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Nebraska issues a contractor registration through the Nebraska Department of Labor, Contractor Registration. A person who performs work or has work performed on his or her own property, or who earns less than five thousand dollars a year for construction services, is not a contractor for purposes of the act. As of August 1, 2026, the annual registration fee is $40 per year, and each registration is renewed annually.
Nebraska · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-07
State license
Contractor registration (no exam)
The Nebraska Department of Labor says the Nebraska Contractor Registration Act requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in Nebraska to register with the department. The act says that before performing any construction work in Nebraska, a contractor shall be registered with the department.
Contractor registration (no exam). The Nebraska Department of Labor says the Nebraska Contractor Registration Act requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in Nebraska to register with the department. The act says that before performing any construction work in Nebraska, a contractor shall be registered with the department.
Threshold. A person who performs work or has work performed on his or her own property, or who earns less than five thousand dollars annually for construction services, is not a contractor for purposes of the Contractor Registration Act.
The Nebraska Contractor Registration Act requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in Nebraska to register with the Nebraska Department of Labor.
Any person who performs work or has work performed on his or her own property or any person who earns less than five thousand dollars annually for construction services is not a contractor for purposes of the Contractor Registration Act.
An individual, firm, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, or other association of persons engaged in the business of the construction, alteration, repairing, dismantling, or demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, viaducts, sewers, water and gas mains, streets, disposal plants, water filters, tanks and towers, airports, dams, levees and canals, water wells, pipelines, transmission and power lines, and every other type of structure, project, development, or improvement within the definition of real property and personal property; it also includes any subcontractor engaged in the business of such activities and any person providing or arranging for labor for such activities
(3) Contractor means an individual, firm, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, or other association of persons engaged in the business of the construction, alteration, repairing, dismantling, or demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, viaducts, sewers, water and gas mains, streets, disposal plants, water filters, tanks and towers, airports, dams, levees and canals, water wells, pipelines, transmission and power lines, and every other type of structure, project, development, or improvement within the definition of real property and personal property, including such construction, repairing, or alteration of such property to be held either for sale or rental. Contractor also includes any subcontractor engaged in the business of such activities and any person who is providing or arranging for labor for such activities, either as an employee or as an independent contractor, for any contractor or person;
Workers' compensation. Proof of workers' compensation insurance coverage in force, a certificate of self-insurance approval from the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, or a signed statement that the contractor is not required to carry workers' compensation insurance; the department says all contractors with one or more employees provide a current Workers' Compensation Certificate of Insurance (ACORD 25) with the Department of Labor listed as the certificate holder. Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-2105(7); Nebraska Department of Labor, Contractor Registration home (Wayback capture)
(7) Proof of (a) a certificate or policy of insurance written by an insurance carrier duly authorized to do business in this state which gives the effective dates of workers' compensation insurance coverage indicating that it is in force, (b) a certificate evidencing approval of self-insurance privileges as provided by the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court pursuant to section 48-145, or (c) a signed statement indicating that the contractor is not required to carry workers' compensation insurance pursuant to the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act;
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.
Fee set by statute for each application or renewal, not to exceed forty dollars; a contractor is not required to pay it if the contractor is self-employed, does not pay more than three thousand dollars annually to employ other persons in the business, and states so under oath or equivalent affirmation in the application, or if the contractor only engages in the construction of water wells or installation of septic systems
(2) A contractor shall not be required to pay the fee under subsection (1) of this section if (a) the contractor is self-employed and does not pay more than three thousand dollars annually to employ other persons in the business and the application contains a statement made under oath or equivalent affirmation setting forth such information or (b) the contractor only engages in the construction of water wells or installation of septic systems.
The Commissioner of Labor issues a citation to a contractor when an investigation reveals that the contractor has violated the requirement that the contractor be registered, or that its registration information be substantially complete and accurate. The commissioner notifies the contractor of the proposed administrative penalty, if any; the administrative penalty is not more than five hundred dollars for a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars for a second or subsequent violation.
(1) The commissioner shall issue a citation to a contractor when an investigation reveals that the contractor has violated: (a) The requirement that the contractor be registered; or (b) The requirement that the contractor's registration information be substantially complete and accurate.
(2) When a citation is issued, the commissioner shall notify the contractor of the proposed administrative penalty, if any, by certified mail or any other manner of delivery by which the United States Postal Service can verify delivery. The administrative penalty shall be not more than five hundred dollars in the case of a first violation and not more than five thousand dollars in the case of a second or subsequent violation.
Registration under the Contractor Registration Act
Nebraska's credential for contractors is a contractor registration. The Nebraska Department of Labor states that the Nebraska Contractor Registration Act requires contractors and subcontractors doing business in the state to register with the department [1]. Section 48-2104 requires a contractor to be registered with the department before performing any construction work in Nebraska [2].
The same section leaves two groups outside the act's meaning of "contractor": people whose work is done on their own property, and people earning less than five thousand dollars a year for construction services [2].
Who the definition reaches
The act defines the term in section 48-2103 [3]. The definition covers individuals and the business forms it lists, such as firms, partnerships and corporations, engaged in building, altering, repairing, dismantling or tearing down a long run of structures, starting with buildings and roads and running through sewers, dams, water wells, pipelines and power lines, then closing with any other structure, project, development or improvement within the definition of real property and personal property. It also takes in subcontractors in those lines of work and anyone providing or arranging labor for that work, whether as an employee or as an independent contractor [3].
What an applicant files
Workers' compensation is one condition spelled out for the registration. Section 48-2105 asks for proof of one of three things: an insurance certificate or policy showing that workers' compensation coverage is in force, a certificate of self-insurance approval from the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court, or a signed statement that the contractor is not required to carry that insurance under the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act [4].
The department adds a rule for employers: every contractor with one or more employees must provide a current ACORD 25 certificate of insurance naming the Department of Labor as certificate holder [1].
Fee and annual renewal
As of August 1, 2026, the annual registration fee is $40 per year [1], the amount the department announced as an increase taking effect on that date.
The statute frames the fee separately. Section 48-2107 attaches a fee to each application or renewal and sets a ceiling on it [5]. The same section lifts the fee in two situations. The first is a self-employed contractor who pays no more than three thousand dollars a year to employ others in the business and says so in the application under oath or equivalent affirmation [5]. The second is a contractor whose only work is building water wells or installing septic systems [5].
On timing, section 48-2105 makes the registration a yearly one: each application is renewed annually when the fee set in section 48-2107 is paid [4].
Citations and administrative penalties
When an investigation shows that a contractor failed to register, or that its registration information was not substantially complete and accurate, section 48-2114 directs the Commissioner of Labor [3] to issue a citation [6].
After a citation, the commissioner notifies the contractor of the proposed administrative penalty, if any. The statute caps that penalty at five hundred dollars for a first violation and at five thousand dollars for a second or subsequent violation [6]. Both figures are ceilings rather than set amounts.
