Before you hire

Hiring a cleaning company in Olympia or Lacey

Whether you hire a cleaner for an office or a house in Olympia, the City's license rule reaches further than its neighbors' rules do.

Olympia: a license even for small jobs

Olympia says anyone doing business in the city must have an Olympia endorsement on their Washington business license. That includes a company based outside the city that delivers its services in Olympia. (City of Olympia)

Under the city code, a business with $4,000 or less of Olympia income still has to get the license, but pays no city license fee. (Olympia Municipal Code 5.02, read Oct 18, 2026)

$0 through $4,000 of Olympia income: $0. (Washington DOR, read Oct 18, 2026)
Above $4,000: $30, for a new endorsement and for each renewal. (Washington DOR, read Oct 18, 2026)

Seattle drops its license for an outside business with $4,000 or less of Seattle income. (City of Seattle, read Oct 18, 2026) Tacoma drops its license for an outside business under $4,000 of Tacoma income. (City of Tacoma, read Oct 18, 2026) Olympia waives the fee, not the license.

Lacey

General business endorsement: $25 to start and $10 to renew. (Washington DOR, read Oct 18, 2026)
A business based outside Lacey pays $0 while its Lacey income stays from $0 through $10,000, and $25 above that. (Washington DOR, read Oct 18, 2026)

The state business license

Washington requires a state business license once gross income reaches $12,000 a year, or when the company plans to hire employees within the next 90 days. (Washington DOR, read Oct 18, 2026)

The L&I class for cleaners with staff

For workers' comp, L&I puts residential janitorial cleaning, including vacuuming and shampooing carpets, in risk class 6602-04. Commercial cleaning, or a mix of commercial and residential, is 6602-03. Contract window washing on its own is 6602-02. (WAC 296-17A-6602)

Questions for the company

Do you have an Olympia endorsement on your Washington business license?
Are the people who clean for me your employees? Which L&I class do you report them under?
Who brings the supplies and the equipment?
How do you handle keys or door codes for the building?

Read how to hire a house cleaner or questions to ask a house cleaner.

Sources

We read each source on October 18, 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the linked page before you rely on a number.

Written by the Puget Sound Residential Cleaners team. We list businesses; we do not employ, bond or insure them. Spot a mistake? Use the claim page to tell us.