Nebraska Contractor License Bond

Contractors across several different states are required to hold a valid license in order to perform commercial or residential work. A contractor license also comes with a bonding requirement in many cities and municipalities. In Nebraska, contractors do not have to meet statewide requirements for licensing or bonding, but a Nebraska contractor license bond is necessary for those who work in the City of Omaha.

A Nebraska contractor license bond is a surety bond that protects customers from fraudulent or illegal business practices and ensures licensed contractors will perform in line with local construction codes. This type of bond involves three parties – a principal, which is the licensed contractor, an obligee, which is the City of Omaha that requires the bond, and a surety company which provides the bond.

If a customer experiences a financial loss due to a violation of local laws and regulations, a claim can be made against your Nebraska contractor license bond.

If you are required to be licensed as a contractor in the jurisdiction where contracts are complete, you may need to secure a Nebraska contractor license bond as well. As an example, the City of Omaha requires contractors in the following areas of expertise to get a license and a surety bond as part of the process:

• Building contractors
• Plumbing contractors
• Electrical contractors
• Mechanical contractors

Be sure to check with your local licensing authority to determine when a Nebraska contractor license bond is required.

Contractors planning to work in the state of Nebraska do not need to complete a statewide licensing process. Instead, licensing requirements are handled by the specific jurisdiction (the city or county) in which the contractor plans to complete work. As part of the licensing requirements in some locations, a Nebraska contractor license bond may be necessary.

When this is the case, as it is in the City of Omaha and the City of Lincoln, the obligee for the Nebraska contractor license bond is the local agency that enforces licensing requirements. As an example, the obligee for contractors in the City of Lincoln is the Building and Safety Department.

The City of Omaha requires a $10,000 bond to be obtained by licensed contractors, but you are not responsible for paying the entire bond amount. Instead, a Nebraska contractor license bond is priced as a percentage of the total, typically between 1 and 3%. Bond applicants with strong credit history pay a lower percent of the bond amount, while contractors with bad credit can pay as high as 10%.

A surety company reviews your personal credit as part of the application process because a Nebraska contractor license bond is a form of credit extended to your business. When a valid claim is made, the surety compensates the customer but you are responsible for repaying the claim. Bad credit, including bankruptcy, court judgments, or liens, makes you a higher risk to the surety. Therefore, the cost of your Nebraska contractor license bond is higher.

You can start the process of obtaining your Nebraska contractor license bond by submitting a short quote request and application online.

The term of your Nebraska contractor license bond is the same as the term for your contractor license. In most cases, licenses and contractor bonds in Nebraska expire one year after the date they are issued, or on December 31 each year. The surety company providing your Nebraska contractor license bond sends renewal information ahead of the expiration date to ensure you remain in compliance with licensing requirements.