Nebraska contract template: what you are required to include, and how much deposit you can take

Published November 3, 2026 · Nebraska Revised Statutes and the federal Cooling-Off Rule checked November 3, 2026

• Free. The download links come by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Have a Nebraska attorney read the template before you use it.

Nebraska has no law that says a home improvement contract must be in writing, and no cap on the deposit you can take. Two laws put the contract on paper anyway. Sell a job at the customer's home and the contract must carry Nebraska's "Buyer's Right to Cancel" notice: the customer gets three business days, and if they cancel you get nothing for work done inside them. When the homeowner's insurance pays for roof, siding or other exterior work, the Insured Homeowners Protection Act adds a signed deductible notice and an itemized estimate. Miss any piece of that one and the contract is void.

The deposit is whatever you and the owner agree. Refund it within 10 days if they cancel in time, and use the owner's money to pay the subs and suppliers on their job.

A contractor on Reddit summed up the problem with a generic form: "just googling a contract and hoping for the best won't get one that's written specifically for the state he works in."¹⁶ Nebraska's state-specific part is short, but each piece of it costs money when it's missing. I read the Nebraska statutes on home solicitation sales, insured home repairs, construction liens, contractor registration, consumer protection and prompt pay, plus the federal cooling-off rule, on November 3, 2026. Every rule below links to its source.

The template has all of it in the required wording. Get it three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (opens in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links.

Does this apply to you?

Nebraska's contract rules follow the job. Your license or registration type doesn't switch any of them off.

By trade

Remodelers, general contractors, flooring contractors and the other specialty trades (most of the newly registered Nebraska contractors we email): the cancellation notice goes in every contract you sign at the kitchen table. When a job is paid from insurance and it's exterior work or cleanup (siding after hail, a water or fire cleanup), the insurance law applies to you too. It isn't only for roofers.

Roofers: everything above, and the Insured Homeowners Protection Act is your law on every insurance job. It defines a residential contractor as someone in the business of contracting to "repair or replace a roof system or perform any other exterior repair, replacement, construction, or reconstruction work on residential real estate."³

Electricians: Nebraska licenses you at state level. Wiring for someone else needs a license from the State Electrical Board.¹³ The State Electrical Act says nothing about contracts, deposits or cancellation, so the same rules apply to you as to everyone else. The registration law has no exemption for licensed trades, so you register with the Department of Labor as well.⁶

Plumbers and HVAC contractors: Nebraska has no state plumbing or HVAC license. Cities license you; Omaha, for one, licenses mechanical, HVAC and plumbing work.¹⁴ No state contract rule is written for your trade, so the general ones apply. One case to watch: replacing a hail-damaged outdoor condenser that insurance pays for is "exterior repair, replacement" on my reading of the insurance law. I'd follow it.

Landlords and commercial customers: the federal rule covers purchases made "primarily for personal, family, or household purposes,"² and Nebraska's covers "consumer goods or services" without defining them,¹ so a landlord buying work on a rental is probably outside both. I'd still give the notice; it costs nothing. The insurance law reaches rentals: it covers any "owner or possessor" of a home for up to four families.³

Nebraska contractor contract requirements

No Nebraska statute lists what a home improvement contract must contain. The required items come from two laws. Here they are in the statutes' own words, with the wording I put in the template.

Signed at the customer's home: the Buyer's Right to Cancel and the FTC form

Nebraska's home solicitation law covers a sale of $25 or more "in which the seller or his or her representative personally solicits the sale, including those in response to or following the invitation by the buyer, and the buyer's agreement or offer to purchase is made at a place other than the place of business of the seller."¹ That's nearly every residential job you price at the house. The contract must contain this notice, "printed in capital and lowercase letters of not less than ten-point boldface type" under the caption BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL:¹

"You may cancel this agreement by mailing a written notice to (Insert name and mailing address of seller) before midnight of the third business day after you signed this agreement. If you wish, you may use this page as that notice by writing 'I hereby cancel' and adding your name and address."

The federal Cooling-Off Rule covers the same sales and asks for its own paperwork:²

• a bold statement of at least 10 points next to the customer's signature: "You, the buyer, may cancel this transaction at any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date of this transaction. See the attached notice of cancellation form for an explanation of this right.";
• two filled-in copies of a form captioned "Notice of Cancellation," with your name, your business address, the date and the cancel-by date;
• a completed copy of the contract handed over at signing, in the language you used to sell the job;
• telling the customer about the right out loud;
• no waiver of the right to cancel and no confession of judgment.

