Nebraska plumbing license: there isn't a state one. What Omaha, Lincoln and your registration require, and your first 30 days

Published November 3, 2026 · Law checked November 3, 2026

• Free. The 30-day checklist comes by email, as a PDF, a Word file or a Google Docs copy. The full list is also on this page.
• 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. Every rule here links to the statute, city code, utility rule or agency page it comes from. Ask your city's permit office or a Nebraska attorney before you bet a job on my reading.

Nebraska has no state plumbing license. Your Department of Labor registration lets the business do construction work, but it licenses no trade.² The plumbing license comes from the city. Anywhere a city or village has set up a plumbing board, it's unlawful to "do any plumbing" without that board's license, and state law makes Omaha have one.¹ Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Columbus and Gering license plumbers too.^{10,14,15,17,18} In those cities a person holds the license, and a business gets permits only through a master: in Omaha an executive officer of the company holds the master license and the city wants a $10,000 bond and $1,000,000 of insurance on file; in Lincoln the firm registers as a master plumber contractor and carries $500,000 of insurance naming the city.^6,10

"In my state you are required to hold a master's license to open a legit business," a plumber wrote on r/Plumbing. In Nebraska that's true city by city, and false in a town with no plumbing board. So the answer to "what does my license let me do" comes in layers: the state registration, the city license for each person, the business's standing with that city (bond, insurance, a master in charge), the permit for the job, and the water and gas utility at the end. Below I go through each, then the 30-day checklist, a "can I take this job?" table and what crossing the line costs. I read the statutes, the Omaha and Lincoln codes, the other cities' ordinances and the utilities' rules on November 3, 2026. The registration has its own article, Nebraska contractor registration, and so does the contract side (cancel notices and deposits): Nebraska contract template.

One date first, if you work in Omaha: every Omaha plumbing license expires on December 31 each year, including one issued this fall, and masters and journeymen report 8 hours of continuing education by that date.⁶

Get the checklist three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (lands in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links. It's the same list as the one further down this page, laid out to print and tick off, with blanks for your license, registration, bond, policy and permit numbers and your renewal dates.

Registration, city license, permit: the layers

Sources for the table: registration,² Omaha,^6,7 Lincoln,^10,12 Bellevue.¹⁴

Which layer you may be missing

• If you registered the business but nobody in it holds a city license, you can't plumb for pay in Omaha, Lincoln or the other licensing cities. In Omaha even a faucet swap for a customer needs a license; only the owner or the owner's own employees may do minor repairs without one.⁶ Your options are a master who works in the company or owns a share of it, or subbing the plumbing to a licensed company.
• If you hold a journeyman license and just registered your own business, the journeyman license doesn't let you contract. Omaha's journeyman works "in the employment or under the supervision of a master plumber," and Lincoln's journeyman is "employed by a master plumber."^6,10 Omaha's master exam needs four consecutive years as an Omaha journeyman; Lincoln's needs one year as a Lincoln journeyman.^6,12
• If you hold a master license in one city, it doesn't carry to the next. Each board licenses for its own city.¹ Lincoln lets someone licensed by exam elsewhere sit its exam without more qualifications, and Bellevue and Grand Island can accept an equivalent license.^12,14,15
• If your registration says "Residential Building Construction," you're probably a remodeler. The plumbing on your remodels still needs the city license and a permit pulled by a license holder: in Lincoln that's a registered master plumber contractor.^6,10
• If it says "Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning" and the business is mostly HVAC, the heating and cooling side has its own city licenses (Omaha's ACAD and steamfitter licenses, Lincoln's HVAC registration). See "Where your plumbing license stops" below.

Who licenses plumbers in Nebraska: the cities, not the state

The statutes are short. Omaha, the only city of the metropolitan class, "shall" have a plumbing board; Lincoln (primary class) "may"; every other city and village "may."¹ A board examines applicants and issues a license "authorizing him or her to do plumbing in such city or village," and once a board exists, "It shall be unlawful for any person to do any plumbing in any city or village ... which has established a plumbing board unless the person holds a proper license."¹ There's no state board, no state exam and no state plumbing license number. That's also why the top search results for "Nebraska plumbing license" that quote a state application fee are wrong.

The cities I confirmed license plumbers, and how far their rules reach:

• Omaha: the city and its three-mile extraterritorial zone.⁶
• Lincoln: the city and three miles out.¹⁰
• Bellevue: the city and its two-mile zoning jurisdiction.¹⁴
• Grand Island: masters and journeymen must work for a registered contracting master plumber.¹⁵
• Kearney: plumbers register before starting work, and permits cover the city and two miles out.¹⁶
• Columbus: journeyman and master exams "with Gas" through IAPMO.¹⁸
• Gering: every plumbing contractor "shall be or shall employ" a licensed master.¹⁷

Others may have boards too. I didn't check Fremont, Hastings, Norfolk, North Platte, Papillion, La Vista, Scottsbluff or South Sioux City, so call the building department before your first job in any town.

