Nebraska HVAC Technician License: County & City Rules (No State Board)

Nebraska does not issue a statewide HVAC technician license — licensing happens at the county and city level. Who actually licenses HVAC technicians and where to check, verified from official sources.

Requirements at a glance

No Nebraska state HVAC license exists (there is nothing to apply for at the state level): Nebraska issues no statewide HVAC, air conditioning, refrigeration, heating or mechanical-contractor license, and has no state board that examines or credentials HVAC tradespeople. The one statewide obligation that reaches an HVAC business is the Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117), administered by the Nebraska Department of Labor - and it is a REGISTRATION, not a competency license. Section 48-2104(1) provides that 'Before performing any construction work in Nebraska, a contractor shall be registered with the department,' and Section 48-2105 lists everything the application must contain: the contractor's name and federal employer identification number (or Social Security number for an individual), the principal place of business and telephone number in Nebraska (plus a registered agent if the business is out of state), the type of business entity, the contractor option election on sales and use tax, the names and addresses of officers or owners, proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed statement that none is required, and a description of the business with its standard industrial classification code. There is no examination, no experience requirement, no trade-competency review and no HVAC-specific condition anywhere in that list. Registration is renewed annually on payment of the fee under Section 48-2107. The trade credential that actually authorizes HVAC work in Nebraska is issued by a city.
Statewide Contractor Registration - what it costs and what it proves: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2107 provides that each application or renewal 'shall be signed by the applicant and accompanied by a fee not to exceed forty dollars.' That ceiling comes from Laws 2026, LB847, section 20, with an effective date of July 18, 2026. The Nebraska Department of Labor states on its Contractor Registration site that the 'Contractor Registration annual fee increases to $40.00 effective August 1, 2026.' The Department also requires that '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,' and warns that a contractor whose coverage has expired is removed from the list of registered contractors until an updated certificate arrives from the insurance agency. Section 48-2117 requires the Department of Labor, with the Department of Revenue, to publish a searchable database of registered contractors showing whether each carries workers' compensation insurance, is self-insured, or is a sole proprietor with no employees and no coverage. None of this evaluates skill: being registered with the State of Nebraska tells a customer that a business filed paperwork and carries workers' compensation, not that anyone at that business is qualified to install a furnace.
City of Omaha - Air Conditioning/Air Distribution (ACAD) master, journeyman and apprentice licenses: Omaha runs the largest HVAC licensing program in Nebraska, through the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board and the Planning Department's Permits and Inspections Division. On the Board itself the City's two sources diverge and both are stated: the ordinance creates 'the air conditioning and air distribution board' consisting of 'four licensed air conditioning and air distribution contractors[,] a professional mechanical engineer, and the chief mechanical inspector' with 'complete control over the examination, certification and review of license suspension or revocation of applicants and holders of licenses and certificates' (Omaha Mun. Code Secs. 40-56, 40-57), while the City's program page describes 'four air conditioning/air distribution contractors and a registered mechanical engineer' that 'shall decide upon the qualifications of all applicants.' There are three ACAD credentials. MASTER ACAD: eight or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems; OR four or more years installing ACAD systems while employed by a licensed master ACAD contractor after obtaining a journeyman ACAD technician license from the City of Omaha; OR four or more such years after a journeyman ACAD technician license from another city with requirements equal to Omaha's. One year of experience means 1,750 hours installing ACAD systems in the employ of a licensed ACAD contractor. Applicants document experience with letterhead statements from employers, and self-employed applicants submit a chronological work history built from work orders, invoices and customer or supplier letters. Every master application goes before the Board; after Board approval the applicant tests through Pearson VUE, and on passing must file a $10,000 surety bond naming the applicant and the contractor they will represent, while that contractor