Nebraska Plumbing License: No State License, and How Omaha and Lincoln License Plumbers (2026)

Nebraska does not issue a plumbing license. There is no state plumbing board, no state journeyman card and no state master plumber credential. Plumbers in Nebraska are licensed by cities, with Omaha and Lincoln running the two largest programs, while every contractor in the state registers with the Nebraska Department of Labor. For the full statewide picture see our Nebraska contractor license guide, and for every other state see how to get a contractor license in each state.

At a glance No state plumbing license: Omaha, Lincoln and other cities license plumbers under Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901. Every contractor registers with the Nebraska Department of Labor; the fee is $40 a year as of August 1, 2026. Omaha master plumber: four consecutive years holding an Omaha journeyman license, then the plumbing board exam ($75). Lincoln Plumbing Master: one year holding a Lincoln journeyman certificate, then the city exam ($208). Omaha licenses expire December 31; Lincoln registrations renew March 1 to May 31.

Every figure below comes from the Legislature, the Department of Labor, the Omaha Municipal Code or the City of Lincoln. Fees change, so confirm with the issuing office before you apply.

How Nebraska Plumbing Licensing Is Built

State law does not license plumbers directly. It authorizes cities to run plumbing boards: Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 sets an eight member board for a city of the metropolitan class, allows a five member board in a city of the primary class, and allows a board of at least four in cities of the first and second class and villages. Section 18-1909 lets each board issue licenses good for one or two years.

That is why a plumber working in Nebraska sits inside three layers at once.

The state registration applies everywhere; a city license applies only inside that city's jurisdiction.

Layer 1: Contractor Registration With the Department of Labor

Before you perform any construction work in Nebraska, you register with the Nebraska Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 through 48-2117.

The Legislature was direct about what this registration is not. Section 48-2102 reads:

"It is the intent of the Legislature that all contractors doing business in Nebraska be registered with the department. It is not the intent of the Legislature to endorse the quality or performance of services provided by any individual contractor."

Registration proves you filed a form and carry workers' compensation coverage. It says nothing about whether you can install a drain, waste and vent system. There is no exam, no experience requirement and no bond.

What Registration Requires

Under 48-2105 the application asks for your business name and FEIN (or Social Security number for an individual), your principal place of business and phone number in Nebraska (or, for an out of state business, its home office plus a registered agent in Nebraska), the entity type, the officers or owners, your election on collecting sales and use tax on building materials, a description of the business, and proof of workers' compensation coverage.

If you have one or more employees, NDOL requires a current ACORD 25 certificate with the Department of Labor named as the certificate holder. The department says plainly that a contractor whose coverage expires is removed from the list of registered contractors until the agent sends an updated certificate. A contractor who is not required to carry coverage files a signed statement saying so instead.

Under 48-2110 the commissioner revokes a registration as of the cancellation date when a carrier reports a cancellation and no replacement certificate arrived first. Section 48-2111 adds that a revoked registration is never permanently reinstated. You reapply for a new registration number.

The Fee Is $40 as of August 1, 2026

LB847, approved by the Governor on April 7, 2026, amended 48-2107. The statute now sets the fee at "a fee not to exceed forty dollars," with no fee for an amendment to an existing application. The Department of Labor lists the annual fee as $40.00 effective August 1, 2026.

Registration renews every year through the NDOL online system. If you registered before August 1, 2026, your next renewal comes due at the new amount.

The $5,000 Floor Most People Miss

Section 48-2104(1) carves out two groups: a person working on their own property, and "any person who earns less than five thousand dollars annually for construction services." Below that annual figure you are not a contractor for purposes of the Act.

The exemption is narrower than it sounds. Section 48-2104(2) says it does not exempt you from Nebraska withholding requirements, and it has nothing to do with whether Omaha or Lincoln will let you pull a plumbing permit. Those are separate questions with separate answers.

The Penalty for Skipping It

Under 48-2114 the Commissioner of Labor issues a citation when an investigation shows a contractor is unregistered or that the registration information is not substantially complete and accurate. The administrative penalty is not more than $500 for a first violation and not more than $5,000 for a second or later violation. You have fifteen working days to contest.

For the broader picture see our guides to working without a contractor license and penalties for unlicensed contracting.

