Washington requires a surety bond as a condition of an auctioneer or auction company registration with the Department of Licensing. An auctioneer posts $5,000; an auction company posts between $5,000 and $25,000. Pricing is 1% of your bond amount, with a $100 minimum — your exact price appears at the application.
















No underwriting queue for the standard auctioneer bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Department of Licensing. Here is the whole thing:
Your business details, the bond amount your registration requires, and the effective date — that is the entire application.
The application collects no credit information at the standard amount, and no waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. It won't affect your score.
Submit the executed bond with your auctioneer or auction company registration. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists on them.
Washington licenses auctioneers and auction companies through the Department of Licensing under chapter 18.11 RCW, and conditions registration on a surety bond. The bond is a consumer-protection guarantee: it stands behind your handling of consignors' and buyers' money and your compliance with the auctioneer law.
The amount depends on who you are. An auctioneer posts a $5,000 bond. An auction company posts a bond or other security of not less than $5,000 and not more than $25,000, scaled to the business — the Department of Licensing tells you which figure applies.
The bond runs to the State of Washington for the benefit of anyone harmed by a violation of the auctioneer law. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety — it is not insurance for you. Enter the amount your registration requires — pricing is 1% of that amount, with a $100 minimum, and the application collects no credit information at the standard amount.
Submit the application with your required bond amount — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the Department of Licensing.
Start the application →Pricing from $100. Enter your required amount and file with the Department of Licensing the same day.