Nebraska says a contract with the FTC form complies with its law as long as the federal wording gives the customer "at least equal information."¹ So the template carries both: Nebraska's box on the Signatures page, with blank lines under it so the owner really can use "this page" as the notice, the FTC statement inside the Owner's signature box, and two FTC forms in Appendix A.

Three smaller Nebraska rules ride along. At the door you must "clearly and expressly disclose" your own name, your company's name and what you're selling. If you regularly sell in another language, the notice goes in English and in that language. And the notice is handed over when the customer signs, "but not before."¹

Paid from insurance: the deductible notice and the itemized description

When a job will be paid from a homeowner's property and casualty insurance, Nebraska Revised Statutes 44-8607 says "Any written contract, repair estimate, or work order" you prepare must include a notice "in capitalized fourteen-point type which shall be signed by the named insured and sent to the named insured's insurer prior to payment of proceeds."³ It opens like this:

"IT IS A VIOLATION OF THE INSURANCE LAWS OF NEBRASKA TO REBATE ANY PORTION OF AN INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE AS AN INDUCEMENT TO THE INSURED TO ACCEPT A RESIDENTIAL CONTRACTOR'S PROPOSAL TO REPAIR DAMAGED PROPERTY."

The full text runs two paragraphs and is in Appendix B of the template, in 14-point capitals, with lines for the insured's signature and for when it went to the insurer. Note the words "repair estimate": the notice belongs on your insurance estimates as well as the contract.

Two more duties come with it. "Prior to commencement of repair or replacement work," you give the insured and the insurer "an itemized description of the work to be done and the materials, labor, and fees" and "the total itemized amount agreed to be paid."³ Appendix C is a table for that. And you may not "rebate any portion of an insurance deductible," which includes "granting any allowance or offering any discount against the fees to be charged."³ Section 10 of the template promises it in plain words. Sample wording: "We will not rebate, waive or discount any part of your insurance deductible."

What else belongs in the contract

Nothing else is required by statute. The Nebraska Attorney General tells homeowners what to look for, and a contract that matches the list is easier to sign: "Make sure it includes a description of the work, the materials included, when the work will be finished, the price, and the contractor's contact information."⁸

Your Department of Labor registration number isn't required on the contract. I read every section of the Contractor Registration Act and none of them mentions contracts or bids.⁶ Put it on page 1 anyway; it's the first thing a careful homeowner looks up. Nebraska also doesn't require a lien notice in a prime contractor's contract (more on liens below). The template adds a plain-language lien section, a payment schedule, written change orders, a hidden-conditions clause, insurance, a workmanship warranty and lien waivers.

Nebraska contractor deposit law: how much can you take?

As much as the customer agrees to. Nebraska sets no cap. I read the home solicitation law, the Insured Homeowners Protection Act, the Construction Lien Act, the Contractor Registration Act, the Consumer Protection Act, the deceptive trade practices act, the Construction Prompt Pay Act and the theft statute, and none of them limits a residential deposit. None requires a trust account, an escrow or a bond for it either.

Someone on r/GeneralContractor asked the question every new contractor asks: "are you allowed legally to charge that much deposit?"¹⁷ In Nebraska the legal answer is yes. Four rules still shape it:

• Cancellation refunds. If a home sale is cancelled, "within ten days ... the seller shall cause any money paid by the buyer, including a downpayment, to be returned."¹ The federal rule says 10 business days;² Nebraska's 10 calendar days is the one to meet.
• No pay for early work. "If a seller performs any services pursuant to a home solicitation sale prior to its cancellation, the seller shall not be entitled to compensation."¹ Start inside the three days and you work for free if they cancel. Section 2.4 of the template says you won't start or order special-order materials until the period ends.
• Insurance jobs. When an insured owner cancels, you return "any payments, partial payments, or deposits" within ten days. The one thing you keep is the reasonable value of goods or services the owner agreed "in writing to be necessary to prevent damage to the premises," like a tarp on a hail-damaged roof.³ Template Section 10.5 is where the owner initials that.
• Pay your subs and suppliers from it. A contractor who receives payment and fails "to apply the money so received" to the claims of laborers and suppliers who could lien the job, "with the intent thereby to deprive or defraud the owner," commits a Class II misdemeanor, unless you hand the owner their written lien waivers.⁵ That's up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. Once a sub's lien is filed, holding the owner's payment more than 10 days without clearing it is "prima facie evidence" of that intent.