Layer 2: The Omaha Plumbing Board

The Omaha Plumbing Board licenses master plumbers, journeyman plumbers, sewer layers, water conditioning contractors and installers, and lawn sprinkler contractors under Chapter 49 of the Omaha Municipal Code. Apprentices, drain cleaners and lawn sprinkler installers register rather than license. Section 49-100 applies the chapter inside the city limits and the city's three mile extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction, so jobs just outside Omaha can still fall under the Omaha board.

This is the credential most people mean when they search for a Nebraska plumbing license.

Plumber Apprentice

An apprentice registers every year with the plumbing board's recording secretary, and the registration expires December 31 (49-250). The fee is $20 (49-251). To enter a program you must be at least 18 and hold a high school diploma or GED (49-253), and it is unlawful for a plumbing business to employ an unregistered apprentice.

City certified programs require at least 7,000 hours of on the job training and 696 classroom hours, including at least 300 hours of plumbing code instruction (49-252 and 49-255). A business may employ one apprentice for each regularly employed journeyman or master (49-257). An apprentice works under direct supervision until the final year, when limited service and repair work is allowed unsupervised (49-258).

Journeyman Plumber

Section 49-241 lists five ways to qualify for the journeyman exam:

1. Complete a four consecutive year apprenticeship program certified by the city.
2. Complete a course of study with equivalent classroom and on the job hours.
3. Complete a training period of at least seven consecutive years, 300 hours a year, 7,000 hours in total.
4. Hold a journeyman license from a city of equivalent size with similar qualification criteria.
5. Where your community required no instruction, show eight consecutive years of plumbing installation, 300 hours a year, 14,000 hours in total.

Under 49-245 a journeyman may install, repair, alter or extend a plumbing system "while in the employment or under the supervision of a master plumber." A journeyman license does not let you run your own shop. Journeymen also carry a board issued identification badge, which costs $19.50 a year (49-244).

Master Plumber

Section 49-231 requires the master applicant to show one of three things:

1. Four consecutive years of experience installing plumbing systems while holding a journeyman license issued by the city.
2. Evidence of qualifying as a master plumber in a city of equivalent size with similar criteria.
3. Where your community required no instruction, 12 consecutive years of plumbing installation, 300 hours a year, 21,000 hours in total.

Then you sit the master exam, which covers chapter 49, state law and the ability to design, direct and supervise plumbing installations (49-232). Add it up and the usual path from zero to Omaha master plumber is about eight years: four as an apprentice and four as a licensed journeyman, unless you arrive with qualifying credentials from a comparable city.

Omaha Exams

Once you meet the prerequisites and file a written application, the board approves eligible applicants, and the exam is given at the next scheduled or adjourned board meeting after you pay the fee (49-204). The board meets at least once a month (49-118), and applications for testing are reviewed at a board meeting.

In practice the Omaha Plumbing Board gives its exams four times a year, in February, May, August and November, at the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, 1819 Farnam Street. The board's journeyman and master exam application sets the filing deadline at 9:00 a.m. on the 15th of March, June, September and December for the May, August, November and February sessions.

The journeyman exam has plans, written and practical sections; the master exam adds a second written section. If you fail, you wait 90 days to retest after each of the first three failed attempts and 180 days after the fourth and every later attempt.

Omaha Fees, Bond and Insurance

Section 49-206 requires any license holder who wants to operate a business to file a $10,000 bond with sufficient sureties after passing the exam, protecting the city against substandard or unsafe work performed or supervised by the license holder. Section 49-305 requires masters, water conditioning contractors and lawn sprinkler contractors to keep that bond and a certificate of insurance of at least $1,000,000 on file before applying for a permit. A master who installs building sewers, storm sewers or water services adds a $20,000 street excavation bond.

Start work before the permit and 49-306 sets the permit fee at $100 or four times the normal fee, whichever is greater. Confirm the current schedule with the Permits and Inspections Division before you pay.

The Renewal Cliff That Ends Careers

Omaha's renewal rules in 49-214 through 49-216 are strict, and they are worth memorizing.

• All licenses expire December 31.
• Renewals filed on or before March 31 are granted without a new exam, unless the board receives evidence of incompetence.
• After March 31 the board may reinstate you within twelve months if your continuing education is current, no evidence of incompetence has been filed, and you pay a late re-issuance fee equal to four times the original renewal fee.
• Past twelve months, you must pass the licensing exam again before the board reissues a license.

