Nebraska trade license reciprocity

How local licensing works. Nebraska has no state HVAC license and no state mechanical board. The Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-2104) requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor before performing construction work ($40 per year from August 1, 2026, plus a workers' compensation certificate if there are employees), but registration involves no exam or experience and is not a license. Everything else comes from city ordinances, and requirements differ by city.

Omaha. The Planning Department's Air Conditioning/Air Distribution (ACAD) Board licenses Journeyman ACAD technicians and Master ACAD contractors (Omaha Municipal Code ch. 40, art. II) and registers apprentices and sheet metal installers. Journeyman applicants need five or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems, or four or more years employed by a licensed master ACAD contractor (one year = 1,750 hours), with up to two years of credit for post-secondary education or for NATE Core and installation certifications; they appear before the board, then pass a Pearson Vue exam with 75% or greater. Fees: $64.80 application, $35 license plus $2.80 technology fee; licenses expire December 31 of odd years and renew for $120 plus $9.60 with 8 hours of continuing education. Reciprocation: the board may waive the exam for a holder of a valid Bellevue, Nebraska or State of Iowa journeyman ACAD license with an exam score of 75% or greater (ACAD Reciprocation Application, $64.80, with notarized proof of employment hours). No other state's license is named.

Lincoln. Building and Safety issues a Journeyman HVAC Technician (mechanical journeyman) license after at least three years of practical experience as a registered apprentice (credit for engineering degrees, approved two-year programs and military training) and passing the city exam, which consists of the Lincoln Gas Piping Code test and the Lincoln Adopted Amendments test plus the ICC National Standard Journeyman Mechanical exam G31 taken at the applicant's cost; the city exam fee is $50, exams are given quarterly, and annual registration is $25 with 4 hours of continuing education. Transfers: an applicant holding a valid journeyman or master mechanical license obtained by examination from another state or municipality may take the Lincoln journeyman exam without submitting any additional qualifications, but the exam itself is not waived.

Bellevue. The Building Department issues journeyman and master mechanical licenses (Bellevue Municipal Code ch. 27, Division 2). The journeyman application asks whether the applicant has previously passed the Thompson Prometric, ICC or Experior exam for the license applied for (documentation of the score required) and must be signed by a currently licensed Bellevue master certifying the applicant's experience. The city does not publish which jurisdictions it reciprocates with or its fees.

Out-of-state holders. No Nebraska city publishes reciprocity with any state other than Omaha's recognition of Iowa journeyman ACAD licenses. Elsewhere the practical route is to document experience with the city and pass its exam (Lincoln) or the ICC National Standard Journeyman Mechanical exam that Lincoln and Bellevue reference, then register the employing contractor with the Department of Labor. EPA Section 608 certification is federal and required regardless of city.

How local licensing works. Nebraska has no state HVAC license and no state mechanical board. The Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-2104) requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor before performing construction work ($40 per year from August 1, 2026, plus a workers' compensation certificate if there are employees); registration is not a license and involves no exam. Master and contractor licensing comes from each city's ordinance.

Omaha. The Master ACAD license (Omaha Municipal Code ch. 40, art. II) is the credential that lets a person contract for and pull permits for air conditioning and air distribution work. Applicants need eight or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems, or four or more years employed by a licensed master after obtaining an Omaha (or equivalent) journeyman ACAD license (one year = 1,750 hours), must appear before the ACAD Board, and pass a Pearson Vue exam with 75% or greater. After passing they file a $10,000 surety bond and $300,000 liability insurance with the Planning Department. Fees: $81.00 application, $50 license plus $4.00 technology fee; renewal $160 plus $12.80 every two years (December 31 of odd years) with 8 hours of continuing education. Reciprocation: the board may waive the exam for a holder of a valid Bellevue, Nebraska or State of Iowa master ACAD contractor license with an exam score of 75% or greater (ACAD Reciprocation Application, $81.00). Sec. 40-40 of the code also allows licensees of comparable cities to apply without re-examination, but the city's page names only Bellevue and Iowa.

Lincoln. The Mechanical Master Contractor license requires holding a valid mechanical journeyman license for at least one year and passing the city master exam ($400 filing fee, given quarterly), which has four parts (ACCA Manual J, duct sizing, Lincoln Gas Code and Lincoln Adopted Amendments) plus the ICC National Standard Master Mechanical exam G29 taken at the applicant's cost. Annual registration is $350 (inactive master $50; a separate Refrigeration Master Contractor registration is $250) with 8 hours of continuing education, and the contractor must carry $500,000 per-occurrence general liability insurance naming the City of Lincoln as additional insured and register with the Department of Labor. Transfers: a holder of a valid contractor/master mechanical license obtained by examination in another state or municipality may take the Lincoln contractor exam without submitting additional qualifications; the exam is not waived.

