Kansas to Nebraska: residential contractor license reciprocity

How the two layers fit together. The Nebraska Department of Labor registration is required everywhere in the state and is the first thing to get - a city will expect you to have it, and a contractor may not perform construction work in Nebraska without it. It does not entitle you to pull a permit or to hold yourself out as qualified; that comes from the city. Because cities differ sharply, identify the building department with jurisdiction over the address and ask what it licenses before you bid.

Omaha. Permits and Inspections licenses building contractors under Chapter 43, Article IX of the Municipal Code in Classes A, B, C, D and E, plus Master and Journeyman Sign Erector. Classes A and B cost $300.00 plus a $24.00 technology fee and require an examination; Class C costs $200.00 plus a $16.00 technology fee and requires an examination; Class E costs $100.00 plus an $8.00 technology fee and does not require an examination. Class D is now a renewal-only class - the city's own note is that it requires an 'Equivalent License From Another Jurisdiction... The Exam is No Longer Available, Renewal License Only.' The building examinations are published in the National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin linked from the licensing page. Every license type needs a bond of at least $10,000.00, emailed with the insurance certificate to [email protected], and liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 for Classes A and B, $500,000.00 for Class C and $300,000.00 for Classes D and E. Renewal requires proof of nine contact hours of continuing education, which may come from construction-related college courses, from taking part in construction education outreach with school or university students, or from courses through agencies certified by the International Code Council, the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders or the Associated General Contractors of America. Applications and renewals run through the Accela portal at OmahaPermits.com. Because the class scopes and the level that fits a given job are set by the building code rather than the licensing page, confirm the class with Permits and Inspections on 402-444-5350 or [email protected] before applying.

Omaha's reciprocal license. This is the one route in Nebraska where holding a contractor license somewhere else is worth something, and it is a city route rather than a state agreement. The requirements as Omaha publishes them are: 'Must hold a valid contractor's license from another jurisdiction'; 'Proof of examination required'; 'Approval by the Building Board of Review'; and 'Payment of required fee - $100.00 + $8.00 Tech Fee.' Applications are filed online at OmahaPermits.com for Building Board of Review approval of reciprocation of a building contractor's license. The board is a seven-member body that also hears building code waivers, appeals from the Superintendent of Permits and Inspections and property maintenance code appeals; reciprocal license applications are heard on a quarterly cycle, so ask Permits and Inspections for the next hearing date and the filing deadline before you plan around it. The board decides case by case and publishes no list of jurisdictions it accepts, so nothing is automatic.

Lincoln. Building and Safety licenses trades and specialties - demolition, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, signs, street use and fire - and certifies master and journeyman tradespeople; there is no Lincoln general building contractor or remodeler license. What a residential builder does need is the state registration, the right permits, and insurance where a licensed trade is involved: liability of at least $500,000 each occurrence for demolition, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, sign, street use and fire alarm work, or $1,000,000 for fire sprinkler and chemical extinguishing work, on a certificate that names 'City of Lincoln as an additional insured' by endorsement, carries a policy number rather than a binder number and is signed by the agent. Plumbing, HVAC, electrical and fire contractors must also list a master's name on the certificate as an insured. No bond is required unless you work in the city right-of-way; sign, street use and excavation contractors post a $5,000 license and permit bond or a cashier's check for the same amount. Documents go to [email protected]; Planning and Development Services is at 555 S 10th Street.

Everywhere else. Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Papillion, La Vista and the rest each run their own building departments, and several license only the trades. None of them treats a license from another state as a qualification. Ask the city which licenses it issues, what insurance it wants and whether it registers contractors at all, and in every case hold the Nebraska Department of Labor registration first.

How local licensing works. Every Kansas contractor license is issued by a city or a county, and the license belongs to the company rather than to the person; the company names a qualifying individual or qualifying party who supplies the examination result or degree, and losing that person usually inactivates the license. Two state statutes shape what the jurisdictions may ask. K.S.A. 12-1557 caps the examination at the designated standard test, sets the passing score at 75 percent, and makes the certificate of competency from that test valid for licensure 'without additional examination' in any other Kansas county or city that licenses contractors. K.S.A. 12-1558 lets a jurisdiction use a different examination instead, but a license granted on a non-standard examination does not authorize work outside that jurisdiction 'except when authorized by reciprocal agreement between the political subdivisions involved' - so the only contractor reciprocity Kansas law contemplates is between Kansas cities and counties, never with another state. None of the jurisdictions below gives any credit for a contractor license issued outside Kansas.

Johnson County (Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, Shawnee and the rest of the county). Johnson County Contractor Licensing, a division of Planning, Housing and Community Development, issues and tracks eleven license types for the whole county. Building permits are issued by Johnson County Building Codes in the unincorporated county and by each city elsewhere, and the county's own application states the rule plainly: 'When a building permit is issued in the company/firm's name, the company/firm must comply with Johnson County Contractor Licensing Regulations (Resolution 076-24) and be subject to the jurisdiction of the Johnson County Contractor Licensing Review Board.' The residential class is Class C, which 'shall entitle the holder thereof to construct, remodel, repair, and demolish single-family or duplex residences and buildings accessory thereto', including framing, roofing, swimming pool construction, non-structural remodeling and repairs, but not HVAC, plumbing, electrical or fire protection work, which need the separate DM, DP, DE and DF or DFA licenses. Qualification is ICC exam 552 or KGC, Standard Residential Building Contractor, at 75 percent or better, or a Bachelor of Science or higher in architecture, relevant engineering, construction science or construction management from an ABET or ACCE accredited program. The company must designate a qualifying individual who works at least 30 hours a week for it, and every qualifying individual needs eight hours of approved continuing education a year for the company to renew. Insurance is $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence plus $1,000,000 completed operations, with the county named as certificate holder and 30 days' notice of any reduction, plus workers' compensation with $100,000 employer's liability or a notarized waiver if there are no employees. A Certificate of Good Standing is needed from the Secretary of State where the company is registered. Fees are a $100 application fee plus $225 per license type, so a single new license is $325; renewal is $225 per type with a $75 late fee from February 1. New applications cannot be filed online. Licenses are valid for one year. 111 S. Cherry Street, Suite 1000, Olathe; 913-715-2233 option 1.