provides proof of $300,000 liability insurance. JOURNEYMAN ACAD: five or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems, OR four or more years employed by a licensed master ACAD contractor; up to two years of credit is available for post-high-school education, or two years for NATE 'Core' and installation certifications. The City's program page says applicants 'must pass the required exam(s) with a grade of 75% or greater', while the ordinance sets 'a minimum grade of 70 percent' (Sec. 40-30(b)(2)) - both stated; the ordinance governs. APPRENTICE: a person training to install, alter or replace commercial or residential ACAD systems 'shall first register with the ACAD board,' re-register by December 31 each year, file proof of employment signed by the employing licensed master ACAD contractor, and may not work on any ACAD project except under the direct supervision of a master ACAD contractor, journeyman ACAD, journeyman sheet metal commercial or journeyman sheet metal residential license holder. Applications go to the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board, c/o Permits and Inspections Division, 1819 Farnam Street, Suite 1110, Omaha, NE 68183; the Division's number is 402-444-5350.
City of Omaha - ACAD fees, terms and renewal (two published fee sets, both from the City): Omaha publishes two dollar-figure sets for the same credential on two different City pages, and the ordinance reconciles them: Sec. 40-43 sets an application fee of $25.00 for a master or journeyman license, a new Master ACAD license at $50.00, and a new Journeyman ACAD license at $35.00 - so with the 8% technology fee, ($25.00 + $50.00) x 1.08 = $81.00 for a master and ($25.00 + $35.00) x 1.08 = $64.80 for a journeyman, exactly the totals on the application page, while the fee table lists the new-license fees alone. The City's Licensing Information fee table lists, for the Mechanical & HVAC group: ACAD Master, initial $50.00 + $4.00 Tech Fee (exam required), renewal $160.00 + $12.80 Tech Fee with 8 continuing-education hours; ACAD Journeyman, initial $35.00 + $2.80 Tech Fee (exam required), renewal $120.00 + $9.60 Tech Fee with 8 continuing-education hours; Apprentice ACAD/Sheet Metal Installer, $25.00 + $2.00 Tech Fee initial and the same on renewal, no exam required. The City's Air Conditioning/Air Distribution program page instead states that 'An application fee of $81.00 must accompany the application' for a master license, $64.80 for a journeyman license, and 'A registration fee of $27.00 must accompany the application' for an apprentice - all payable to the 'City of Omaha.' The apprentice registration reconciles the same way ($25.00 x 1.08 = $27.00, Sec. 40-43). The application-page totals are application fee plus new-license fee with the technology fee; the fee-table figures are the new-license fees alone. Confirm the amount due with Permits and Inspections before mailing a check. Terms and penalties are published once: 'Journeyman and Masters are valid for up to two years, expiring on December 31st of odd years. Apprentices expire on December 31st every year.' ACAD renewal penalty fees run $25.00 + $2.00 (31-60 days late), $50.00 + $4.00 (61-365 days), $100.00 + $8.00 (365-730 days), and after 730 days 'the licensee shall be required to retest for the license' at $200.00 + $16.00. Bond and insurance minimums for the Mechanical & HVAC group: Master ACAD bond a minimum of $10,000.00 and insurance a minimum of $300,000.00 (the same figures apply to Master Steamfitter).
City of Omaha - the other mechanical licenses an HVAC business may need: ACAD is not the only Omaha mechanical credential. The City's Mechanical & HVAC fee table also lists Steamfitter Master and Steamfitter Journeyman, Oil Burner Installer, Oil Tank Installer, LPG Tank Installer, and Stationary Engineer First, Second and Third Grade - each requiring its own examination. Bond minimums are published for Master Steamfitter ($10,000.00), Master ACAD ($10,000.00), Oil Tank Installer ($5,000.00) and LPG Tank Installer ($10,000.00); insurance minimums of $300,000.00 are published for Master Steamfitter and Master ACAD. Bond and insurance documents go to [email protected]. Which of these a given HVAC business needs depends on the work it performs, so confirm scope with Permits and Inspections rather than assuming the ACAD license covers everything mechanical.
