How plumber 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 plumber (city registration)

   • Omaha: 696 hours of related instruction in a board-certified program
   • Omaha $20 + $1.60 tech fee a year; Lincoln $25 a year
   • Yearly

   You work for a licensed plumbing contractor or journeyman while you learn. Omaha's Plumbing Board approves apprentice registrations; in Lincoln you can apply any time. [4][5][7][10]

2. 2

   Journeyman plumber (Omaha)

   • 7,000 hours on the job
   • 4 years of experience
   • 696 hours (Omaha apprenticeship standards)
   • Yes: plans, written and practical sections, given by the Omaha Plumbing Board four times a year
   • $54 test fee; license $1 + $19.50 badge + $1.64 tech fee
   • 8 hours CE

   You qualify by finishing a four consecutive year apprenticeship certified by the city, an equivalent course, or 7 consecutive years with at least 300 hours each year (7,000 hours total). [3][5][6][10]

3. 3

   Journeyman plumber (Lincoln)

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes, before you apply for the license
   • $183 exam; $50 a year
   • Yearly (March 1 to May 31); 6 hours CE

   Four years of practical experience, for example by holding an apprentice license for four years. A two-year plumbing course counts as one year. [4][7][11]

4. 4

   Master plumber

   • Yes: Omaha master exam (plans, practical and two written parts); Lincoln master contractor exam
   • Omaha $81 test fee, $100 + $8 license; Lincoln $208 exam, $250 a year as master contractor
   • Omaha 8 hours CE; Lincoln 10 hours CE

   Omaha requires four consecutive years as an Omaha-licensed journeyman. Lincoln's master plumbing contractor exam requires one year as a licensed journeyman. [3][4][5][6][7][11]

Who licenses plumbers in Nebraska

Nebraska doesn't issue a state plumber license. Instead, state law (Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 to 18-1913) creates city plumbing boards. Cities of the metropolitan class must have an eight-member plumbing board. Primary-class cities may have a five-member board, and other cities and villages may have a board of at least four members. Omaha has a Plumbing Board that examines journeyman and master plumbers; in Lincoln, the Building and Safety Department licenses plumbers.

In any city or village that has a plumbing board, anyone who wants to do plumbing must apply to the board for an exam. The law says the exam must be "practical as well as theoretical," covering plumbing, house drainage, ventilation and sanitation. In Omaha, a license also covers the city's extraterritorial zoning area. Renewals don't require a new exam unless the board finds you're no longer competent.

If you plan to work outside Omaha and Lincoln, ask that city or village whether it has a plumbing board and what it requires. [1][2][3][4][8][9]

Omaha

The City of Omaha Planning Department's Plumbing Board examines master and journeyman plumbers.

• Apprentice plumber: $20 + $1.60 tech fee a year, with board approval. Apprentice programs registered with the board use city standards: age 18, physically fit, high school education or GED, 696 hours of related instruction, and at least four years of on-the-job training with at least 1,750 hours a year.
• Journeyman plumber: under city code section 49-241 you need a four consecutive year apprenticeship certified by the city, an equivalent course, a training period of 7 consecutive years with at least 300 hours a year (7,000 hours total), or a journeyman license from a city of equivalent size with similar criteria. The test fee is $54.
• Master plumber: under section 49-231, four consecutive years installing plumbing while holding an Omaha journeyman license, or an equivalent master qualification. The test fee is $81.

Exams are given in February, May, August and November, in parts (plans, written and practical). Bring No. 2 pencils, a regular calculator and a straight edge. Applications are reviewed at the board's meeting; first-time testers file by the 15th of December, March, June or September. After a failed attempt you wait 90 days, or 180 days after a fourth failure. Journeymen and masters need 8 hours of CE to renew. Apply through the city's licensing page. [3][5][6][10]

Lincoln

Lincoln's Building and Safety Department licenses plumbers under Chapter 24 of the Lincoln Municipal Code.

• Plumbing apprentice: work for a licensed plumbing journeyman or contractor. Apply any time; $25 a year.
• Plumbing journeyman: 4 years of practical experience before the exam. Ways to get there include holding your apprentice license for four years; a two-year plumbing course counts as one year, and a four-year engineering degree counts as two. Exam $183; license $50 a year; 6 hours of CE to renew.
• Master plumbing contractor: one year as a licensed journeyman (or an engineering route), then the exam ($208). License $250 a year; 10 hours of CE to renew.

You must pass the exam before applying for a journeyman or master license. Licenses renew each year from March 1 to May 31; if you don't renew within 60 days after expiration, the license is revoked and you must retest. See Lincoln's plumbing registration page or call (402) 441-7521. [4][7][11]

Union and open-shop apprenticeships

• Union: Plumbers Local 16 runs a five-year apprenticeship through the Omaha Plumbers Joint Apprenticeship Committee. It says apprentices complete 1,200 hours of classroom study and up to 10,000 hours on the job. Tuition is covered by a scholarship loan for students who finish and work for union employers for a short time.
• Contractor programs: many Omaha plumbing contractors run apprenticeships approved by the Plumbing Board; the city posts the approved list, which also includes the ABC Education Center.
• State office: the Nebraska Department of Labor approves registered apprenticeship agreements and links the Apprenticeship Finder.

More: how to get an apprenticeship and union vs. non-union. [12][13][14][15][16]

If you're licensed in another state

There's no state license to transfer. Omaha's journeyman rules accept a journeyman license from a city of equivalent size with similar qualification criteria. If you worked where no instruction was required, the board may accept a license or on-the-job training with at least 8 consecutive years of plumbing installation and 14,000 hours. Nebraska's universal-recognition law (section 84-950 of the Occupational Board Reform Act) is written for boards created by state law and licenses whose qualifications the Legislature sets; it doesn't mention city plumbing licenses, so ask the city's plumbing board how it treats yours. See the reciprocity guide. [6][17][18][19]

Steps to get licensed in Nebraska

1. Get hired or join an apprenticeship

   Apply to Plumbers Local 16 or another program on Omaha's approved list, or get hired by a licensed plumbing contractor. [7][14][20]

2. Register as an apprentice with your city

   Omaha: apprentice registration with Plumbing Board approval ($20 + $1.60 a year). Lincoln: apply for an apprentice license any time ($25 a year). Elsewhere, ask the city or village plumbing board. [1][4][5]

3. Log four years of experience and classes

   Omaha programs require at least 1,750 work hours a year for four years plus 696 hours of related instruction. Lincoln counts four years of holding an apprentice license. [7][10]

4. Pass the journeyman exam

   Omaha tests in February, May, August and November; first-time applicants file by the 15th of December, March, June or September. Lincoln requires you to pass its exam ($183) before applying for the license. [3][4][6][11]

5. Renew and move up

   Omaha journeymen and masters need 8 hours of CE to renew; Lincoln journeymen need 6 and masters 10. Master licenses follow after more years as a journeyman. [4][5][6][7]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Plumbers Local 16 apprenticeship (Omaha)

  Five-year United Association program run by the Omaha Plumbers Joint Apprenticeship Committee; apply in person during its posted windows. [13][20]

• Other

  Omaha Plumbing Board approved apprenticeship programs

  The city lists the plumbing contractors and programs with apprenticeships approved by its Plumbing Board. [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 plumbing apprenticeships by location. [16]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask