or corrections
See something wrong on a report, or think a company was treated unfairly? Every report page has a flag button for exactly that — use it to send a correction or a note, and it'll be reviewed by hand.
A free community tool. Not affiliated with any government agency. Verify everything at the official sources linked in each report.