City of Lincoln - master mechanical contractor, journeyman and apprentice registration (Lincoln Municipal Code Title 25): Lincoln registers mechanical tradespeople under Title 25 of the Lincoln Municipal Code, administered by Building and Safety within Planning and Development Services. L.M.C. 25.06.180 defines a master mechanical contractor as a person 'skilled in the planning, superintending, and material installation of mechanical (heating, ventilating, and cooling) and fuel gas equipment and their accessories,' competent to install, repair, alter or remove that equipment 'with the full responsibility of supervision,' and provides that a master 'may supervise a maximum of three apprentices on a job site.' The same section defines an inactive master mechanical contractor (qualified but not active and not issued permits), a journeyman mechanical technician (employed by a master, whose principal occupation is the practical installation, alteration, repair or removal of mechanical or fuel gas equipment; also limited to three apprentices on a job site), and an apprentice mechanical technician (learning and assisting as an employee under the supervision of a master or journeyman). The section closes with the prohibition: 'No person shall engage in or hold himself or herself out as engaging in the mechanical (heating, ventilating and cooling) or fuel gas business in the city or within three miles thereof or install any mechanical (heating, ventilating and cooling) systems or fuel gas systems or their accessories (unless duly authorized to do so by registration) except as provided for in Section 25.06.300.' Note the reach: three miles beyond the city limits. A firm, partnership, company or corporation may itself be registered as a master mechanical contractor only if a registered master is 'a bona fide officer or employee of such entity who shall at all times be on duty and be in actual charge' of the entity's mechanical or fuel gas work (25.06.210). Lincoln's mechanical code is the International Mechanical Code, 2021 Edition, as adopted and amended by L.M.C. 25.06.010.
City of Lincoln - experience, examinations and continuing education: JOURNEYMAN: 'Prior to an applicant being registered as a Journeyman HVAC Technician, the individual must pass the Lincoln Journeyman HVAC Technician Exam. The applicant for a Journeyman HVAC Technician Exam shall provide evidence of completing at least three (3) years practical experience as a Registered Apprentice.' Credit is granted year-for-year for full-time employment while registered as an apprentice; a four-year engineering course at an accredited college or university earns two years of the required credit; an approved two-year course of study in the design, construction and installation of mechanical equipment earns one year; a professional mechanical engineer registered in the State of Nebraska earns three years; and mechanical education and training from military service, extension courses or adult education classes may count at the Board's discretion. MASTER: 'The applicant for a Mechanical Master Certificate Examination shall be the holder of a valid City of Lincoln Mechanical Journeyman certificate for at least one (1) year.' TRANSFERS: an applicant holding a valid journeyman or contractor/master mechanical license or certificate obtained by examination from another state or municipal governmental agency 'shall be entitled to take the equivalent respective City of Lincoln Journeyman or Master examination without submitting any additional qualifications.' EXAMS (L.M.C. 25.06.200) are given under the Board of Mechanical Examiners on the third Wednesday of January, April, July and October, and an applicant who fails 'shall not be eligible to take another examination until at least six months after the date of last examination.' The master examination runs up to four and a half hours in four parts - Manual J, duct sizing, the Lincoln Gas Code (based on the Lincoln Gas Piping Systems Code, L.M.C. 24.05, with a one-hour limit) and the Lincoln Adopted Amendments (based on L.M.C. 25.06 and 25.12, thirty minutes); the journeyman examination covers the gas piping code and the adopted amendments. Both levels must additionally arrange, through the International Code Council, the computer-based National Standard exam - Master Mechanical #G29 or Journeyman Mechanical #G31 - at an ICC-approved remote test site, at the applicant's own cost, with proof of passing submitted no later than the date of Lincoln's exam. CONTINUING EDUCATION (25.06.230): 'All registered master mechanical contractors shall annually submit proof of 8 hours of continuing education. All registered Journeymen shall annually submit proof of 4 hours of continuing education,' submitted each calendar year before the registration certificate expires; credit may include meetings of organizations such as ASHRAE, RSES, ACCA, the Lincoln Heating and Cooling Contractors Association, or manufacturer seminar presentations.
City of Lincoln - fees, insurance, renewal window and lapse: L.M.C. 25.06.220 sets a master mechanical contractor examination fee of $400.00 and a journeyman mechanical technician examination fee of $50.00, and annual registration fees of $350.00 (master mechanical contractor), $50.00 (inactive master), $25.00 (journeyman mechanical technician) and $15.00 (apprentice mechanical technician). Building and Safety's registration page publishes the same annual figures and adds two categories the code section's table does not list: a Refrigeration-Mechanical Master Contractor at $250, and a Deco Fireplace Contractor at $150 with a Deco Fireplace Installer at $25; the exam page likewise lists a $50 examination fee for the Deco Fireplace Contractor and Installer. Both are City of