Twelve months of inattention past the expiration date, and a twenty year master plumber is sitting the exam again.

Continuing Education in Omaha

Section 49-218 requires every license holder to prove continuing education to the plumbing board by December 31 each year: 8 hours for a master plumber, 8 hours for a journeyman, and 4 hours each for sewer layers, water conditioning contractors and installers, and lawn sprinkler contractors. Classes need prior board approval. A licensee who falls short can make up the missing hours plus an additional four hour course (masters and journeymen) or two hour course (sewer layer, lawn sprinkler, water conditioning) for each delinquent year. Our continuing education guide by state covers the wider landscape.

Rules That Catch People Out

49-211, misappropriation. A master plumber, water conditioning contractor or lawn sprinkler contractor who lets the license be misused to do unlawful plumbing work, secure a plumbing permit or violate chapter 49 faces a revocation hearing before the board.

49-209, transfer. "All licenses issued under the provisions of this chapter shall be non-transferable."

49-212, vehicles. Every vehicle used in the business displays the license holder's or company's name on both sides, in letters at least two inches high.

49-213, display. The license and registration are posted in a conspicuous place at the place of business.

49-219, temporary license. When a master dies or resigns, a journeyman who has held a license at least four years may receive a temporary license, valid up to one year without an exam, so the business can keep operating while it replaces the master.

49-220, retired license. A retired license holder may not do work that needs a license. Reactivation requires renewal fees, board approved continuing education for every year the retired license was held, and the bond under 49-206 and 49-305.

Layer 3: Lincoln Building and Safety

Lincoln's Building and Safety Department licenses plumbers under Chapter 24 of the Lincoln Municipal Code, on a ladder that does not match Omaha's. Apprentices may register at any time. Every other class must pass the required exam first.

Lincoln Plumbing Journeyman

Lincoln requires at least four years of practical experience in the design, layout, construction or installation of plumbing equipment. An apprentice employed full time by a plumbing firm earns one year of credit for each year of employment, and the board decides credit for part time work. Lincoln publishes these substitutions:

• A four year engineering course from an accredited college or university counts for two years.
• A board approved course of study in plumbing design, construction and installation counts for one year.
• A professional mechanical engineer registered in Nebraska receives three years.
• Plumbing training from military service, extension courses or adult education classes may count at the board's discretion.

Lincoln Plumbing Master

The Plumbing Master certificate requires one year holding a valid Lincoln Plumbing Journeyman certificate. The alternatives are a graduate mechanical engineer with at least two years of practical experience planning, laying out, supervising and installing plumbing equipment, or a registered professional mechanical engineer in Nebraska.

That one year rule is the largest gap between the two cities. Omaha asks for four consecutive years as a licensed journeyman before the master exam; Lincoln asks for one. Same trade, same state, and a three year difference in the wait for a master credential.

Lincoln also has a transfer rule. An applicant holding a journeyman or master license earned by exam from another state or city may sit the matching Lincoln exam without submitting further qualifications.

Lincoln Exams

Lincoln gives the plumbing exam on the third Thursday of February, May, August and November. A two hour copper project starts at 6:30 a.m. and the five hour written exam at 9:00 a.m.; bring the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code with Lincoln's amendments. The application and fee are due by 4 p.m. at least two weeks before the exam, or 45 days before if you are requesting a disability accommodation.

Lincoln Fees

Lincoln separates the Plumbing Master ($75) from the Plumbing Master Contractor ($250). The first is the individual's competency. The second is the registration a plumbing business carries. That distinction is the heart of the qualifier question, and we take it apart in the Omaha master plumber full time employee rule.

Lincoln Bond and Insurance

A plumbing contractor in Lincoln files a certificate of liability insurance of at least $500,000 each occurrence, with the City of Lincoln as an additional insured and the master's name listed on the certificate as an insured. A contractor working in the city right of way also files a one year renewable $5,000 bond or a $5,000 cashier's check payable to the City of Lincoln.

Lincoln Renewal and Continuing Education

Renewal runs March 1 through May 31. If you do not renew by May 31, you are no longer licensed to perform certain plumbing work in Lincoln, and failure to renew within 60 days of expiration revokes the license and requires you to retake any exams it needs. A Master Plumber Contractor or Master Plumber needs 10 hours of continuing education, and a Journeyman Plumber needs 6 hours, submitted and approved before the renewal is approved.

