Bounce house rules in Washington: permits, inspection, and insurance
State-regulated. Inflatables named explicitly, including in the fee schedule.
Informational only. Informational only, not legal advice. Amusement-device rules change between legislative sessions, and several of the entries here record changes made in the last three years. The binding authority is the agency named on this page. Confirm the current rule with them before you set up.
Reviewed August 2026
Binding authority: the Department of Labor and Industries
Who regulates inflatables in Washington
Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
Permit or registration
Yes. An annual operating permit decal issued by the department after the ride passes inspection, at $10 per inflatable or amusement ride, displayed in clear view of the public and within sight of the operator’s station.
Inspection
Annual, by third-party safety inspectors certified by the department.
Insurance required by the state
Yes. A certificate of insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, listing the Department of Labor and Industries as the certificate holder.
Operator requirements
For inflatables specifically, the operator must restrict occupancy limits, ensure the unit is not overloaded or unstable, verify secure anchoring, and prevent the blower from being accidentally unplugged. Operators must also enforce safety restraints and rider restrictions during operation.
What an operator should know
Washington’s regime is cheap and specific: a $10 decal per unit, an annual third-party inspection, and a $1,000,000 certificate naming the department. What makes this page unusually useful is the operator duties. The four inflatable-specific ones, occupancy, stability, anchoring and blower, map almost exactly onto the four most common bounce-house incident causes, which means the Washington rule doubles as a decent safety checklist wherever you operate.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Washington inflatable permit cost?
$10 per inflatable or amusement ride, as an annual operating permit decal issued after the ride passes inspection.
How much insurance does Washington require?
Not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, with the Department of Labor and Industries listed as the certificate holder.
What does Washington require of an inflatable operator?
Restrict occupancy limits, keep the unit from being overloaded or unstable, verify secure anchoring, and prevent the blower from being accidentally unplugged, alongside enforcing safety restraints and rider restrictions.
Who inspects inflatables in Washington?
Third-party safety inspectors certified by the Department of Labor and Industries, annually.
Sources
Every claim above traces to one of these. Where a source is marked as one we could not open, nothing on this page rests on it: it is listed so you can try it yourself.
What to do with this
Knowing the rule is the first half. These four pages are the second half: registering the business, buying the coverage the rule assumes you carry, running a setup that would survive an inspection, and putting the terms in writing before a unit leaves the truck.
Keep the paperwork with the unit
Permits, inspection dates and certificates belong next to the unit they cover, not in a folder. BounceDay keeps each unit’s record with its bookings, so the certificate a venue asks for is one tap away on the delivery. Your checklists are your own templates; the safety standards in them are yours, not ours.
Rules change between sessions. Confirm the current position with the Department of Labor and Industries before you set up.