Lincoln sources and both are reported here. INSURANCE (25.06.240): before a master mechanical contractor may be issued a permit the contractor must maintain public liability coverage for all claims arising out of work in Lincoln and within three miles of the corporate limits, as a commercial or comprehensive general liability policy (or a substitute form the City Attorney permits) 'with a minimum combined single limit of $500,000.00 aggregate for any one occurrence on any job for which a permit is required under this code, provided the City of Lincoln shall be named an additional insured thereunder,' with a current certificate on file with the Code Official. RENEWAL: the City's registration page gives a renewal period of October 1 through December 31, and warns that failing to renew within 60 days of expiration results in revocation and a requirement to re-take any examination the license required. L.M.C. 25.06.250 says the same in code terms: a master who does not renew within 60 days after expiration 'shall pay the examination fee required by this code for a master mechanical contractor, and shall submit to and pass the regularly scheduled examination' before being registered again, and the parallel rule applies to journeymen on the Code Official's recommendation to the Mechanical Advisory and Appeals Board. The same section bars employing an unregistered apprentice and requires that an apprentice work only 'under the direct supervision and in the immediate presence of a duly registered master mechanical contractor or journeyman mechanical technician.' Permits carry a minimum $35 fee covering the inspection, additional inspection trips are $35, and permits are valid 120 days from issuance.
Other Nebraska cities license HVAC too - confirm the jurisdiction before you bid: This record documents Nebraska's two largest programs, Omaha and Lincoln. They are not the only ones: Omaha's own reciprocity provision recognizes a valid Bellevue, Nebraska, or State of Iowa master ACAD contractor license (the ordinance's reciprocity text uses a 70-percent-or-greater score, Sec. 40-40(b); the City's program page says 75), which is direct evidence that at least one other Nebraska city licenses the same trade. Because Nebraska has no state HVAC license and no single statewide list of local mechanical programs, an HVAC contractor must identify the exact city where the work will be performed and confirm that city's licensing and permit rules. Do not assume Omaha's ACAD license authorizes work in Lincoln, or the reverse - and remember that Lincoln's registration requirement reaches three miles beyond its corporate limits.
STATEWIDE but not an HVAC license - Nebraska State Fire Marshal boiler program: The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Mechanical Safety Division regulates boilers and pressure vessels, elevators and conveyances, and amusement rides. For HVAC work the boiler side matters: the Division publishes a register of Nebraska boilers and pressure vessels, requires a Boiler Installation Notice for new and replacement items (with a clearance-waiver request where three feet of clearance is not possible), operates a boiler-accident reporting line, and issues Boiler Inspector Commissions under the state boiler regulation, Title 229. Two points to keep straight: a Boiler Inspector Commission credentials an INSPECTOR, not an installer, and none of the Division's credentials is an HVAC technician or mechanical contractor license. A contractor installing or replacing a boiler in Nebraska should nonetheless plan on the Division's installation-notice and inspection requirements in addition to the city license.
STATEWIDE but not an HVAC license - Nebraska State Electrical Division: Nebraska does license one construction trade at the state level: electrical work. The Nebraska State Electrical Division administers statewide electrician licensing - examination applications and apprentice registration, exam scheduling, reciprocal licensing, license renewal and a public licensee search - along with state electrical inspections, municipal and county inspection programs, contractor and homeowner permits, and continuing-education provider approval. The contrast is the point: Nebraska built a statewide licensing and inspection apparatus for electricians and built no equivalent for HVAC, which is why the HVAC credential is a city credential. An electrical license does not authorize mechanical work, and a city mechanical registration does not authorize electrical work.
FEDERAL (everywhere in Nebraska) - EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification: Separate from every Nebraska city license and from the state contractor registration: under the Clean Air Act and 40 CFR part 82, subpart F, technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerant must hold EPA Section 608 certification. It is a FEDERAL credential, held by the individual technician, and it is neither issued by nor accepted in place of an Omaha ACAD license, a Lincoln mechanical registration, or Nebraska contractor registration.