Bellevue. Only a licensed mechanical master may contract for mechanical work in the city (Bellevue Municipal Code ch. 27, Division 2). Master applicants must submit a current journeyman license with its original issue date and state whether they have already passed the Thompson Prometric, ICC or Experior exam for the license applied for. A master arriving from another state should expect to sit the city exam (Lincoln) or present ICC National Standard Master Mechanical results where accepted, obtain the city's insurance and bond, license the business in each city where it will pull permits, and register with the Department of Labor. EPA Section 608 certification is federal and applies to anyone personally handling refrigerants.

How local licensing works. Nebraska has no state plumbing license. The Contractor Registration Act requires every contracting business to register with the Department of Labor before working ($40 annual fee from August 1, 2026, plus a workers' compensation certificate when there are employees), but registration is not a competency license and applies to the business, not the tradesperson. Individual journeyman licensing exists only in cities whose ordinances create it, and each city examines its own applicants.

Omaha. The Planning Department's Plumbing Board licenses Journeyman Plumbers, Master Plumbers and registered Apprentice Plumbers under Omaha Municipal Code chapter 49. To sit the journeyman exam (Sec. 49-241) an applicant shows one of: a four-consecutive-year city-certified apprenticeship; an equivalent course of study with matching classroom and on-the-job hours; at least seven consecutive years of training with 300+ hours each year and 7,000 hours total; a journeyman license from 'a city of equivalent size that requires similar qualification criteria'; or, if the applicant's community requires no instruction for a license, a properly issued license or eight consecutive years (300+ hours/year, 14,000 hours) at the Board's discretion. Applications are due by 9:00 AM on the 15th of March, June, September and December for exams in May, August, November and February; the journeyman test fee is $54.00, and the form asks for copies of every current or expired plumbing license with the origin exam's format (written questions, drawing, practical, open book). Passed sections carry forward for three test dates. After passing, the journeyman license costs $1.00 plus a $19.50 identification badge and $1.64 technology fee, renewing at the same price with 8 continuing-education hours; apprentice registration is $20.00 + $1.60 with Board approval. Out-of-state treatment: an out-of-town license serves only as evidence of eligibility to test; the plumbing pages and exam application contain no exam waiver or reciprocity provision, and the only reciprocal-license process Omaha publishes is for Building Contractor licenses.

Lincoln. Building and Safety issues a Plumbing Journeyman certificate after at least four years of practical experience in the design, layout, construction or installation of plumbing equipment (one year of credit per year as a registered apprentice; two years for a four-year engineering degree; one year for a Board-approved course; three years for a Nebraska-registered professional mechanical engineer; military and adult-education training at the Board's discretion) and passing the city exam. The exam is given the third Thursday of February, May, August and November at the ABC Training Center, 830 West Gate Boulevard: a two-hour copper practical project at 6:30 a.m. (applicant supplies pipe, fittings, solder, torch and tools) and a five-hour written exam at 9:00 a.m. based on the 2018 UPC with Lincoln amendments and the Lincoln Gas Piping Code (LMC 24.05). Exam filing fee $183, due two weeks before the exam. The annual journeyman registration is $50 (apprentice $25), renewed March 1-May 31 with 6 CEU hours; a lapse beyond 60 days revokes the license and requires retesting. Out-of-state treatment: 'An applicant holding a valid Journeyman or Contractor/Master Plumbing License or Certificate, received by examination from another state or Municipal Governmental agency, shall be entitled to take the equivalent respective City of Lincoln Journeyman or Contractors examination without submitting any additional qualifications.' The experience review is waived; the exam is not.

Grand Island. The Building Services Division requires plumbers to be 'individually licensed as a master, journeyman, or registered as an apprentice' and to work under a city-licensed plumbing contracting company. Applications, exams and renewals run through the CitizenServe portal, which (per an earlier read of the page) offers both an exam application and a license-reciprocity application, but the city publishes no experience thresholds, exam identifiers, fees or list of accepted jurisdictions online.

Bellevue, Kearney, Norfolk and other cities also license plumbers under their own codes; contact each city for its requirements. Bellevue's Permits and Inspections documents page (linked below) posts contractor testing information for plumbing contractors. Treat every city as a separate licensing authority and confirm current requirements with the local building department before working.

How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board. The Contractor Registration Act requires every contracting business to register with the Department of Labor ($40 per year from August 1, 2026, workers' compensation certificate if there are employees), but the master plumber license that lets someone pull permits and run a plumbing business comes from each city's ordinance and examining board.

Omaha. The Master Plumber license is issued by the Plumbing Board under Omaha Municipal Code chapter 49. To sit the master exam (Sec. 49-231) an applicant shows one of: four consecutive years of experience installing plumbing systems while holding a journeyman license issued by the city; 'evidence of qualifying as a master plumber in a city of equivalent size that requires similar qualification criteria'; or, where the applicant's community requires no instruction for a license, a properly issued license or 12 consecutive years of experience (300+ hours each year, 21,000 hours total) at the Board's discretion. Applications are due by 9:00 AM on the 15th of March, June, September and December for exams in May, August, November and February; the master test fee is $81.00, and copies of all current or expired licenses plus notarized proof of employment hours are required. The master license costs $100.00 + $8.00 technology fee ('Exam Required') and renews for $75.00 + $6.00 with 8 continuing-education hours; before working as a contractor the master files a surety bond of at least $10,000.00 and liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.00 with [email protected]. Out-of-state treatment: an out-of-state or other-city master license can satisfy the eligibility requirement to test, but the Omaha exam is not waived and no reciprocity path is published for plumbers (Omaha's reciprocal-license process covers Building Contractor licenses only).