Outside city limits there's one more rule. The nearest city or village may collect permit fees and inspect sanitary plumbing in the countryside, except in a single-family home or a farm or ranch building, under its own ordinance. If it has no plumbing ordinance, the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code applies to those buildings.¹

Omaha plumbing license: what the Omaha plumbing board issues

The Omaha plumbing board writes the rules for plumbing and sewer work in Omaha and examines masters and journeymen. It meets the first Wednesday of each month and gives exams in February, May, August and November; first-time applications are due by the 15th of December, March, June and September.⁷

Sources for the table: Omaha's plumbing chapter⁶ and the city's licensing page.⁷

What the Omaha business needs

• A master as an officer. When a partnership, corporation or other entity does plumbing, "at least one executive officer, who is liable to service of regular processes, shall be required to hold a master plumber" license (or the water conditioning or lawn sprinkler contractor license for those trades).⁶
• One company per master. The master license is "valid and in effect for one company or business, for whom the license holder is a full time employee," unless the master owns 50% or more of more than one company.⁶
• Bond and insurance before the first permit: "a certificate of insurance confirming combined coverage for bodily injury and property damage of at least $1,000,000.00" and "a bond of $10,000.00." A master who does building sewers, storm sewers or water services files another $20,000 street excavation bond.^6,7 Send them to Plumbing@cityofomaha.org.
• Name on the trucks: the license holder's or company's name "on both sides of the vehicle," letters at least two inches tall, and the license displayed at the place of business.⁶
• Registration with the board: full name, residence and place of business, with changes reported within 30 days.⁶
• A plan for the day the master leaves. If a master dies or resigns, the business may apply for a temporary license for up to one year, held by a journeyman who has been licensed at least four years.⁶ Without one, the business has no one to pull permits.
• Renewal every December 31, with 8 hours of board-approved continuing education reported by then for masters and journeymen (4 for sewer layers, water conditioning and lawn sprinkler contractors). Renewals are granted without an exam through March 31; within 12 months the late fee is four times the renewal fee; after that it's the exam again.⁶

The Omaha plumbing code

Omaha writes its own plumbing code into chapter 49 of the municipal code, and the city lists the current edition as the 2018 Omaha Plumbing Code.^6,7 Licensing, permits, fees and the technical rules all sit in that one chapter, and continuing education can cover "Omaha Plumbing Code, MUD rules."⁶ Two items that come up on every water heater: the gas line is sized "using MUD requirements" with a shutoff within two feet of the heater, and vents follow the Metropolitan Utilities District's rules and NFPA 54.⁶

Lincoln plumbing license: registration as a master plumber contractor

Lincoln calls its licenses registrations and has four plumbing classes. A master plumber contractor and a master plumber are both skilled in "plumbing and drainage and gas piping," but only the master plumber contractor can take out permits. A journeyman is "employed by a master plumber," and an apprentice works "under the direct supervision and on the same job site" of a master or journeyman. The rule reaches "the city, or within three miles thereof."¹⁰

• The firm: a corporation, firm or partnership registers as a master plumber contractor in its own name, but only with "a master plumber contractor as a bona fide employee or partner ... who shall at all times be in actual charge." If that person leaves, the firm must tell the city at once, and the city recommends revoking the firm's registration. No grace period is written in.¹⁰
• Insurance: a general liability policy with "a minimum combined single limit of $500,000.00 aggregate for any one occurrence," an endorsement naming the City of Lincoln as additional insured, a waiver of subrogation, and 30 days' notice to the city before the insurer may cancel. The certificate needs the policy number (binders aren't accepted) and the master's name as an insured. If the insurance lapses, so does your right to permits.^10,12
• Bond: a $5,000 payment bond only if you'll dig in public ways.¹⁰
• Exams: third Thursday of February, May, August and November; apply two weeks ahead. Master $208, journeyman $183. A master needs a year as a Lincoln journeyman (or a mechanical engineering degree plus two years, or a Nebraska PE); a journeyman needs four years' practical experience.^10,12
• Yearly registration: master plumber contractor $250, master $75, journeyman $50, apprentice $25. All expire May 31; renew between March 1 and May 31, with 10 hours of continuing education for masters and 6 for journeymen. More than 60 days late means the exam again.^10,12
• Before the first permit: the Contractor Registration Form, a Citizen Access account set up as a contractor (24 to 48 hours for the city to add permissions), and the master contractor's annual registration online.¹²
• The code: the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with Lincoln's amendments, and the Lincoln Gas Piping Systems Code for gas.^10,11,12

Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Columbus and Gering

• Bellevue: "Only a licensed master plumber shall be allowed to contract for plumbing work," and at least one person in the firm must be a licensed master. A master's license needs a certificate of insurance of at least $300,000 combined, an established place of business with a sign, and licenses run through December 31.¹⁴
• Grand Island: masters and journeymen must be employees of a registered contracting master plumber. Licenses expire December 31, with six hours of continuing education a year.¹⁵
• Kearney: register with the Building Services Division before the first job, and get a permit for plumbing in the city and two miles out. Its journeyman and master exams run through IAPMO on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code.^16,18
• Columbus: journeyman and master exams "with Gas" through IAPMO, on the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code.¹⁸
• Gering: the contractor must be or employ a licensed master; a licensed contractor must be on site at every city inspection; nobody may put up a "plumbing" or "plumber" sign without a license. If the business loses its master, it gets 60 days to fix it before the city acts.¹⁷

Being someone else's master of record

If a shop asks you to be its master, read Omaha's and Lincoln's rules first. In Omaha your license works for one company where you're a full-time employee (or a 50% owner), you'd be its executive officer on paper, and letting anyone use your license to "secure a plumbing permit" is grounds for revocation, which lasts a year.⁶ Lincoln wants you "at all times ... in actual charge" and bans lending your name for a permit.¹⁰ The pay people mention online is thin ("$25k a year is what we pay our master of record," from a shop owner on r/Plumbing), and the abuse is familiar: "Most hire a master plumber in name only to pull permits" (a Colorado owner, r/Plumbing). The master-of-record question has its own article.

