Washington conditions a barber, cosmetology, or related school license on a surety bond filed with the Department of Licensing under chapter 18.16 RCW, to protect students’ prepaid tuition. The amount is the greater of $10,000 or 10% of annual gross tuition, capped at $50,000. Premiums are 0.775% of the bond amount, with a $100 minimum, and your exact price appears at the application.
















No underwriting queue for most standard school bonds — enter your amount, pay, and file with DOL. Here is the whole thing:
Your school details, the bond amount your tuition requires, and the effective date — that is the entire application. No credit section to fill out.
Most applications approve instantly and no waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay.
Submit the executed bond with your school license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the agency insists.
Washington licenses schools that train barbers, cosmetologists, hair designers, manicurists, and estheticians through the Department of Licensing under chapter 18.16 RCW. Students pay tuition up front, so the state requires the school to post a bond standing behind that money.
The bond is the greater of $10,000 or 10% of the school’s annual gross tuition, and is not to exceed $50,000. It’s made payable to the State of Washington and conditioned on the school’s compliance with chapter 18.16 RCW — guaranteeing the school honors its contracts with students and reimburses already-paid tuition and fees if it closes or defaults.
If a school ceases operating or defaults on its student contracts, harmed students can recover their prepaid tuition against the bond — and if the surety pays, the school repays the surety. We write the amount your tuition requires, from $100, with most applicants qualifying at or near that minimum.
Submit the application with your required bond amount — your exact price appears immediately, and the executed school bond is generated on payment, ready to file with DOL.
Start the application →Premiums from $100. Enter your required amount and see your exact price at application.