Legal basis

Nebraska does not license HVAC technicians at the state level.

Nebraska does not license HVAC. There is no statewide HVAC, air conditioning, refrigeration or mechanical-contractor license, no state HVAC board, no state HVAC examination and no state HVAC fee schedule, so there is nothing to apply for at the state level. What Nebraska does have is a REGISTRATION. The Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117) requires that ‘Before performing any construction work in Nebraska, a contractor shall be registered with the department’ (48-2104(1)), and the Nebraska Department of Labor administers it. Reading Section 48-2105 settles what that registration is: the application asks for the contractor’s name and tax identification number, its principal place of business and phone number, the type of business entity, the sales-and-use-tax option election, the officers or owners, proof of workers’ compensation insurance or a statement that none is required, and a description of the business. There is no examination, no experience requirement and no trade-competency review anywhere in the list. Registration renews annually on payment of a fee that Section 48-2107 caps at ’not to exceed forty dollars,’ and the Department of Labor has announced that the annual fee increases to $40.00 effective August 1, 2026. Being registered proves a business filed paperwork and carries workers’ compensation. It does not certify that anyone at that business can size a duct.

The credential that actually authorizes HVAC work in Nebraska is issued by a city, and the two largest programs are structured very differently from each other.

OMAHA licenses the individual through the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board, whose members are four ACAD contractors and a registered mechanical engineer and which ‘shall have complete control over the examination of applicants for licenses required by the provisions of this Article.’ The ladder runs apprentice, journeyman, master. A master needs eight or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems, or four or more years working for a licensed master ACAD contractor after holding an Omaha journeyman ACAD technician license (or an equivalent journeyman license from a city with requirements equal to Omaha’s); one year of experience means 1,750 hours. A journeyman needs five or more years, or four while employed by a licensed master, with up to two years of credit for post-high-school education or two years for NATE ‘Core’ and installation certifications. Both levels test through Pearson VUE; on the passing score Omaha’s two official sources conflict and both are stated: the ordinance sets ‘a minimum grade of 70 percent’ for both master and journeyman (Omaha Mun. Code Sec. 40-30(a)(2), (b)(2)), while the City’s program page publishes 75 percent - the ordinance is the governing text. The Board may waive the examination for a holder of a valid Bellevue, Nebraska or State of Iowa ACAD license - the ordinance’s waiver and reciprocity provisions likewise use ‘a score of 70 percent or greater’ (Secs. 40-30, 40-40(b)), while the program page says 75. A new master files a $10,000 surety bond naming the applicant and the contractor represented, and that contractor carries $300,000 in liability insurance. Apprentices are not exempt in Omaha - they register with the Board, re-register by December 31 each year with their employing master’s signature, and may work only under direct supervision. Journeyman and master licenses run up to two years and expire December 31 of odd years; apprentice registrations expire every December 31; and a license more than 730 days past expiration cannot be revived without retesting.

LINCOLN registers mechanical tradespeople under Title 25 of the Lincoln Municipal Code and reaches three miles past its own boundary: ‘No person shall engage in or hold himself or herself out as engaging in the mechanical (heating, ventilating and cooling) or fuel gas business in the city or within three miles thereof or install any mechanical (heating, ventilating and cooling) systems or fuel gas systems or their accessories (unless duly authorized to do so by registration) except as provided for in Section 25.06.300.’ Lincoln’s classes are master mechanical contractor, inactive master, journeyman mechanical technician and apprentice mechanical technician. A journeyman needs at least three years of practical experience as a registered apprentice (with credit for an engineering course, an approved two-year course of study, or Nebraska professional-engineer registration) and must pass the Lincoln Journeyman HVAC Technician Exam; a master must have held a valid Lincoln journeyman certificate for at least one year. Lincoln’s examinations are given on the third Wednesday of January, April, July and October, a failed candidate waits six months, and both levels must separately pass the ICC National Standard exam - #G29 for master, #G31 for journeyman - at their own cost. Registration is annual, renewed between October 1 and December 31, and lapsing more than 60 days past expiration forces re-examination. Continuing education is annual: 8 hours for masters, 4 hours for journeymen. A master’s liability coverage must carry a minimum combined single limit of $500,000 aggregate for any one occurrence on a permitted job, with the City named as an additional insured.

The two programs also price the trade very differently. Lincoln publishes an annual master registration fee of $350.00 and a master examination fee of $400.00; Omaha’s ACAD master license carries a $50.00 + $4.00 tech fee on the City’s fee table and an $81.00 application fee on the City’s ACAD program page - two City of Omaha figures that do not reconcile, so confirm the amount due with Permits and Inspections before paying.

Omaha and Lincoln are not the whole state. Omaha’s own rules recognize a Bellevue, Nebraska master ACAD license, which is proof that other Nebraska cities license this trade; there is no statewide roster of those programs, so identify the exact city where the job sits and confirm before bidding. Two statewide programs are commonly mistaken for HVAC licensing and are not: the State Fire Marshal’s Mechanical Safety Division registers boilers and pressure vessels, requires installation notices for new and replacement boilers, and commissions boiler INSPECTORS; and the Nebraska State Electrical Division licenses electricians statewide. Neither credentials an HVAC installer. Finally, EPA Section 608 refrigerant certification is FEDERAL, held by the individual technician under 40 CFR part 82, subpart F, and is not a substitute for any Nebraska city license.

What it’s called

Nebraska does not license HVAC technicians or contractors at the state level, so a search for a ‘Nebraska HVAC license’ resolves to a CITY credential - or, if what you actually need is the statewide business filing, to Nebraska Contractor Registration with the Department of Labor, which is a registration number rather than a trade license. In Omaha the credential is called an ACAD license - short for Air Conditioning/Air Distribution - issued as Master ACAD, Journeyman ACAD, or Apprentice ACAD/Sheet Metal Installer by the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board; Omaha also issues separate Steamfitter, Oil Burner Installer, Oil Tank Installer, LPG Tank Installer and Stationary Engineer credentials in the same Mechanical & HVAC group. In Lincoln the credential is a mechanical trade REGISTRATION, issued as master mechanical contractor, inactive master mechanical contractor, journeyman mechanical technician or apprentice mechanical technician; Lincoln’s own examination paperwork calls the journeyman credential a ‘Journeyman HVAC Technician,’ and the city also registers a refrigeration-mechanical master contractor and deco fireplace contractors and installers. Informal names - ‘HVAC license,’ ‘AC license,’ ‘air conditioning license,’ ‘mechanical license,’ ‘furnace license’ - all map to one of these municipal credentials. Two statewide credentials are frequently mistaken for HVAC licensing and are not: a Boiler Inspector Commission from the State Fire Marshal (which credentials inspectors, not installers) and an electrician license from the Nebraska State Electrical Division. And EPA Section 608 refrigerant-handling certification is a FEDERAL credential held by the individual technician, not a Nebraska or municipal HVAC license. There is no statewide Nebraska HVAC license to search for.