What a city plumbing license covers: gas, water heaters, backflow, drains

The city licenses I read have no dollar limits and no residential or commercial split. What changes from city to city is how far the plumbing license reaches into gas, backflow and the specialty trades.

• Gas piping. In Lincoln it's inside the plumbing registration: gas piping may be installed by a registered master plumber, a registered HVAC contractor or a master gas fitter, and journeyman plumbers may do it too. Lincoln also registers gas fitters on their own (master $50, journeyman $25, apprentice $15 a year).^11,12 Grand Island's master license names "fuel gas piping," and Gering's covers pipes for "fuels, or gases."^15,17 Omaha's plumbing chapter covers a water heater's gas line and vent; its steamfitting and pipefitting article lists natural gas and propane among the systems a master steamfitter covers, and says fuel gas follows NFPA codes and MUD's rules.^6,8 I didn't find a sentence saying which Omaha license pulls the permit for a gas line to a range or generator, so ask the permit office before you quote one.
• MUD's gas permit. In Omaha, the installer applies to MUD for a permit, and MUD inspects, for gas space heating, water heaters over 100,000 Btu an hour, conversions from another fuel and gas generators. A standard home tank water heater is under that line.⁹ In Lincoln, only the gas company may turn on gas service that's off.¹¹
• Water heaters, gas and electric. Omaha's plumbing system includes "domestic water heaters with connections and vents," and every new or replacement water heater needs a permit and inspection.⁶ Lincoln charges $8 for a gas or electric water heater on top of the $35 minimum.¹² The electrical circuit isn't yours (see below).
• Backflow testing. That's a separate state license, Grade VI water operator, earned with a minimum 32-hour backflow course and an exam run by the Department of Water, Environment, and Energy.¹⁹ MUD defines its certified technician as someone with the Grade VI license "and any license required by the plumbing code of the authority having jurisdiction," lets only them install, maintain and repair backflow devices, and takes test results only from its approved list.⁹ Lincoln Water System makes testers register every year in its Backflow Tester Portal.¹³ In Omaha, only a master plumber (or a journeyman working under one) installs the vacuum breaker or backflow preventer on a lawn sprinkler system.⁶ An owner who tests: "testing is ok, but repairs and replacements are where the money is really at" (r/Plumbing).
• Drain and sewer cleaning. Omaha registers drain cleaners ($50) and limits them to traps, pulling toilets and clearing lines through existing cleanouts.⁶ Lincoln counts "opening up and cleaning drain pipes" as minor repair needing no permit, license or registration.¹⁰ That fits what one plumber said of his own state: "You don't need a plumbing license to clean drains in my state but that limits how you can legally clean them (cant pull a toilet, etc.)" (r/Plumbing). In Omaha, pulling a toilet to clean the line is allowed on the registration.
• Water treatment. Omaha licenses water conditioning contractors and installers, and a master plumber's license covers it too. Lincoln issues water conditioning permits only to a registered water conditioning contractor, a master plumber contractor or the homeowner.^6,10
• Sewer and water service lines. Omaha's sewer layer license covers building sewers and small water services under a master; a master doing that work files the extra $20,000 street excavation bond.⁶ Lincoln homeowners can't do building sewers, water services or excavations, so those calls come to a contractor.¹²
• Fire sprinklers. A separate state certification from the State Fire Marshal for anyone who installs, repairs, maintains or inspects water-based fire protection, with a NICET Level III or IV person as owner or officer.²⁰
• Septic. The state certifies anyone "doing work associated with onsite wastewater systems."²¹
• Medical gas. Grand Island's master license names "medical gas and medical vacuum systems."¹⁵ Elsewhere, ask the city before you bid one.

Supervision: apprentices, journeymen and who may work alone

• Omaha: one apprentice for each regularly employed journeyman or master, counted across the business and on each job site; a master working alone may have one. Apprentices work under direct supervision until their final year, when they may do listed service and repair work alone (stoppages, leaks with up to 15 feet of pipe, like-for-like toilets, sinks and water heaters, faucets, backflow preventers). It's unlawful to employ an unregistered apprentice.⁶
• Lincoln: up to three apprentices per master or journeyman at a job site, always on the same job site as their supervisor.¹⁰ A plumber in another state put the same number plainly: "A licensed guy cannot supervise anymore than 3" (r/Plumbing).
• Bellevue: journeymen working for a master "work unattended on jobs and may supervise, not to exceed three, apprentices."¹⁴
• Grand Island: three apprentices per licensed plumber at a job site. Gering: two per licensed contractor since January 1, 2026.^15,17

