Methodology
A reproducible trail, with the caveats left in.
The launch catalog is a dated research set—not a recommendation list or an automated score.
Launch inclusion rule
A company entered the initial set when the research pass found an active Washington L&I contractor registration, current bond and liability insurance, plus at least one matched Seattle permit issued since 2021 with retaining-wall, rockery or slope work in the recorded scope. The current materialized records were last reviewed Aug 7, 2026.
Identity matching
We match the contractor license and legal identity found in the permit data to Washington L&I records. Similar names alone are not enough. The public profile retains the legal name, license number and UBI so a reader can repeat the check.
Geography and jurisdiction
Neighborhood and district labels derive from selected permit records. We do not turn an office address into a service-area claim, and we do not publish homeowner street addresses. Seattle SDCI and Bellevue Development Services are separate source systems with different fields and coverage. Bellevue records remain in a candidate research stage until contractor names are resolved to Washington license identities; Shoreline, Kirkland, and Mercer Island do not yet have a confirmed stable open dataset in this project.
Evidence depth, not rank
Profiles with more primary-scope permits may appear first because they have more evidence to inspect. That order is not a judgment of workmanship, price, responsiveness or current capacity. One complicated project can be more relevant than ten incidental mentions.
L&I review language
Registration, workers’ compensation, bond claims, license violations, safety inspections, strikes and debarments are treated as separate fields. An inspection is not automatically a violation. Dismissed, satisfied, closed and open matters should not be collapsed into one warning label.
What records cannot prove
Public records do not establish customer satisfaction, construction quality, final project cost, who completed every task, or whether the contractor is a fit for a new site. Always re-check current registration and insurance, compare written scope, and speak with recent references.