Who does NOT need a license — exemptions

Nebraska licenses no HVAC occupation at the state level, so the operative carve-outs are municipal and differ by city - there is no single statewide exemption list. Four distinct carve-outs were found, each quoted to the end of its own operative clause.

(1) STATE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION - own property and small annual receipts. Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2104(1) closes with: ‘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.’ The very next subsection limits that relief: ‘(2) An exemption from the requirements under subsection (1) of this section does not exempt a contractor from withholding requirements under the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967.’ Read the two together - falling under the five-thousand-dollar line removes the registration duty, not the tax duty, and it does not touch any city trade-license requirement at all.

(2) LINCOLN - installation by the owner. L.M.C. 25.06.300: ‘Homeowners may install mechanical or fuel gas equipment only in a single family residences which they occupy as their own homes. All equipment installed by homeowners shall be for themselves without compensation or pay from or to any other person for such labor or installation. Such installation by owners shall comply with the requirements of this code, and the owners in exercising this privilege shall not set themselves up as master mechanical contractors. The owners shall be required to file plans, apply for and secure a permit, pay fees, and call for all inspections in the manner provided in this code.’ Every limitation in that section is part of the exemption: owner-occupied single-family only, uncompensated, code-compliant, permitted and inspected. Lincoln’s Building and Safety page adds the administrative conditions that only the owner of the residence may apply, that the owner must presently reside in the dwelling or reside there after construction, and that the house cannot be in the process of being prepared for sale, be a rental property, or be intended for use as a rental property.

(3) LINCOLN - dealers who do not install. L.M.C. 25.06.220 ends with: ‘Any person dealing in mechanical or fuel gas equipment or supplies, but not engaged in the installation, alteration, repair, or removal of equipment or supplies shall not be required to register hereunder.’ Selling the equipment is exempt; installing, altering, repairing or removing it is not.

(4) LINCOLN - work needing no permit at all. Building and Safety’s homeowner page lists the work for which no mechanical permit is required: portable appliances, portable humidifiers, portable dehumidifiers, replacement of equipment parts, and evaporator coil replacements. This is a PERMIT exemption, not a registration exemption - a paid contractor doing that work in Lincoln still needs to be registered.

OMAHA - WORK BY HOMEOWNERS (Sec. 40-107): ‘Any homeowner doing air conditioning/air distribution work in a single-family dwelling which he owns and in which he resides shall notify the permits and inspections division of the nature of the work he/she intends to do and pay an inspection fee equal to the permit fees listed herein. The work must be inspected and approved by the permits and inspections division. He/she will not be required to have a license provided acceptable proof of ownership and residence is provided.’ OMAHA - PERMIT EXCLUSIONS (Sec. 40-111): a permit is not required for ‘(a) Window air conditioning units of two and one-half hp or less that are not connected to ductwork. (b) Minor repairs such as cleaning, adjusting and replacement of minor parts. (c) Repairs that do not include changing ductwork, plenums or adding registers, grilles or diffusers.’ - a permit exclusion, not a license exemption. WHAT IS NOT EXEMPT, and this is the trap: Omaha publishes no employee exemption for ACAD work beyond the homeowner provision above. An apprentice ‘shall first register with the ACAD board,’ must re-register annually, must file proof of employment signed by the employing licensed master ACAD contractor, and ‘shall not perform work on any commercial or residential ACAD project unless he/she is under the direct supervision of a holder of a master ACAD contractor license, journeyman ACAD license, journeyman sheet metal commercial license, or journeyman sheet metal residential license.’ Lincoln is the same in substance: L.M.C. 25.06.250 provides that no registered master or journeyman ‘shall employ any person as an apprentice who is not registered as an apprentice mechanical technician within the City of Lincoln,’ and no apprentice may work on mechanical or fuel gas equipment ’except under the direct supervision and in the immediate presence of a duly registered master mechanical contractor or journeyman mechanical technician.’ So ‘I only work for a licensed company’ is not a defense in either city. Because exemptions are set ordinance by ordinance, an HVAC contractor working outside Omaha and Lincoln must read the specific city code where the work will be performed; this record states what those two cities and the state statute publish and does not generalize a single Nebraska-wide exemption.