Where your plumbing license stops

• Electrical. Nebraska licenses electricians statewide, and no one may wire for another without a state electrical license. Plugging an appliance into an outlet that's already there is exempt; running or changing a circuit for a water heater, tankless unit or sump pump isn't.²² Since July 18, 2026, knowingly and willfully breaking the State Electrical Act is a Class IV felony.²² Sub it to an electrician; the Nebraska electrical license article covers their side.
• HVAC on a boiler or furnace. In Omaha, air conditioning and air distribution need a master ACAD license, and hydronic heating piping is the steamfitter's license.⁸ Lincoln registers HVAC contractors separately.¹¹ Refrigerant work needs EPA Section 608 certification.²³ A plumbing license doesn't cover the furnace or the AC.
• Lead paint in pre-1978 homes. Opening painted walls for a repipe is renovation under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, which EPA runs directly in Nebraska. Past 6 square feet of painted surface in a room (20 outside), the firm needs EPA certification and a certified renovator on the job. The penalty is up to $49,772 per violation.²⁴
• The utility's side. MUD tests master backflow preventers itself, and in Lincoln only the gas company turns gas service on.^9,11

Nebraska plumbing permits: who pulls them, the water heater swap, the homeowner

Omaha

"It shall be unlawful for any person to begin any job of plumbing until a license holder has secured a permit."⁶ The exceptions are minor repairs (fixing leaks and repairing devices, fixtures and faucets), which a license holder may do without a permit. Emergency repairs can start first if the permit application goes in by the end of the next business day. Commercial work needs approved plans, except repairs, private homes and jobs of ten fixtures or fewer. If another license holder takes over a job, they need a new permit.⁶

Water heater swaps are where permits get skipped. "No plumber is pulling a permit to change a water heater unless someone is forcing him to do so," one plumber wrote (r/Plumbing). In Omaha the code does force it ("All new and replacement water heater installations require a permit and inspection"), and the math is lopsided: the permit fee for a home water heater replacement tops out at $11.35, while starting without one costs $100 or four times the fee, whichever is more.⁶

Lincoln

Every plumbing or drainage job needs a permit except minor repair work: fixing a leaking trap, water pipe or drain pipe, opening and cleaning drains, repairing or resetting existing fixtures, and replacing faucets, float valves, hoses or sump pumps. Replacing or moving pipes or fixtures, or changing the kind of fixture, takes a permit. Permits go only to a registered master plumber contractor, and they die if work doesn't start within 120 days or stops for 180.¹⁰ Inspect before anything is covered and again when the work is done.¹²

Sources for the table: Omaha,⁶ Lincoln.^10,12

Towns with no plumbing board, and outside city limits

No state plumbing license applies, but the town may still want a permit under its own building or plumbing ordinance, so call before you start. Outside city limits, the nearest city or village may permit and inspect sanitary plumbing in anything other than a single-family home or a farm or ranch building.¹ Your gas utility's rules, the state electrical license and EPA's lead rule apply everywhere.

The homeowner exemption

Lincoln issues a permit to the owner of a single-family home used only by that owner, for work "performed by owner without compensation or pay to any other person."¹⁰ Owners can do water heaters, fixtures and gas lines, but not building sewers, water services or excavations.¹² Omaha's plumbing chapter lets an owner or the owner's employees do a short list of minor repairs without a license (faucets and toilets without altering the system, clearing stoppages, minor softener and sprinkler repairs), and gives permits to license holders; I found no general homeowner plumbing permit in it.⁶ Omaha also makes it unlawful to "consent to" unlicensed plumbing on property you own or control, so a customer who offers to look the other way is taking a risk too.⁶

Your first 30 days: the checklist

This is the whole list. The printable version has the same items with boxes and blanks.

Week 1: licenses and the business

1. List every town you'll work in and find out which ones license plumbers: Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Columbus and Gering do; call the building department of any other.¹
2. Put a master behind the business in each licensing city. Omaha: an executive officer holds the master license, as a full-time employee or 50% owner. Lincoln: the firm registers as a master plumber contractor with one as a bona fide employee or partner in charge. Bellevue: at least one licensed master in the firm. Grand Island: a registered contracting master plumber.^6,10,14,15
3. If you hold a journeyman license, keep working under a master and apply for the master exam once you qualify (Omaha: four years as an Omaha journeyman; Lincoln: one year as a Lincoln journeyman). Omaha's next application deadline is December 15 for the February exam.^6,7,12
4. Form the LLC or corporation, or register your trade name, with the Nebraska Secretary of State.⁵
5. Check your Department of Labor registration: one number per business name, renewed every year at $40, and a workers' comp certificate (ACORD 25, with the Department as certificate holder) on file as soon as you have one employee.² Check the sales tax option on it too: if you never picked one, you're an Option 1 contractor, collecting tax on materials.⁴
6. Get workers' comp in place before the first employee starts. Willfully going without it is a Class I misdemeanor, and a court can add up to $1,000 a day.³
7. Register every apprentice before they work (Omaha $20 plus $1.60; Lincoln $25), and keep to the ratio: one per licensed plumber in Omaha, three per licensed plumber at a job site in Lincoln.^6,10,12