Omaha and Lincoln Side by Side

Hold licenses in both cities and you manage two renewal calendars that do not line up.

Plumbing Licensing in the Rest of Nebraska

Outside Omaha and Lincoln the picture depends on the town. Because 18-1901 lets first and second class cities and villages form plumbing boards, many larger towns license plumbers and many smaller ones rely on permits and inspection alone.

IAPMO administers plumbing license exams for Columbus, Grand Island and Kearney; for Lincoln it refers candidates to the city, which runs the exam described above. On the IAPMO exams, journeyman candidates get 100 multiple choice questions in 3 hours and master candidates 125 questions in 4 hours, open book, and you need approval from the jurisdiction before you register. Kearney, which has adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, requires all plumbers to register with its Building Services Division before starting work.

What one city accepts from a plumber credentialed somewhere else is that city's decision, so ask its building department directly. If your search brought you here for a county such as Custer or Webster, start with the building department of the city where the job sits, then confirm your NDOL registration. Our guide to state vs local contractor licensing explains how to tell which layer governs a job.

Crossing the state line changes the rules again. Our guides for Kansas plumbing licensing and Missouri plumbing licensing cover those states, and Iowa's company level rule is in our Iowa Master of Record guide.

The Licensing Steps in Order

1. Pick the city. Confirm which city issues the license where you plan to work.
2. Register as an apprentice. In Omaha, register with the plumbing board ($20 a year) and enroll in a city certified program; in Lincoln, register with Building and Safety ($25 a year).
3. Build your hours. Omaha's standard path is a four consecutive year apprenticeship; Lincoln requires four years of practical experience, less any substitutions the board grants.
4. Apply for the journeyman exam. Omaha charges $50 and tests in February, May, August or November once the board approves you; Lincoln charges $183 and tests on the third Thursday of February, May, August or November.
5. Work as a licensed journeyman. Omaha requires four consecutive years holding its journeyman license before the master exam; Lincoln requires one year.
6. Pass the master exam. Omaha charges $75; Lincoln charges $208.
7. Set up the business. Register with NDOL ($40 a year), file the ACORD 25 if you have employees, then file the city bond and insurance: $10,000 and $1,000,000 in Omaha, and $500,000 insurance in Lincoln, plus the $5,000 bond for right of way work.
8. Keep it current. Report continuing education every year, and renew by March 31 in Omaha or between March 1 and May 31 in Lincoln.

How to Check a Nebraska Plumbing License Number

There is no statewide plumbing license lookup, because there is no state plumbing license. To confirm a plumber's license number, ask the city that issued it. Omaha's code requires the plumbing board's recording secretary to keep a public record of every license, with the holder's name, license type, license number, business and issue date, open for inspection during business hours (49-117). A contractor's state registration can be checked through the NDOL contractor registration system.

Who Qualifies a Plumbing Company in Omaha

NDOL registration is easy to get: $40, a form and a workers' compensation certificate. It gives no authority to pull a plumbing permit in Omaha or Lincoln.

The credential that lets a plumbing business operate in Omaha is a master license held by a specific person, and Omaha writes the rule in three places. Section 49-200(c) says a corporation, partnership or other entity doing plumbing in the jurisdictional area must have at least one executive officer who holds a master plumber license.

Section 49-203 says all plumbing work is done by or under the supervision of a master. Section 49-210 says a master license is valid for one company only, where the holder is a full time employee, unless the holder owns 50 percent or more of more than one company.

So a plumbing company that wants to work in Omaha has three options. Its owner holds an Omaha master plumber license. It employs, full time, a master who serves as an executive officer. Or it stays out of Omaha.

Lincoln points the same way by asking for the master's name on the contractor's insurance certificate.

That is the qualifying agent structure, and Nebraska is not unusual in using it. The same idea drives the qualifying party in other states and the Missouri designated supervisor rule.

What varies is where the rule is written; in Nebraska it sits in a city plumbing ordinance. If your company has the work but not the master license, a qualifying agent is a full time W-2 employee who holds the license, supervises the work and answers to the board, which is the structure Omaha's code describes. Marshall Schofield and Jeremiah Jaskulski built The Licensing Company around that model, and you can start the search for a Nebraska master plumber here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nebraska have a state plumbing license? No. There is no state plumbing board and no statewide plumber credential. Cities license plumbers under 18-1901, with Omaha and Lincoln running the largest programs. The state requires contractor registration with the Department of Labor, which is a registration, not a competency license.

