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Home / Plumbers / Nebraska

How to become a plumber in Nebraska

Nebraska has no state license or exam for individual plumbers; cities and counties license them. Nebraska has no state plumbing contractor license either. The state statutes provide no statewide reciprocity. Each city or village plumbing board sets its own examination and licensing rules, and plumbing must be done by master and journeyman plumbers licensed by the city or village nearest the job.2

5registered apprenticeship programs$29.31median an hour in Nebraska

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In NE
5 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In NE
3 schools with programs
Compare 3 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed plumbing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Run your own shop

    Nebraska has no state plumbing contractor license. Cities and counties license plumbing contractors, so check with the building department where you work.

    Issued by
    City or county
    Licensing in Nebraska
Pay once you're working

$60,970

a year is the median for plumbers in Nebraska ($29.31 an hour, May 2025).5

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Omaha$30.48
  2. Lincoln$29.17
  3. Grand Island$26.85
Nebraska median $29.31 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a plumber in Nebraska?

Nebraska has no state plumbing contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.3

Are plumbers in demand in Nebraska?

Projections Central expects about 480 plumber openings a year in Nebraska through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.4

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

5 registered programs in Nebraska. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for plumbers in Nebraska

Sources

  1. City or village plumbing board (Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 to 18-1920) (nebraskalegislature.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. City or village plumbing board (Neb. Rev. Stat. 18-1901 to 18-1920): local journeyman licenses (nebraskalegislature.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. City and village plumbing boards (no state plumbing board) contractor licensing (nebraskalegislature.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  5. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Nebraska, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)