Week 2: insurance, bonds, city paperwork

1. Omaha: file a certificate of insurance for at least $1,000,000 combined and a $10,000 bond before your first permit, plus a $20,000 street excavation bond if you'll do sewers or water services. Register your name, residence and place of business with the board's recording secretary.^6,7
2. Omaha: letter every vehicle on both sides with the license holder's or company name, two-inch letters minimum, and display the license at your place of business.⁶
3. Lincoln: send the Contractor Registration Form, open a Citizen Access contractor account, complete the master plumber contractor's annual registration ($250), and send a certificate for at least $500,000 per occurrence, naming "City of Lincoln as an additional insured" with the endorsement page, a waiver of subrogation, the policy number and the master's name. Add a $5,000 payment bond if you'll dig in public ways.^10,12
4. Bellevue: the master's certificate of insurance for at least $300,000, and a place of business with a sign.¹⁴
5. Kearney: register with the Building Services Division before the first job.¹⁶ Any other town: ask what it wants on file.
6. Get the code books: Omaha's chapter 49 (the 2018 Omaha Plumbing Code); Lincoln's 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with its amendments and the Lincoln Gas Piping Systems Code.^6,7,10,11

Week 3: utilities, backflow, paperwork and the rest

1. MUD (Omaha): read Part VI of the Gas Rules so you know which jobs need a MUD permit and inspection (gas space heating, water heaters over 100,000 Btu an hour, conversions, gas generators).⁹
2. If you'll test backflow devices: book the 32-hour course and the Grade VI exam, then get on MUD's approved list and register in Lincoln's Backflow Tester Portal.^9,13,19
3. Put your license number, city registrations and business name on every quote and invoice (the plumbing invoice template has a spot). No state rule requires it, but inspectors and GCs ask for it first. In Gering, don't put up a "plumber" sign until you're licensed there.¹⁷
4. Line up subs for what your license doesn't cover: an electrician for circuits, HVAC, fire sprinklers, septic.^20,21,22
5. If you'll open painted walls in pre-1978 homes, get the firm EPA-certified and book the certified renovator course.²⁴
6. Ask your insurance agent in writing whether the policy covers work outside the license you hold and whether Lincoln's endorsements are on it. Keep the reply.
7. Calendar the dates: Omaha licenses December 31 every year, with continuing education reported by then; Lincoln registrations March 1 to May 31; Bellevue and Grand Island December 31; the Department of Labor registration every year; a Grade VI license December 31 of odd years with 10 hours of continuing education; every policy and bond renewal.^{6,10,14,15,19}

Can I take this job? A table for Nebraska plumbing contractors

The verdicts assume the business has the right master and registrations in Omaha or Lincoln and the house is a single-family home unless the row says otherwise. "No board" means a town without a plumbing board.

Sources for the table: the plumbing board statutes,¹ Omaha,^6,8 MUD,⁹ Lincoln,^10,11,12,13 Grade VI,¹⁹ electrical.²²

What happens if you cross the line

Plumbing without the city license

• State law: a misdemeanor with a fine of $50 to $500 "for each and every violation" in any city with a plumbing board. A licensed plumber who breaks the rules forfeits the license and can't get another for a year.¹
• Omaha: a misdemeanor under the plumbing chapter, punishable by up to $500, six months in jail or both. Once convicted, you get ten days to fix the work, and each day after that is a new offense. The owner who consents to unlicensed plumbing breaks the same rule.⁶
• License misuse: in Omaha, letting someone use your license to pull a permit is cause for revocation, which lasts a year before you can test again.⁶ Lincoln can suspend or revoke a registration for the same thing.¹⁰
• Gas piping in Lincoln without the registration: at least $200 for a first offense, up to $500 or six months, each day a separate offense.¹¹

Skipping the permit

In Omaha, work stops until the permits are issued, and the fee becomes $100 or four times the normal fee, whichever is more; the chief plumbing inspector can waive the penalty for an honest mistake. The city can also serve a written stop-work order, and working past it is its own violation.⁶ I didn't find a late-permit fee in Lincoln's plumbing code.

No registration, no workers' comp

Working unregistered with the Department of Labor costs up to $500 for a first violation and up to $5,000 after that, and drops you off the public list that general contractors check.² Willfully going without workers' comp is a Class I misdemeanor, with up to $1,000 a day on top.³

Getting paid, and insurance

The plumbing board statutes and the Contractor Registration Act say nothing about whether an unlicensed plumber can collect for the work, and I didn't search Nebraska case law, so don't read that as a promise either way. On insurance, Omaha and Lincoln require the policy, and in Lincoln a lapse ends your right to pull permits on the spot.¹⁰ Whether the policy pays on work outside your license is in its wording. Ask your agent in writing and keep the answer.

More for new plumbing contractors

• How much to charge per hour: service call minimum, first hour and flat prices, with a free rate sheet.
• Water heater replacement checklist: the code items, the permit and what to charge, with a free printable.
• You got your master plumber license. Now what? Stay for a raise or start your own plumbing business, with the numbers for each.
• Asked to be the master of record: what being a company's plumbing qualifier pays, and what it can cost you.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is the field service software I build, and it doesn't know Nebraska law. It won't track your license renewals, continuing education hours, bonds, insurance dates or which town licenses plumbers. What it does help with: the shop-wide terms text you set once is copied onto every quote, and the invoice footer onto every invoice, so your Omaha or Lincoln license number goes on every document without retyping. You can build a checklist template, say "Permit and inspection" with the permit number as a text item, rough-in and final as pass, flag or fail, and "MUD permit needed" as a checkbox, then add it to each job's estimate. The office and techs fill it in, each answer is stamped with who and when, and it never shows on the customer's copy. Equipment records hold a water heater's type, brand, model, serial number, year, fuel, gallons, venting, location, a nameplate photo and notes for the next call. Quotes can carry options, the customer signs on screen, and an optional card deposit is credited on the final invoice. Free covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team, with scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing and card payments; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices (pricing).

Frequently asked questions

Does Nebraska have a state plumbing license?

No. Nebraska licenses plumbers through city and village plumbing boards, not a state agency. Where a city or village has a plumbing board, state law makes it unlawful to do any plumbing there without the board's license. Omaha must have a board; Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Columbus and Gering license plumbers too. A license from one city doesn't let you work in another.

Do you need a plumbing license to run a plumbing business in Nebraska?

In a city that licenses plumbers, yes: the business needs a licensed master behind it before it can pull permits. Omaha requires an executive officer of the company to hold the master license, plus a $10,000 bond and $1,000,000 of insurance on file. Lincoln registers the firm as a master plumber contractor, with a master plumber contractor as an employee or partner in charge and $500,000 of insurance naming the city. In a town with no plumbing board, state law asks for no plumbing license, but every construction business still needs the Department of Labor registration.

Is a Nebraska contractor registration a plumbing license?

No. The Department of Labor registration ($40 a year) is required of any business that does construction for others once it earns $5,000 a year from it, and the Department says it 'does not ensure quality of work or protect against fraud.' It licenses no trade. The plumbing license comes from the city where the job is.

How do I get an Omaha master plumber license?

Through the Omaha plumbing board. The usual route is four consecutive years as an Omaha-licensed journeyman, then the master exam ($75), which the board gives in February, May, August and November. The license costs $100 plus an $8 tech fee. To run a business on it you also file a $10,000 bond and a $1,000,000 certificate of insurance with the city before you apply for permits.

What plumbing code does Omaha use?

Omaha writes its own plumbing code into chapter 49 of the municipal code; the city lists the current edition as the 2018 Omaha Plumbing Code. It covers licensing, permits and fees as well as the technical rules, and it points to the Metropolitan Utilities District's rules and NFPA 54 for water heater gas lines and vents. Lincoln, by contrast, uses the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with local amendments.

How do I renew an Omaha plumbing license?

Every Omaha plumbing license expires December 31 each year, including one issued in the fall. Masters and journeymen report 8 hours of board-approved continuing education by December 31. You can renew without an exam through March 31; within 12 months the late fee is four times the renewal fee; after that you take the exam again. The master renewal is $75 plus a $6 tech fee.

Does Lincoln require a plumbing license?

Yes. Lincoln registers master plumber contractors, master plumbers, journeymen and apprentices, by exam except for apprentices, in the city and within three miles of it. Only a registered master plumber contractor (or an owner working on their own single-family home) can get a plumbing permit. Registrations expire May 31; renew between March 1 and May 31 with 10 hours of continuing education for masters and 6 for journeymen.

Can I do plumbing in a Nebraska town that has no plumbing board?

State law asks for no plumbing license there, because the licensing statute applies only where a city or village has set up a plumbing board. The town may still require a permit under its own ordinances, and outside city limits the nearest city may permit and inspect sanitary plumbing in anything other than a single-family home or a farm or ranch building. Your Department of Labor registration, the electrical and gas rules and EPA's lead rules apply everywhere.

How do I get backflow tester certification in Nebraska?

Testers hold a Grade VI water operator license. Nebraska's Department of Water, Environment, and Energy runs the training and exams, and its exam form asks for a minimum 32-hour backflow prevention course. Then get on each water utility's list: MUD in Omaha accepts test results only from technicians on its approved list, and Lincoln Water System makes testers register every year in its Backflow Tester Portal. In Omaha, MUD also wants any plumbing license the city requires for the installation or repair.

How do I look up a Nebraska plumbing license?

There's no statewide plumbing license list. Omaha's Licensing Information page links its license search, and Lincoln posts a list of plumbing trade professionals on its plumbing page. The Department of Labor's contractor search at dol.nebraska.gov/conreg/Search shows whether a business is registered.

Can a homeowner do their own plumbing in Nebraska?

It depends on the city. Lincoln issues permits to the owner of a single-family home used only by the owner, for work done without pay, but not for building sewers, water services or excavations. Omaha's plumbing chapter lets an owner or the owner's employees do listed minor repairs without a license, such as replacing a faucet or toilet without altering the system, but permits go to license holders. In a town with no plumbing board, no state license applies to anyone.