There's no Nebraska crime written for a contractor who takes a deposit and never starts. The general theft law covers obtaining property "by deception," but intent can't "be inferred from the fact alone that he did not subsequently perform the promise."¹¹ Getting money "by knowingly false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises" is also a deceptive trade practice.¹⁰

How to set the payment schedule

With no legal cap, the limit is what a homeowner will sign. The Attorney General's advice to them is short: "Negotiate a reasonable down payment, and only pay in full when the work is done to your satisfaction."⁸ So I'd size the deposit to the special-order materials plus a little to hold the date, and tie each later payment to something the owner can see: materials delivered, rough-in inspection passed, the final walk-through. That's how the table in Section 4 of the template is laid out, and 4.1 says in one sentence what the deposit pays for. The final payment comes when the work is done, with lien waivers from your subs and suppliers.

Insurance jobs need one more thought. The owner can cancel until three business days after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim isn't covered, and that can be weeks after signing.³ On my reading, the refund duty then covers everything except emergency work agreed in writing. So on an insurance roof I'd do the emergency work, wait for the insurer's written decision, and only then order shingles.

Nebraska's Construction Prompt Pay Act, with its 30-day payment rule and 10 percent retainage cap, "does not apply to improvements to real property intended for residential purposes when the residence consists of no more than four residential units."¹² On a house, the payment terms are whatever your contract says.

Cancellation: Nebraska's 3-day rule, the FTC rule and the insurance rule

A job sold at the home falls under two laws at once. An insurance-paid job adds a third. Where they differ, meet the stricter one.

Sources for the table: Nebraska's law,¹ the FTC rule² and the insurance law.³

The quiet trap is Saturday. The FTC counts it as a business day. Nebraska's law never defines the term, and the FTC rule leaves stricter state laws in force.² A later cancel-by date never breaks either rule, so count three days skipping Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays and write that date on the form. Sign on a Thursday and the customer has until midnight the following Tuesday.

The other trap is Nebraska's start date. The three days run from when you give the notice. Until you do, "the buyer may cancel the home solicitation sale by notifying the seller in any manner and by any means."¹ A contract without the notice can be cancelled after the job is finished.

When the 3-day rule doesn't apply

• The customer signs at your shop or office, or after negotiating there.
• The deal is done entirely by phone or mail, with no other contact before you do the work.
• The customer called you for a real emergency and hands you a dated, signed statement in their own handwriting that describes it and waives the right to cancel. A preprinted waiver doesn't count.
• The customer asked you to come and repair or maintain their personal property. Anything extra you sell on that visit, beyond the parts the repair needs, is covered again.^1,2 Neither law says whether a furnace or a water heater counts as personal property, so I'd give the notice on any replacement sold at the house.

A customer who approves your quote online a day after you priced it at their kitchen table is the gray area. The phone-and-mail exception covers only deals done "without any other contact," and you were standing in their kitchen. I'd treat it as a home sale and give the notice.

Other notices and paperwork

Nebraska construction liens: 120 days

Nebraska doesn't make a prime contractor give the owner a lien notice before or during the job. If you aren't paid, you record a lien with the county register of deeds "not later than one hundred twenty days after his or her final furnishing of services or materials," and, when the owner lives in the home (a "protected party"), send them a copy "within ten days after recording." Sending the copy on every job is good practice anyway.⁴ The lien is for the unpaid contract price and lasts two years, unless the owner sends a written demand that you sue, which gives you 30 days.⁴

If a customer hasn't paid, the Nebraska mechanics lien guide has the steps, every deadline and a demand letter.

The notice that matters belongs to subcontractors and suppliers. When the owner lives, or plans to live, in a home of up to four units (the law calls them a "protected party"), a sub's lien is capped at what the owner still owes the prime contractor when the owner receives the sub's written "notice of the right to assert a lien."⁴ If you sub for other contractors, send that notice early on owner-occupied homes. If you're the prime, expect to see one, and expect the owner to ask for lien waivers before paying you. A written waiver "requires no consideration and is valid and binding."⁴

Assignments of insurance benefits

Some storm contractors have the owner sign over the insurance claim. Nebraska allows it with conditions: the assignment goes to the insurer within five business days, says you've made no promise the loss will be covered, and carries a 14-point capitalized notice that starts "YOU ARE AGREEING TO ASSIGN CERTAIN RIGHTS YOU HAVE UNDER YOUR INSURANCE POLICY."³ The Department of Insurance tells homeowners "A homeowner is not required to sign a post-loss assignment."¹⁵ The template doesn't assign benefits (Section 10.8 says so). If you work that way, have an attorney write the assignment form.