Wichita and Sedgwick County. The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department licenses contractors for unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and the small cities it serves, and its position on outside credentials is explicit: 'MABCD does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions.' The residential general class is Class C - Residential, and there is also a Class D Residential Maintenance license; general contractor licenses run two years and expire on December 31 of each even year, with a grace period to January 31. The qualified person must produce 'a copy of Kansas Standard ICC exam' with a score of 75 percent or better, and must file an ICC test release form if the examination was taken outside Kansas. Two-year license fees are $1,000 for Class A, $600 for Class B, $450 for Class C Residential and $360 for Class D Residential Maintenance, roofing, siding, roofing and siding, swimming pool, wrecking, cell tower, fire sprinkler and 'not otherwise classified'; a new application costs an extra $50, and late renewal adds 25 percent in February and 50 percent after that. The filing also needs liability insurance of at least $300,000 naming MABCD as certificate holder in the exact company name, a workers' compensation certificate or a notarized waiver, an auto certificate or a notarized waiver, a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State unless the applicant is a sole proprietor, a qualified person declaration page, a company officers signature page and a letter authorizing the qualified person to bind the company in contracts. Roofing applicants must show their Kansas Attorney General roofer registration number. Review takes up to two weeks. 271 W. 3rd, Suite 101, Wichita; 316-660-1840, by appointment.

Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County. The Unified Government works differently from the rest of the state: it does not run a competency license for builders. 'General contractors and subcontractors are required to obtain a city occupational tax license (Business License) if working within Wyandotte County', which is handled by Business Licensing on (913) 573-8780, while 'trade masters are required to carry a master's license with Building Inspections', earned on a Prometric or equivalent standard examination and administered through the Neighborhood Resource Center. A remodeler or homebuilder working in Kansas City, Kansas therefore registers and pays the occupational tax rather than qualifying a person, and makes sure the electrical, mechanical and plumbing scope is performed by licensed masters. Building Inspection and the License Department are both at 4601 State Avenue, Indian Springs Marketplace; Building Inspection (913) 573-8620.

Topeka. The Development Services Division 'is responsible for issuing all contractor and trade licenses in the City of Topeka', and 'all trades are required to be licensed and pull permits to work in City of Topeka.' The residential class is Class C, qualified by ICC exam 552, the Kansas Standard Residential Building Contractor examination, at 75 percent or better; Class B uses exam 551 and Class A exam 550. Topeka will also accept results from Prometric, Thomson-Prometric, Experior, NAI-Block and Block at 75 percent or better, subject to review, or an official transcript for at least 30 hours of coursework from an accredited school in construction science, engineering or architecture, in which case the degree holder becomes the qualifying party and must work for the company full time. The application is filed with the exam or educational certification, a qualifying party verification form, the Renovate Right form, a general liability certificate and a workers' compensation certificate or notarized affidavit, all naming City of Topeka Development Services, 620 SE Madison Unit 6, as certificate holder; processing takes up to ten days. Class A, B and C holders need eight hours of continuing education a year, licenses renew by December 14 each year, fees are not prorated, a lapse in the insurance certificate costs $30 to reinstate after a 30-day grace period, and an unreported address change costs $10. Roofers must supply their Kansas Attorney General roofer registration certificate number before Topeka will license them. The city does not publish its general contractor license fee online - ask Development Services on 785-368-3905 for the current amount before applying.

Lawrence. Chapter 5, Article 15 of the City Code requires a Lawrence contractor license before anyone may 'undertake or perform any action in the City for which a Building Permit is required.' The residential class is Class C, Residential Contractor, covering any permitted work 'on any detached dwelling or duplex'; Class B covers structures up to three stories and Class A everything. Class C needs two years of qualifying experience performing Class C work, or a valid Class D license plus four years as a licensed Class D contractor, and experience claims must be verified by a licensed contractor, building official, architect or engineer. Competency is shown by a certificate of competency from a nationally recognized testing institution of the kind contemplated by K.S.A. 12-1556, by a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science, or 'an equivalent Contractor License from another jurisdiction with whom the City has an existing and valid reciprocity agreement' - the ordinance provides for such agreements but names none, so ask Building Inspections whether one covers your jurisdiction before relying on it. Fees are a $75 application fee for each applicant and each qualifying party plus a $75 annual license fee. Insurance is commercial general liability of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence including completed operations, written by a Kansas-licensed insurer, plus workers' compensation. The Building Official decides within 30 days. The license is company-held, each qualifying party must be a principal or an employee working more than 30 hours a week, and any change of company name, ownership or qualifying party voids the license and requires a new one. Renewal needs eight hours of construction-related continuing education a year for every qualifying party, all delinquent fees paid and all inactive open permits closed or extended. Separate Class E licenses cover mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fireplace work, and those trades also need certified master or journeyman tradespeople. (785) 832-7700.

Everywhere else. Kansas has hundreds of other cities and counties, each free to license builders, to license only the trades, or to require nothing beyond a permit and proof of insurance. Find the building department with jurisdiction over the address and ask before you bid. Two obligations follow you across the whole state whatever the local answer: register with the Kansas Attorney General before providing roofing services for a fee unless you qualify as an exempt general contractor, and hold or employ the right trade credentials for any electrical, plumbing or mechanical work.