Nebraska · Checked October 22, 2026
Registration only. Nebraska has no roofing license and no contractor exam. Every contractor and subcontractor doing construction business in Nebraska — roofers included — must register with the Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act and renew annually. Registration is about tracking the business and its workers' compensation cover, not about proving roofing skill, and some cities, notably Omaha, add their own contractor licensing on top.
| Item | Nebraska |
|---|---|
| Regime | Contractor Registration (Department of Labor) — no trade license for roofers |
| Exam | None. No state exam, experience or education requirement for contractor registration or for roofing work. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | $40 annual application/renewal fee effective Aug. 1, 2026 (Nebraska Department of Labor guidance under Neb. Rev. Stat. §48-2107) |
| License / registration fee | No separate license fee — the $40 is the registration fee |
| Total state cost | $40 per year in state fees (online payment may add a small convenience fee — an agency listing shows $40 + $3). Before Aug. 1, 2026 the fee most contractors paid was $25, which is the figure still shown in older Department of Revenue FAQs — see law_changes. — Fee drift: secondary roundups still quoting $25 are quoting the pre-August 2026 fee. The DOL registration page states: 'Contractor Registration annual fee increases to $40.00 effective August 1, 2026.' |
| Bond | No state bond minimum published |
| Insurance minimums | All contractors with one or more employees must file a current Workers' Compensation Certificate of Insurance (ACORD 25) with the Department of Labor listed as certificate holder, and keep it updated — a contractor whose cover lapses is removed from the registered list until an updated certificate arrives (DOL). General liability insurance is NOT required for the state registration. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | Not published by DOL in the sources checked. Registration is an online application through dol.nebraska.gov and is renewable for a 12-month period beginning with the month of registration. |
| Renewal | Annual, $40 from Aug. 1, 2026. Contractors must also keep the workers' compensation certificate current throughout the year, not just at renewal. |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor Registration | both | One registration class for all contractors and subcontractors who engage in or arrange work on real property other than their own. No roofing subclass, no trade endorsement. A person who works only on their own property, and a person earning under $5,000 a year from contracting, is not a 'contractor' under the Act (agency listing summary). |
License trigger: $5,000 — Annual earnings from contracting. A person who earns less than $5,000 annually from contracting is excluded from the Act's definition in the agency listing checked. Separately, the $40 registration fee itself is waived for a self-employed contractor who pays no more than $3,000 a year to employ others (Neb. Rev. Stat. §48-2107(2)) — the registration still applies; only the fee is waived.
Subcontractors must register in their own right — the Act and the Department of Revenue database both treat general contractors and subcontractors as 'contractors' who must be registered before performing construction work in Nebraska. A contractor who pays a subcontractor who is NOT in the database must withhold 5% of payments and remit it as income tax withholding to the Department of Revenue.
Omaha is the main added layer: secondary sources describe Omaha/Douglas County contractor licensing (including a Class E category), a $25,000 bond and a $150 annual registration for some exterior work, plus Lincoln Building & Safety registration. Amounts are secondary — verify with the city before quoting. Permits are local everywhere.
No specific deductible-waiver statute found. No Nebraska statute specifically barring a contractor from advertising, offering or paying a homeowner's insurance deductible was located in primary searching on 2026-10-22. General fraud and consumer-protection law may still apply — do not read this as permission.
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