How much does it cost to get licensed as a plumber in Nebraska? It depends on which layers apply. State registration is $40 a year as of August 1, 2026. In Omaha a master pays a $75 exam fee, a $100 original license fee and $75 a year to renew, plus the $10,000 bond and $1,000,000 insurance. In Lincoln a master pays a $208 exam fee and $75 a year, and a Master Contractor registration is $250 a year, plus insurance and any bond; bond premiums vary with your credit and the surety.

How long does it take to become a master plumber in Nebraska? In Omaha, about eight years: a four consecutive year apprenticeship, then four consecutive years holding an Omaha journeyman license. In Lincoln, four years of practical experience before the journeyman exam, then one year as a journeyman before the master exam. Lincoln's education substitutions can shorten the journeyman path.

Can I use my Omaha plumbing license in Lincoln? Not directly. They are separate credentials issued under separate municipal codes, with different fees and renewal windows. Lincoln does let a holder of a license earned by exam elsewhere sit the matching Lincoln exam without more qualifications, and Omaha accepts a license from a city of equivalent size with similar criteria as a path to its exams.

Do I need contractor registration if I only do small jobs? Under 48-2104(1), a person who earns less than $5,000 a year for construction services is not a contractor for purposes of the Act. That exemption does not touch Nebraska withholding requirements. It also does not exempt you from any city plumbing license or permit.

What happens if my Omaha license expires? You have until March 31 to renew normally. After that, the board may reinstate you within twelve months at four times the original renewal fee, if your continuing education is current. Past twelve months, 49-216 requires you to pass the exam again.

Can a plumbing company operate in Omaha without a master plumber on staff? No. Section 49-200(c) requires an executive officer who holds a master plumber license, and 49-210 ties that license to one company where the master is a full time employee. The only exception is a master who owns 50 percent or more of more than one company.

Who licenses electricians in Nebraska? The state. Electrical licenses are issued statewide by the Nebraska State Electrical Board and Division, the reverse of plumbing. Omaha then requires a city certificate of registration on top of the state license (Omaha Municipal Code 44-51 and 44-52). See our Nebraska electrician license guide.

Talk to Us About Qualifying Your Nebraska Plumbing Company

If you are opening the Omaha or Lincoln market and need a master plumber on your payroll, call The Licensing Company at 615-219-2110 or tell us about your company. We will walk through the city rules that apply to your jobs and what a full time qualifier would need to meet them. Working in more than one state? Our state licensing directory covers the rest of the country, and plumbers who hold an active master license can become a qualifying agent.

Sources

All retrieved 2026-09-27.

• Nebraska Legislature: Contractor Registration Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117
• Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2107, fees (Laws 2026, LB847)
• Nebraska Legislature: LB847 as approved by the Governor April 7, 2026
• Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901, plumbing boards
• Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1909, license term
• Nebraska Department of Labor: Who Needs to Register
• Nebraska Department of Labor: Contractor Registration system
• Omaha Municipal Code, Chapter 49, Article II, Licensing
• Omaha Municipal Code, Chapter 49, Article III, Permits, Inspections and Fees
• Omaha Municipal Code, Chapter 19, Article II, Schedule (sections 19-73 and 19-74)
• City of Omaha Planning Department: 2026 Plumbing Board, exam schedule (Wayback Machine capture of March 4, 2026)
• City of Omaha Plumbing Board: Journeyman and Master Plumber Examination Application (Wayback Machine capture)
• Omaha Municipal Code, Chapter 49, Article I, Administration (sections 49-100, 49-117, 49-118)
• Omaha Municipal Code, Chapter 44, Article III, Electricians
• City of Lincoln: Plumbing Trade Registration
• City of Lincoln: Plumbing Trade Exams
• City of Lincoln: Plumbing Journeyman qualifications
• City of Lincoln: Plumbing Master qualifications
• City of Lincoln: Plumbing Examination Details
• City of Lincoln: Contractor Bond, Insurance and Registration Requirements
• IAPMO: Nebraska License Testing
• City of Kearney: Building Services
• City of Kearney: Building Information
• Nebraska State Electrical: 2025 to 2026 License and Registration Fees