How HVAC licensing works in Nebraska

Journeyman level Licensed by cities or counties, not the state What's a journeyman?

The license pathway in Nebraska

1. 1

   Apprentice (city registration)

   • Omaha $25 + $2 tech fee; Lincoln $15 a year
   • Yearly

   In Omaha you register as an Apprentice ACAD/Sheet Metal Installer; in Lincoln you hold a mechanical apprentice license while working for a licensed journeyman or master contractor. [1][2][3]

2. 2

   Mechanical journeyman (Lincoln)

   • 3 years of experience
   • Yes, before you apply for the license; $50
   • $25 a year
   • Yearly (October 1 to December 31); 4 hours CE

   Three years of practical experience in mechanical equipment, for example by holding an apprentice license for three years. A two-year course counts as one year. [2][3][11]

3. 3

   ACAD journeyman (Omaha)

   • Yes
   • $35 + $2.80 tech fee initial; $120 + $9.60 renewal
   • Up to 2 years, expiring December 31 of odd-numbered years; 8 hours CE

   Omaha's journeyman license for air conditioning and air distribution work. The city lists an exam as required; confirm the experience rules with the Planning Department. [1]

4. 4

   Master mechanical contractor (Lincoln) / ACAD master (Omaha)

   • 1 year of experience
   • Yes: Lincoln master exam $400; Omaha ACAD master exam
   • Lincoln $350 a year; Omaha $50 + $4 initial, $160 + $12.80 renewal
   • Lincoln 8 hours CE; Omaha 8 hours CE

   Lincoln requires one year as a licensed mechanical journeyman before the master exam. Omaha's ACAD master needs an exam, a $10,000 bond and $300,000 of insurance. [1][2][3][11]

Who licenses HVAC work in Nebraska

Nebraska has no state HVAC or mechanical license. Cities license the trade: Omaha's Planning Department issues ACAD, steamfitter and related licenses, and Lincoln's Building and Safety Department issues mechanical licenses under Chapter 25 of the Lincoln Municipal Code. If you'll work elsewhere, ask that city's building department.

Two statewide rules still apply. Anyone who handles refrigerant needs federal EPA Section 608 certification. And HVAC companies, like other contractors, must register with the Nebraska Department of Labor before doing construction work if they earn $5,000 or more a year from it.

Electrical wiring for HVAC equipment falls under the State Electrical Act, which bars unlicensed people from wiring for others. The Act lets the board issue special electrician licenses for limited classes of work, including air conditioning and refrigeration installation. The State Electrical Division's fee list includes a Heating/AC/Refrigeration license ($37.50 a year) and it schedules HVAC specialty exams, but its board rule 1 lists air conditioning and refrigeration only among special licenses issued before 1993. Ask the State Electrical Division what your wiring work needs. [1][2][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Omaha

Omaha's Air Conditioning/Air Distribution licenses:

• Apprentice ACAD/Sheet Metal Installer: $25 + $2 tech fee, no exam; expires December 31 every year.
• ACAD journeyman: exam required; $35 + $2.80 to start, $120 + $9.60 to renew with 8 hours of continuing education (CE).
• ACAD master: exam required; $50 + $4 to start, $160 + $12.80 to renew with 8 hours of CE. Masters need a $10,000 bond and $300,000 of insurance.

Journeyman and master licenses last up to two years and expire December 31 of odd-numbered years. Renewing late adds penalty fees, and after 730 days you must retest. Omaha also licenses steamfitter journeymen and masters (exam required). See the city's licensing page. [1]

Lincoln

• Mechanical apprentice: work for a licensed mechanical journeyman or master mechanical contractor. Apply any time; $15 a year.
• Mechanical journeyman: at least 3 years of practical experience before the exam. Ways to get there include holding your apprentice license for three years; a two-year mechanical course counts as one year, and a four-year engineering degree as two. Exam $50; license $25 a year; 4 hours of CE to renew.
• Master mechanical contractor: one year as a licensed mechanical journeyman, then the exam ($400). License $350 a year; 8 hours of CE.

Lincoln also lists a Refrigeration-Mechanical Master Contractor license ($250 a year). You must pass the exam before applying for a journeyman or master license. Licenses renew October 1 to December 31; after 60 days expired, the license is revoked and you must retest. See Lincoln's mechanical registration page or call (402) 441-7521. [2][3][11][12]

Apprenticeships

• Union: Sheet Metal Workers Local 3 in Omaha trains apprentices in ductwork and other sheet metal work; graduates can go into service, welding or testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB). Contact (402) 650-7403.
• Open shop: ABC Nebraska/South Dakota runs a registered apprenticeship with NCCER curriculum and at least 144 classroom hours a year; its tuition list includes a four-year pipefitting program, and level 1 first-semester tuition is $1,600 at ABC member pricing.
• State office: the Nebraska Department of Labor approves apprenticeship agreements and links the Apprenticeship Finder.

More: how to get an apprenticeship and helper jobs. [13][14][15][16]

If you're licensed in another state

There's no state HVAC license to transfer. Nebraska's universal-recognition law (section 84-950) is written for boards created by state law and licenses whose qualifications the Legislature sets; it doesn't mention city licenses. Ask Omaha or Lincoln how they treat out-of-state experience. Your EPA 608 certification is federal and works in every state. See the reciprocity guide. [4][17][18][19]

Steps to get licensed in Nebraska

1. Get hired or join an apprenticeship

   Apply to Sheet Metal Workers Local 3 or ABC Nebraska/South Dakota, or get hired by a licensed heating and cooling contractor. [13][14]

2. Register with your city

   Omaha: Apprentice ACAD/Sheet Metal Installer ($25 + $2). Lincoln: mechanical apprentice license ($15 a year), apply any time. [1][2]

3. Get EPA 608 certified

   Pass an EPA-approved Section 608 test for the equipment you'll work on before you handle refrigerant. [4]

4. Pass the journeyman exam

   In Lincoln, after three years of practical experience, pass the mechanical journeyman exam ($50) before applying for the license. In Omaha, the ACAD journeyman license requires an exam. [1][2][3][11]

5. Renew and move up

   Keep up CE (Lincoln journeymen 4 hours, master contractors 8; Omaha ACAD 8). After a year as a Lincoln journeyman you can test for master mechanical contractor. [1][2][3]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train HVAC technicians in or for Nebraska, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  Sheet Metal Workers Local 3 apprenticeship (Omaha)

  SMART sheet metal apprenticeship combining paid on-the-job training and classes; graduates can become service technicians or TAB (testing, adjusting and balancing) technicians. Apply online. [13]

• Open shop

  ABC Nebraska/South Dakota apprenticeship

  Registered apprenticeship using the NCCER curriculum with at least 144 classroom hours a year; its price list includes a four-year pipefitting program. [14]

• State program

  Nebraska Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship

  The state office that approves apprenticeship agreements; links the federal Apprenticeship Finder. [15]

• Other

  U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Finder

  Search registered HVAC and sheet metal apprenticeships by location. [16]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask