Missouri 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 it works in Missouri. There is no state contractor board, no state application and no state exam. Each city or county writes its own ordinance, so a builder holds whatever the local jurisdiction requires everywhere it works, and a credential from one Missouri city does not carry into the next of its own force. The single statewide preemption in Missouri construction law is the electrical one: RSMo 324.925 forces every political subdivision to recognize a statewide electrical contractor license and bars it from testing that holder's electrical proficiency. Nothing equivalent exists for builders, and the statute expressly leaves cities free to license and examine in other trades. What that produces is two very different kinds of place. In Kansas City and Independence a residential builder is examined and personally qualified. In St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City the trades are examined and the builder is not - the builder simply buys a business license.

Kansas City. City Planning & Development runs a two-part system under Article XII of the Kansas City Building and Rehabilitation Code, and it is the only place in Missouri with a purpose-built residential builder credential. An individual first earns the Residential Building Supervisor certificate of qualification, which covers "constructing, structurally altering or enlarging any one- or two-family detached dwelling or townhouse including detached accessory buildings in excess of 400 square feet." The applicant files an application with a $60.00 nonrefundable fee and "shall earn a passing score on one of the two recognized exams administered for Kansas City, Missouri: the residential construction (10344) examination administered by Prometric or the standard residential building contractor (W13) examination administered by ICC." The exam is waived where the applicant holds "a passing score on a standard Prometric or ICC examination or other department-approved national testing agency examination comparable in content," documented to the Building Official's satisfaction - and the city states outright that it built the program to match Independence and Johnson County, so "if you have passed a residential builder exam in either of these jurisdictions, you will not be required to retest," and continuing education hours earned there count toward renewal. Being a Missouri-registered engineer or architect does not substitute for the exam. The company then applies for the Residential Building Contractor license, which needs a full-time managerial employee holding the supervisor certificate (the owner may be that person), a business license from the Finance Department, a current Missouri Secretary of State registration and a certificate of insurance carrying at least a $1,000,000 aggregate limit per occurrence and naming the City of Kansas City as additional insured. Fees are $60.00 to apply and $181.00 to issue, with $181.00 quadrennial renewals on both the license and the certificate; the certificate itself is free for its first four years. Applications go through CompassKC; [email protected], (816) 513-1500.

Independence. The city licenses the individual, not the company: "contractor licenses belong to the licensed individual, NOT a company," and "anyone hired to complete permittable work within the City of Independence" needs one. The residential tier is the Class C general contractor license, described as residential only, and the license "covers framing, footings, and general construction." Qualification is one of three things: ICC or Prometric test scores from within the last five years at 75 percent or better; "a current, active license with a jurisdiction that we reciprocate with," which the city defines broadly as "any jurisdiction that issues licenses in a similar fashion"; or, for a general contractor license, a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science from an accredited college or university. Licenses expire on December 31 every year with no proration. A business license shows you may trade in the city; the contractor license shows you are qualified to do the work, and you need both. Authorized users may be added to a license, but the holder answers for their work. [email protected], (816) 325-7401.

St. Louis City. The Building Division operates four boards of examiners - electrical, mechanical contractors and pipefitters, plumbers and drainlayers, and sprinkler system contractors - and none of them touches building contractors. A residential builder needs a construction or contracting business license from the License Collector: a state tax number, the application form, clearance from the Collector of Revenue, an occupancy permit from the Building Division, and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed statement that the law does not require it. The city also requires that "all general contractors ... furnish a list of the sub-contractors on any job to the License Collector." No exam, experience or bond applies. Building Division, City Hall Room 425, 1200 Market St., (314) 622-3313.

St. Louis County. The county is explicit: "the County does not license general contractors," though it "does verify that out-of-state contractors are registered with the state," and it "does register all repair contractors that obtain permits for repairs from a natural disaster such as a flood or severe storm." What it does license is the trades, through Transportation and Public Works: electrical licensing, mechanical licensing (four contractor categories under the county Mechanical Code) and plumbing licensing, each with its own board, and "the County only issues trade permits to licensed contractors." A homebuilder in unincorporated St. Louis County therefore pulls permits without a county builder credential but must use licensed trade contractors. 41 South Central Ave., 6th Floor, Clayton, 314-615-5184. Note that most of the county's ninety-odd municipalities run their own building departments, so check the city as well.

Springfield. Building Development Services will not issue a permit until "a City-licensed General Contractor (GC) or Trade Master (TM) ... is listed on the permit," so the credential is mandatory - but it is a business license, obtained from the License Division, not a tested qualification. Springfield's testing program covers the crafts only: "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, and mechanical craftsmen must be tested and certified to afford competence and knowledge of the codes," and those trades may substitute an out-of-jurisdiction exam score of 75 percent or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC where the examination is identical to Springfield's. Contractors who carry workers' compensation file proof of it; those who are not required to carry it sign a notarized exemption statement. Permit desk 417-864-1585, License Division 417-864-1617.

Columbia. Community Development's Building and Site Development division licenses trades only - Trade Apprentice, Electrical Certification, Mechanical Certification and Plumbing Certification - because "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and mechanical craftsman must be tested and certified," with the tests "administered by a private testing firm according to a regular schedule." There is no builder certification and no board of building examiners. A residential contractor takes out a city business license instead: $0.25 per $1,000 of gross receipts with a $75 annual minimum, a $10,000 annual maximum and a $45 application fee, plus a certificate of workers' compensation insurance for any construction business with one or more employees. Business License Division 573-874-7378.

Jefferson City. "All contractors performing work in Jefferson City must have a local license," but the split is the same as elsewhere: "electrical and plumbing contractors and their employees are required to obtain specific trade licenses directly from the Building Regulations Division," while "all other contractors are directed to the Business License Division to obtain their business license." A residential builder therefore files for the business license and takes no examination. Building Regulations (573) 634-6410, Business License Division (573) 634-6322.

Everywhere else. Missouri's other cities and counties set their own rules, and many require nothing but a permit and proof of insurance. Ask each building department what it licenses before you contract there. If you plan to sit an examination anywhere in Missouri, the practical move is the ICC standard residential building contractor (W13) or the Prometric residential construction (10344) paper, because those are the two Kansas City names outright and the same scores satisfy Independence, and a passing result documented from an approved agency is the nearest thing Missouri has to a transferable builder credential.