Where to get licensed

There is no state HVAC board to call in Nebraska. Work the problem in this order.

IN OMAHA: apply to the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board, c/o Permits and Inspections Division, 1819 Farnam Street, Suite 1110, Omaha, NE 68183 (402-444-5350; [email protected] ). Decide which credential you need - apprentice, ACAD journeyman or ACAD master - and assemble the experience file the Board requires: letterhead statements from past and present employers giving dates, job description and duties; check receipts or W-2 information where an employer is out of business; a chronological list of jobs built from work orders, invoices and customer or supplier letters if you were self-employed; and, for any out-of-jurisdiction license or certificate you submit, that jurisdiction’s requirements plus your examination score. Applications must reach the Board secretary by the published filing deadline (journeyman and apprentice applications, two weeks before the next meeting) to get on the agenda, and master applicants appear before the Board. After Board approval you test through Pearson VUE - the ordinance requires ‘a minimum grade of 70 percent’ (Sec. 40-30) though the City’s program page says 75 percent, so clear 75 to be safe on both texts; send the pass sheet to the Board secretary for issuance. A new master then files a $10,000 surety bond and the represented contractor files proof of $300,000 liability insurance, both to [email protected] . Ask the Division to confirm the exact fee due - the City publishes $50.00 + $4.00 tech fee on its licensing table and $81.00 on its ACAD page for a master, and $35.00 + $2.80 versus $64.80 for a journeyman. Diary December 31 of the next odd year for renewal, and note that a license more than 730 days lapsed requires retesting.

IN LINCOLN (and within three miles of the city limits): go to Building and Safety, Planning and Development Services, 555 S 10th Street, Suite 203, Lincoln, NE 68508 (402-441-7521; [email protected] ). Apprentices may register at any time. For a journeyman, document at least three years of practical experience as a registered apprentice - or claim the credits Lincoln allows for an engineering course, an approved two-year course of study, or Nebraska professional-engineer registration - then submit the exam application and $50 filing fee by 4 p.m. Central at least two weeks before the exam date (45 days if you are requesting a testing accommodation). For a master, you must have held a Lincoln journeyman certificate for at least one year; the examination fee is $400. Both levels also arrange and pay for the ICC National Standard exam - Master Mechanical #G29 or Journeyman Mechanical #G31 - through ICCSafe.org after Lincoln approves your application, and proof of passing is due no later than the date of Lincoln’s exam. Lincoln’s exams are the third Wednesday of January, April, July and October at 8:00 a.m. at Associated Builders and Contractors, 830 West Gate Boulevard; late arrivals are not seated. Bring the 2018 IMC, the 2018 IFGC and ACCA Manual J Seventh Edition to the master exam. If you hold a journeyman or master mechanical license obtained by examination elsewhere, you may sit for the equivalent Lincoln examination without submitting additional qualifications. Registered contractors also file a certificate of liability insurance and an endorsement page naming the City of Lincoln as additionally insured ([email protected] ), with a minimum combined single limit of $500,000 aggregate per occurrence. Renew between October 1 and December 31 every year, with 8 continuing-education hours for masters and 4 for journeymen submitted before the certificate expires - a lapse beyond 60 days means re-examination.

ANYWHERE ELSE IN NEBRASKA: contact that city’s building or permits office directly. This record does not cover Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Papillion, La Vista or any other municipality, and no state rule fills the gap.

STATEWIDE, WHATEVER CITY YOU WORK IN: register the business with the Nebraska Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act (550 S. 16th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508; 402-471-2239; [email protected] ), renew it annually, and keep a current workers’ compensation certificate (ACORD 25) on file with the Department listing it as certificate holder - letting coverage lapse removes you from the public registered-contractor list. If your job includes a new or replacement boiler, plan for the State Fire Marshal’s Mechanical Safety Division installation notice and inspection. And if you handle refrigerants, get EPA Section 608 certification - that one is federal, personal to the technician, and separate from every Nebraska credential above.

Frequently asked questions

Does Nebraska require a state HVAC license?