Sources

1. Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 (plumbing board required in cities of the metropolitan class, optional in the primary class, first and second class cities and villages), 18-1904 (examinations), 18-1907 (license "authorizing him or her to do plumbing in such city or village"), 18-1909 (one- or two-year licenses), 18-1910 ("It shall be unlawful for any person to do any plumbing in any city or village ... which has established a plumbing board unless the person holds a proper license"), 18-1914 (misdemeanor, $50 to $500 per violation; forfeiture of license for one year), 18-1915 (nearest city's permits and inspection outside city limits, except single-family dwellings and farm or ranch structures; 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code where no ordinance). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
2. Contractor Registration Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117 (register before construction work; under $5,000 a year not a contractor; one number per business name; penalties up to $500, then up to $5,000; removal from the database), nebraskalegislature.gov; Nebraska Department of Labor, "Who Needs to Register" (registration "does not ensure quality of work or protect against fraud"; ACORD 25 for one or more employees; $40 from August 1, 2026), dol.nebraska.gov. Both read November 3, 2026.
3. Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-145.01 (willful failure to secure workers' compensation: Class I misdemeanor; up to $1,000 per violation, each day separate). nebraskalegislature.gov, read November 3, 2026.
4. Nebraska Department of Revenue, "Nebraska Construction Contractors FAQs" (Option 1 is the default when no option is selected). revenue.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
5. Nebraska Secretary of State, "Business Services Division" (corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trade names). sos.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
6. Omaha Municipal Code chapter 49, Plumbing: 49-100 (city and three-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction), 49-101 (unlawful to engage in or consent to plumbing without license and permit), 49-103 and 49-104 (misdemeanor; each day after ten days from conviction), 49-200 (executive officer holds the master license), 49-201, 49-203, 49-204 (exam fees), 49-206 ($10,000 bond), 49-207, 49-210 (one company; full-time employee or 50% owner), 49-211 (license misuse), 49-212 (vehicles, both sides, two-inch letters), 49-213, 49-214 to 49-218 (expiry December 31; renewal; four times the fee; continuing education 8 hours), 49-219 (temporary license on death or resignation), 49-231, 49-233, 49-241, 49-244, 49-245, 49-250 to 49-258 (apprentices; one per journeyman or master; final-year service work), 49-260 to 49-263 (sewer layer), 49-270 to 49-273 (water conditioning), 49-276 to 49-280 (lawn sprinklers; backflow device by a master or journeyman), 49-281 to 49-283 (sewer and drain cleaners), 49-300 to 49-309 (permits; minor repair; emergency work; fees; $1,000,000 insurance, $10,000 bond and $20,000 street excavation bond; $100 or four times the fee), 49-413 (minor plumbing repairs; plumbing system includes water heaters with connections and vents), 49-1600, 49-1602, 49-1609, 49-1611 (water heaters). library.municode.com; general penalty 1-10 (up to $500, six months, or both), library.municode.com. Read November 3, 2026.
7. City of Omaha Planning Department, "Licensing Information," Plumbing (master $100 plus $8 tech fee, renewal $75 plus $6 with 8 continuing education hours; journeyman $1 plus $19.50 badge plus $1.64; apprentice $20 plus $1.60; sewer and drain cleaner $50 plus $4; bond minimum $10,000 and insurance minimum $1,000,000 for master plumber, lawn sprinkler and water conditioning contractors), planning.omaha.gov; "Plumbing Board" (exams in February, May, August and November; application deadlines), planning.omaha.gov; "Codes / Amendments" (Omaha Plumbing Code, 2018 OPC), planning.omaha.gov. All read November 3, 2026.
8. Omaha Municipal Code chapter 40, Mechanical: 40-26 (master ACAD license for air conditioning and air distribution), library.municode.com; 40-458 (steam fitting and pipefitting covers hydronic heating and cooling piping, listing natural gas and propane), 40-474(c) ("Fuel gas system shall be installed under the guidelines of the applicable International, NFPA Codes and MUD regulations"), 40-490 to 40-492 (master and journeyman steamfitter licenses), library.municode.com. Read November 3, 2026.
9. Metropolitan Utilities District, Natural Gas Rules and Regulations, 2026, Part VI.B (installer applies for a permit; permits and inspection for gas space heating, water heaters over 100,000 Btu per hour, conversions and gas-fired generators; permits valid one year), mudomaha.com; Water Rules and Regulations, 2026, Part VI (certified backflow prevention technician: Grade VI Water Operator license "and any license required by the plumbing code of the authority having jurisdiction"; installation, maintenance and repair only by certified technicians; tests at installation and at least yearly; reports on the District's form; approved list), mudomaha.com. Both read November 3, 2026.
10. Lincoln Municipal Code chapter 24.12, Lincoln Plumbing Code: 24.12.005 (2021 Uniform Plumbing Code adopted), 24.12.065 (permit required; minor repair needs no permit, license or registration; permits only to a registered master plumber contractor or an owner-occupant), 24.12.085 (120 days to start; 180 days suspended), 24.12.125 (four classes; gas piping; three apprentices per licensee at a job site; city and three miles; firm registration with a master plumber contractor in actual charge; no name lending; expiry May 31; continuing education 10 and 6 hours; 60 days late means re-examination), 24.12.130 ($500,000 combined single limit per occurrence; additional insured; waiver of subrogation; lapse ends permit privileges; $5,000 payment bond for excavations), 24.12.484 (water conditioning permits). online.encodeplus.com, read November 3, 2026.
11. Lincoln Municipal Code chapter 24.05, Lincoln Gas Piping Systems Code: 24.05.010 (NFPA 54 and 58), 24.05.080 (only the gas supplier turns on service), 24.05.220 (gas piping by a registered master plumber, HVAC contractor under chapter 25.01, or master gas fitter; journeymen; apprentices in the immediate presence), 24.05.390 (misdemeanor; $200 minimum first offense, up to $500 or six months). online.encodeplus.com, read November 3, 2026.
12. City of Lincoln Building and Safety: Plumbing (homeowners may not do building sewers, water services or excavations), Plumbing Contractors (Contractor Registration Form; Citizen Access; master contractor's annual registration; $35 minimum; inspections), Plumbing Trade Registration (renewal March 1 to May 31; continuing education; yearly fees for plumbing, gas fitter and water conditioning registrations), Plumbing Trade Exams (exam fees; master and journeyman requirements; examination details naming the 2021 UPC, Lincoln amendments and the Lincoln Gas Piping Code), Plumbing Fees, Homeowner Plumbing Projects, Contractor Bond, Insurance, and Registration Requirements ($500,000 each occurrence; "City of Lincoln as an additional insured"; master's name on the certificate). All read November 3, 2026.
13. Lincoln Water System, "Backflow Testing Resources" (Grade VI testers register and submit documentation annually; reports through the Backflow Tester Portal). lincoln.ne.gov, read November 3, 2026.
14. Bellevue Municipal Code chapter 27: 27-26 (license in the city and two-mile zoning jurisdiction), 27-27 (experience and exams), 27-31 (master's insurance at least $300,000 combined), 27-32 (valid through December 31), 27-35 (place of business, sign, vehicles), 27-47 ("Only a licensed master plumber shall be allowed to contract for plumbing work"; journeymen may work unattended and supervise up to three apprentices). codelibrary.amlegal.com, 27-31, 27-47. Read November 3, 2026.
15. Grand Island City Code 26-44 to 26-47 (master scope including fuel gas piping and medical gas; masters and journeymen employed by a registered contracting master plumber; licenses expire December 31; six hours of continuing education; three apprentices per licensed plumber at a job site; reciprocity). codelibrary.amlegal.com, read November 3, 2026.
16. City of Kearney, "Plumbing Information" (permits in the city and within two miles; inspection before concealment), cityofkearney.org; "Building Services" ("All plumbers, electricians and building contractors performing work in the City's jurisdiction are required to register with the Building Services Division prior to starting work"), cityofkearney.org. Both read November 3, 2026.
17. Gering City Code 116.04 to 116.06 (license covers water, waste, fuels and gases; contractor must be or employ a licensed master; two apprentices per contractor from January 1, 2026; contractor on site at inspections; no "plumber" sign without a license; 60 days to replace a lost master). codelibrary.amlegal.com, read November 3, 2026.
18. IAPMO, "Nebraska License Testing" (Columbus journeyman and master plumber with gas, 2018 UPC; Grand Island and Kearney journeyman and master plumber, 2021 UPC; Lincoln tests itself). iapmo.org, read November 3, 2026.
19. Nebraska Department of Water, Environment, and Energy, "Operator Certification and Training" (water operator licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; 10 hours of continuing education), dwee.nebraska.gov; form WAT283, "Application for Water Operator Training Courses and Exams," rev. 7/2025 (Grade VI exam requires "the required minimum 32-hour backflow prevention training course"), dwee.nebraska.gov. Both read November 3, 2026.
20. Nebraska State Fire Marshal, "Water-Based Fire Protection" (contractor certification to install, repair, alter, add to, maintain or inspect; NICET Level III or IV responsible managing employee; expires September 30). sfm.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
21. Nebraska Department of Water, Environment, and Energy, "Onsite Wastewater Treatment: Professional Certification" (the Onsite Act "requires that anyone doing work associated with onsite wastewater systems be certified by the State of Nebraska"). dwee.nebraska.gov, read November 3, 2026.
22. State Electrical Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. 81-2108 (license required to wire for another), 81-2121(4) (no license to plug an appliance into approved outlets already installed), nebraskalegislature.gov; 81-2143 as amended by LB889, effective July 18, 2026 (Class IV felony to knowingly and willfully violate the Act), nebraskalegislature.gov; 28-105 (Class IV felony maximum), nebraskalegislature.gov. All read November 3, 2026.
23. EPA, "Section 608 Technician Certification" ("technicians who maintain, service, repair, or dispose of equipment that could release ozone depleting refrigerants into the atmosphere must be certified"). epa.gov, read November 3, 2026.
24. EPA, "Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" (Nebraska not an authorized state; "all firms, even sole proprietorships"), epa.gov; 40 CFR 745.83 (minor repair: 6 square feet per room inside, 20 outside), law.cornell.edu; 40 CFR 19.4, Table 1 ($49,772 per violation for penalties assessed on or after January 8, 2025), law.cornell.edu. All read November 3, 2026.