Nebraska contractor registration and workers' comp

Registration is separate from the contract, but it's the first box on page 1. You register "before performing any construction work in Nebraska," with a separate number for each business name.⁶ The Department of Labor adds that "All contractors with one or more employees must provide a current Workers' Compensation Certificate of Insurance (ACORD 25)," and a contractor whose coverage expires is removed from the registered list.⁷ The FAQ below covers who has to register.

I found no Nebraska requirement for an arbitration notice, a recovery fund notice or an insurance disclosure in a residential contract.

What happens if you get it wrong

• Missing or wrong cancellation paperwork. The customer can cancel any time until you give the notice. You get nothing for work done before they cancel, and they can sue to "recover any sums paid" plus actual damages, court costs and "a reasonable attorney's fee."¹
• An insurance job that breaks the Insured Homeowners Protection Act. "A contract entered into with a residential contractor is void if the residential contractor violates any provision" of the act.³ A missing deductible notice, no itemized description, or a waived deductible each count.
• Deceptive practices in general. The Attorney General can seek a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation under the Consumer Protection Act or the deceptive trade practices act, and a customer can sue for actual damages plus attorney fees.^9,10 Nebraska's consumer act has no treble damages; the extra award for a deceptive practice is capped at $1,000.⁹
• Keeping the owner's money instead of paying subs and suppliers. A Class II misdemeanor when done with intent to defraud.⁵
• Not registered. An administrative penalty of up to $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 after that.⁶
• A late lien, or a lien in bad faith. Record after 120 days and there's no lien. Record one in bad faith, or overstate it, and the court can void it and make you pay the owner's damages, including attorney fees.⁴

The Nebraska construction contract template

It's a residential construction contract written for Nebraska, with five appendices. Page 1 collects the parties, your registration and any license numbers, the salesperson's name, the job address and county, whether the owner lives there, where the contract was signed, whether insurance is paying (with the insurer and claim number), and the price. Then:

• Sections 1 to 3: the work, a materials table with a special-order column, permits, cleanup, start and completion dates (no start inside a cancellation period), and the price (fixed, or time and materials with a cap).
• Section 4: a payment schedule table with the deposit, progress payments tied to milestones and the final payment; the 10-day refund promise; paying subs and suppliers from the owner's payments; lien waivers.
• Section 5: written change orders and hidden conditions.
• Section 6: construction liens in plain language, including the protected-party rule.
• Sections 7 to 9: subcontractors, registration, licenses, insurance and workers' comp, and a workmanship warranty.
• Section 10: insurance-paid jobs. The cancel-after-denial right, the 10-day refund, the itemized description, emergency work with the owner's initials, no deductible rebates, no assignment of benefits.
• Sections 11 to 14: owner duties, ending the contract, disputes in the job's county under Nebraska law, general terms.
• Signatures, with Nebraska's BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL box above the table and the FTC statement inside the Owner's box.
• Appendix A: two detachable FTC Notices of Cancellation. Appendix B: the 44-8607 deductible notice in 14-point capitals. Appendix C: the 44-8606 itemized description. Appendix D: a change order form. Appendix E: notes for you, to remove before the owner gets the contract.

Download it: copy it into Google Docs, get the Word file, or the PDF.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors. You write quotes with options, and a shop-wide terms text you set once is copied onto every quote, so the Nebraska clauses from this template can sit there. The customer approves the quote online and signs it on screen. You can ask for a deposit, a percent or a fixed amount, which they pay by card when they approve, and the deposit is credited on the final invoice. On Pro, this Nebraska contract is built in. Attach it to the estimate, and the customer reads it on the quote page, cancellation forms and deductible notice included, and signs it when they approve; your saved signature goes on when you send, and you both get the signed copy to print or save as PDF. Template, not legal advice. Have it reviewed for your business. Deepsel doesn't know Nebraska law, though. The terms text alone won't add the cancellation notice or the FTC forms, and Deepsel won't format the 14-point deductible notice, so on insurance jobs the signed Appendix B still goes with the quote. It doesn't check a deposit against any state limit either (Nebraska has none). And it collects the card deposit the moment the customer approves, so on a job sold at the home that money stays refundable for three business days. The Free plan covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team, with scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments, and customer and equipment records; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices. Details are on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Does Nebraska require a contractor license?