Lincoln. A Plumbing Master certificate requires holding a valid City of Lincoln Plumbing Journeyman certificate for at least one year, or a mechanical engineering degree from an accredited college plus two years of practical experience planning, laying out, supervising and installing plumbing equipment, or registration as a professional mechanical engineer in Nebraska, and passing the city exam (third Thursday of February, May, August and November; copper practical project plus a five-hour written exam on the 2018 UPC with Lincoln amendments and the Lincoln Gas Piping Code). Master exam filing fee $208. Annual registration: Plumbing Master Contractor $250 or non-contracting Master $75, renewed March 1-May 31 with 10 CEU hours; a lapse beyond 60 days revokes the license and requires retesting. A plumbing contractor also files a general liability certificate of at least $500,000 per occurrence naming the City of Lincoln as additional insured and listing the master plumber by name as an insured; a $5,000 bond is needed only for work in the city right-of-way. Out-of-state treatment: 'An applicant holding a valid Journeyman or Contractor/Master Plumbing License or Certificate, received by examination from another state or Municipal Governmental agency, shall be entitled to take the equivalent respective City of Lincoln Journeyman or Master examination without submitting any additional qualifications.' The one-year Lincoln journeyman prerequisite is bypassed; the exam is not.

Grand Island. Plumbing contracting companies must be licensed with the Building Services Division, and the individuals doing the work must hold a city master or journeyman license or apprentice registration and work under a licensed company. Exam and reciprocity applications are filed through the CitizenServe portal; the city publishes no thresholds, fees or accepted jurisdictions online, so contact Building Services at (308) 385-5444.

Bellevue and other cities license master plumbers and plumbing contractors under their own ordinances; Bellevue's Permits and Inspections documents page posts contractor testing information for plumbing contractors.

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 the two layers fit together. Hold the Nebraska Department of Labor registration first - it is required statewide before any construction work and it is cheap and quick - then deal with the city, which is where any examination, bond or board approval lives. Nebraska cities differ so much that the only safe approach is to ask the building department with jurisdiction over the site what it licenses before bidding.

Omaha. Permits and Inspections licenses building contractors under Chapter 43, Article IX of the Municipal Code. The largest tiers are Class A and Class B, which cost $300.00 plus a $24.00 technology fee and require an examination, drawn from the National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin published with the licensing page; Class C is $200.00 plus a $16.00 technology fee with an examination, Class E is $100.00 plus an $8.00 technology fee with no examination, and Class D is a renewal-only class that the city describes as requiring an 'Equivalent License From Another Jurisdiction... The Exam is No Longer Available, Renewal License Only.' Every class needs a bond of at least $10,000.00 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; the bond and insurance go to [email protected]. Renewal requires nine contact hours of continuing education a year, from construction-related college courses, from education outreach work 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 are filed through the Accela portal at OmahaPermits.com. The class scopes themselves sit in the building code rather than on the licensing page, so confirm which class covers your work with Permits and Inspections on 402-444-5350 or [email protected].

Omaha's reciprocal license. Omaha is the only Nebraska jurisdiction found to publish a route that credits a contractor license held elsewhere, and it is a municipal route decided case by case rather than a state-to-state agreement. Its published requirements 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.' Apply 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 which also hears building code waivers and appeals from the Superintendent of Permits and Inspections; reciprocal license applications are heard quarterly, so confirm the next hearing date and the filing deadline with Permits and Inspections. No list of accepted jurisdictions is published and approval is not automatic, so allow for a full quarter in the schedule and be ready to document the examination behind your existing license.

Lincoln. Building and Safety licenses contractors by trade and specialty - demolition, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, signs, street use and fire - and certifies master and journeyman tradespeople. There is no Lincoln general or commercial building contractor license, so a commercial builder works from the state registration and city permits while the trades hold their own licenses. Insurance must be 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, with 'City of Lincoln as an additional insured' by endorsement, a policy number rather than a binder number and the agent's signature; plumbing, HVAC, electrical and fire contractors must list a master's name on the certificate as an insured. A bond is needed only for work in the city right-of-way, where sign, street use and excavation contractors post a $5,000 license and permit bond or an equivalent cashier's check. Documents go to [email protected].

Everywhere else, and what does travel. Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Papillion, La Vista and the other Nebraska cities run their own building departments, and several license only the trades. An out-of-state general contractor license and a NASCLA Accredited Examination carry no weight in the state registration and no weight in Lincoln; the one place either might help is an Omaha reciprocal license application, where the board wants proof of the examination behind the license you already hold. What always matters is the Department of Labor registration, workers' compensation coverage that stays in force, and the correct trade licenses for any electrical, plumbing or mechanical scope.