No. Nebraska issues no statewide HVAC, air conditioning, refrigeration or mechanical-contractor license and has no state HVAC board or examination. The only statewide filing is contractor REGISTRATION with the Nebraska Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2101 to 48-2117). Section 48-2105 shows what that involves - identity and tax numbers, address and phone, entity type, owners, workers’ compensation proof and a business description - with no exam, no experience requirement and no trade-competency review. The credential that actually authorizes HVAC work is issued by the city where the job is.

Where do you actually get an HVAC license in Nebraska?

From the city. In Omaha, the Air Conditioning/Air Distribution Board (through the Planning Department’s Permits and Inspections Division) issues master ACAD, journeyman ACAD and apprentice ACAD credentials. In Lincoln, Building and Safety registers master mechanical contractors, inactive masters, journeyman mechanical technicians and apprentice mechanical technicians under Title 25 of the Lincoln Municipal Code - and Lincoln’s requirement reaches three miles beyond the city limits. Omaha’s own rules recognize a Bellevue, Nebraska master ACAD license, so other Nebraska cities license this trade as well. There is no statewide list, so identify the city where the work will be performed and confirm with that city before bidding.

Does an individual technician need a license, or just the company?

In both of Nebraska’s big programs the INDIVIDUAL is credentialed, which is the opposite of contractor-only states. Omaha licenses masters and journeymen and requires apprentices to register with the ACAD Board, re-register by December 31 each year with their employing master’s signature, and work only under direct supervision - being an employee is not an exemption. Lincoln registers masters, journeymen and apprentices, and bars a registrant from employing an unregistered apprentice; an entity can hold a Lincoln master registration only if a registered master is a bona fide officer or employee ‘on duty and in actual charge’ of its mechanical work. Separately from the trade credential, the contracting business registers with the Nebraska Department of Labor.

What experience and exams do Omaha and Lincoln require?

OMAHA: a master needs eight or more years of verifiable experience installing ACAD systems, or four or more years working for a licensed master ACAD contractor after obtaining a journeyman ACAD technician license from Omaha or an equivalent city; a journeyman needs five or more years, or four while employed by a licensed master, with up to two years of credit for post-high-school education or two years for NATE ‘Core’ and installation certifications. One year of experience means 1,750 hours. Testing is through Pearson VUE; the ordinance sets the passing grade at 70 percent (Sec. 40-30) while the City’s program page publishes 75 percent - both official sources are stated because they conflict. LINCOLN: a journeyman needs at least three years of practical experience as a registered apprentice (credits available for an engineering course, an approved two-year course of study, or Nebraska professional-engineer registration) and must pass the Lincoln Journeyman HVAC Technician Exam; a master must have held a Lincoln journeyman certificate for at least one year. Lincoln’s exams run the third Wednesday of January, April, July and October, and both levels must also pass the ICC National Standard exam - #G29 master, #G31 journeyman - at their own cost.

How much does an HVAC license cost in Nebraska?

It depends on the city, and Omaha publishes two figures. Omaha’s licensing fee table lists the ACAD Master at $50.00 plus a $4.00 tech fee to start and $160.00 plus $12.80 to renew (with 8 continuing-education hours), and the ACAD Journeyman at $35.00 plus $2.80 to start and $120.00 plus $9.60 to renew; the City’s ACAD program page instead states an application fee of $81.00 for a master and $64.80 for a journeyman. The apprentice figures agree at $27.00. Both are City of Omaha pages, so confirm the amount due with Permits and Inspections before paying. Lincoln’s code sets a $400.00 master examination fee and a $50.00 journeyman examination fee, with annual registration at $350.00 for a master, $50.00 inactive master, $25.00 journeyman and $15.00 apprentice; Building and Safety also publishes $250 for a refrigeration-mechanical master contractor. Statewide contractor registration with the Department of Labor is capped by statute at forty dollars and rises to $40.00 on August 1, 2026.

Do I still need EPA 608 certification in Nebraska?

Yes, if you handle refrigerants. EPA Section 608 certification is a federal requirement under the Clean Air Act (40 CFR part 82, subpart F) for anyone who maintains, services, repairs or disposes of equipment that could release refrigerant. It applies everywhere in Nebraska, it belongs to the individual technician, and it is separate from - and does not satisfy - an Omaha ACAD license, a Lincoln mechanical registration, or Nebraska contractor registration. Note two other statewide programs that are not HVAC licenses either: the State Fire Marshal’s Mechanical Safety Division handles boiler registration, installation notices and boiler INSPECTOR commissions, and the Nebraska State Electrical Division licenses electricians.

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Nebraska.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: July 25, 2026.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.

Requirements at a glance

What it’s called

Who does NOT need a license — exemptions

Where to get licensed

Frequently asked questions

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