Not for general, remodeling or home improvement work. Nebraska registers contractors instead: before doing any construction work you register with the Nebraska Department of Labor, and the fee is $40 a year from August 1, 2026. Electricians are the exception at state level: wiring for someone else needs a license from the State Electrical Board. Plumbing, HVAC and some building contractors are licensed by cities. Omaha, for example, licenses building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors, so ask the city where the job is.

Do handymen need a license in Nebraska?

No state license, but the registration rule reaches you once you earn $5,000 a year or more from construction services. Below that, or if you only work on your own property, the Contractor Registration Act says you are not a contractor. Electrical work for others needs a state electrical license however small the job, and plumbing and HVAC work can need a city license.

What qualifies you as a contractor in Nebraska?

The registration law counts anyone in the business of building, altering, repairing or demolishing buildings and other structures, including subcontractors and anyone who supplies labor for that work. Two groups are left out: people working on their own property and people who earn less than $5,000 a year from construction services. The lien law uses a wider net: anyone who furnishes labor or materials to improve real estate, landscaping included, can have a construction lien.

Do I need workers' compensation to register as a contractor in Nebraska?

If you have one or more employees, yes. The application asks for proof of a workers' compensation policy, approved self-insurance, or a signed statement that you aren't required to carry it. The Department of Labor wants the certificate as an ACORD 25 with the Department listed as certificate holder, and a contractor whose coverage lapses is removed from the list of registered contractors until a new certificate arrives.

How much deposit can a contractor ask for in Nebraska?

Nebraska sets no limit on a residential deposit and no rule that it be held in trust or escrow. Three rules still shape it. A customer who cancels a home sale or an insurance-paid job in time gets every payment back within 10 days. On a home sale you can't be paid for work you did before they cancelled. And money the owner pays you has to go to the subcontractors and suppliers who could lien the job, or you hand over their lien waivers: keeping it with intent to defraud is a misdemeanor.

Is there a 3-day right to cancel a contractor contract in Nebraska?

Yes, when the sale is $25 or more and the customer agrees to it anywhere other than your place of business, including at their home after they invited you over. Nebraska's home solicitation law and the FTC Cooling-Off Rule both apply, and the customer has until midnight of the third business day. Jobs paid from property insurance get a second right: the owner can cancel until three business days after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim isn't covered.

What is the Nebraska Prompt Payment Act?

The Nebraska Construction Prompt Pay Act says an owner pays the contractor within 30 days of a payment request, the contractor pays subcontractors within 10 days of being paid, retainage is capped at 10 percent (5 percent after the job is half done), and late payments carry 1 percent a month interest once the payer has been told about the rule. It does not apply to homes of up to four units. On commercial work it also voids clauses that pick another state's law or an out-of-state court.

Is there a Google Docs, Word or PDF version?

All three, and all of them free. The Google Docs link makes a copy in your own Drive, the .docx opens in Word, and the PDF prints as is. The bold cancellation notices, the 14-point insurance notice and the change order form carry over in every format.

Sources

1. Neb. Rev. Stat. 69-1601 to 69-1607, home solicitation sales: 69-1601 (a sale of $25 or more "including those in response to or following the invitation by the buyer" made away from the seller's place of business; exclusions for prior negotiations at a retail establishment, the handwritten emergency waiver, mail or telephone only, and buyer-requested repair of "the buyer's personal property"; "consumer goods or services" undefined), 69-1602 (disclose name, firm and goods "at the outset"), 69-1603 (cancel "until midnight of the third business day after the seller has given notice"; notice by mail, effective when mailed), 69-1604 (the BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL notice, 10-point boldface; the FTC form complies if it gives "at least equal information"; other languages; delivery at signing "but not before"; cancel "in any manner and by any means" until the notice is given), 69-1605 (refund "within ten days"), 69-1606(5) (no compensation for services before cancellation), 69-1607 (recovery of sums paid, damages and attorney fees). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
2. Federal Trade Commission, Rule Concerning Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other Locations, 16 CFR Part 429: 429.0 ($25 at the buyer's residence, $130 elsewhere; "primarily for personal, family, or household purposes"; a business day is "any calendar day except Sunday or any federal holiday"), 429.1 (statement near the signature, Notice of Cancellation in duplicate, oral notice, no waiver, refund within 10 business days), 429.2(b) (state laws stand unless they give the buyer less). ecfr.gov, read November 3, 2026.
3. Neb. Rev. Stat. 44-8601 to 44-8608, Insured Homeowners Protection Act: 44-8602 (definitions of residential contractor and residential real estate), 44-8603 (cancel by the later of three business days after signing or after the insurer's written notice of non-coverage; refund "within ten days"; emergency work agreed in writing), 44-8604 (no deductible rebates, allowances or discounts), 44-8605 (post-loss assignments), 44-8606 (itemized description before work), 44-8607 (the 14-point capitalized deductible notice on "Any written contract, repair estimate, or work order"), 44-8608 (contract void on any violation). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. Neb. Rev. Stat. 52-125 to 52-159, Nebraska Construction Lien Act: 52-129 (protected party; residential real estate of "not more than four dwelling units"), 52-130 (real estate improvement contract, including landscaping), 52-131 and 52-136 (lien for the unpaid contract price; limit against a protected party), 52-135 (optional notice of the right to assert a lien; copy of a recorded lien to the owner "within ten days after recording"), 52-137 (record "not later than one hundred twenty days after" final furnishing), 52-140 (two years; 30 days after a demand to sue), 52-144 (written waivers), 52-157 (bad-faith liens: void, damages, attorney fees). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
5. Neb. Rev. Stat. 52-123 (failure "to apply the money so received" to lienable claims "with the intent thereby to deprive or defraud the owner", unless lien waivers are delivered; 10 days after a filed lien is prima facie evidence of intent), 52-124 (Class II misdemeanor) and 28-106 (Class II misdemeanor: "six months imprisonment, or one thousand dollars fine, or both"). 52-123, 52-124, 28-106, nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
6. Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117, Contractor Registration Act: 48-2103 (definition of contractor), 48-2104 (register "before performing any construction work in Nebraska"; one number per business name; under $5,000 a year or own property is not a contractor), 48-2105 (application, including workers' compensation proof or a signed statement), 48-2107 (fee "not to exceed forty dollars"), 48-2114 (penalty up to $500, then up to $5,000). No section on contract contents. nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
7. Nebraska Department of Labor, "Who Needs to Register": "All contractors with one or more employees must provide a current Workers' Compensation Certificate of Insurance (ACORD 25) with the Department of Labor listed as the certificate holder"; expired coverage removes a contractor from the registered list; "Contractor Registration annual fee increases to $40.00 effective August 1, 2026." dol.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
8. Nebraska Attorney General, "Protect Yourself in Home Repair" and the Contractor Checklist: "Make sure it includes a description of the work, the materials included, when the work will be finished, the price, and the contractor's contact information"; "Negotiate a reasonable down payment, and only pay in full when the work is done to your satisfaction." protectthegoodlife.nebraska.gov and ago.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
9. Neb. Rev. Stat. 59-1602 ("unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce shall be unlawful"), 59-1609 (actual damages, costs and attorney fees; increased award for 59-1602 "shall not exceed one thousand dollars"), 59-1614 (civil penalty up to $2,000 per violation of 59-1602), Consumer Protection Act. nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
10. Neb. Rev. Stat. 87-302(a)(16) (deceptive trade practice: obtaining money "by knowingly false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises") and 87-303.11 (civil penalty up to $2,000 per violation), Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act. nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
11. Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-512, theft by deception: "deception as to a person's intention to perform a promise shall not be inferred from the fact alone that he did not subsequently perform the promise." nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
12. Neb. Rev. Stat. 45-1201 to 45-1211, Nebraska Construction Prompt Pay Act: 45-1203 (30 days; 10 days to subs; retainage within 45 days of substantial completion), 45-1204 (retainage "shall not exceed a rate of ten percent", 5 percent after half complete), 45-1205 (1 percent a month interest after notice), 45-1207 (does not apply to residences of "no more than four residential units"), 45-1209 (out-of-state law and venue clauses void). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
13. Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-2108, State Electrical Act: "no person shall, for another, wire for or install electrical wiring, apparatus, or equipment unless he or she is licensed by the board." nebraskalegislature.gov; the compiled Act (sections 81-2101 to 81-2144, April 2024) has no section on contracts or deposits, electrical.nebraska.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
14. City of Omaha Planning Department, "Licensing Information": building contractor classes A to E, electrical, mechanical and HVAC, and plumbing licenses; Omaha electrical licenses require a current State of Nebraska license. planning.omaha.gov, read November 3, 2026.
15. Nebraska Department of Insurance, "Consumer Alert: Post-Loss Assignments" (OUT17307, Rev. 10/18): "A homeowner is not required to sign a post-loss assignment." doi.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
16. r/Contractor thread: "just googling a contract and hoping for the best won't get one that's written specifically for the state he works in." reddit.com.
17. r/GeneralContractor thread: "are you allowed legally to charge that much deposit?" reddit.com.