Storm contractor rules in Nebraska: Contractor Registration Act, home solicitation sales and consumer penalties
Nebraska registers contractors with the Department of Labor under the Contractor Registration Act, with a US$5,000 annual earnings floor, and gives buyers three business days to cancel home solicitation sales. This page restates those sections and the Consumer Protection Act penalties as the Legislature publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. None of the sections names tree work or storms, and no official page on a Nebraska price gouging rule was read for this page on October 9, 2026.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| 48-2103, contractor | Any individual or entity in the business of building, altering, repairing, dismantling or demolishing structures such as buildings, roads, bridges and power lines, and any other structure, project, development or improvement within the definition of real property and personal property. It also covers subcontractors and anyone providing or arranging labor for a contractor. Construction means work on real property, including additions, alterations, installations and repairs |
| 48-2104, registration required | Before performing any construction work in Nebraska, a contractor is registered with the Department of Labor, with a registration number for each business name. A person who works on their own property, or who earns less than US$5,000 annually for construction services, is not a contractor under the Act. The exemption does not lift withholding requirements under the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 |
| 48-2105, application | The application lists the contractor's name and federal employer identification number, principal place of business, telephone number, business type, owners or officers, and a description of the business. It also needs proof of workers' compensation coverage, proof of approved self-insurance, or a signed statement that the contractor is not required to carry it. Registration renews every year |
| 48-2107, fee | An application or renewal comes with a fee not to exceed US$40. The section carries an effective date of July 18, 2026 from Laws 2026, LB847 |
| 48-2110, insurance lapse | The Commissioner of Labor issues a notice of revocation when a contractor stops meeting the workers' compensation conditions, and revokes the registration at the time of a cancellation notice unless a new certificate is provided before that date |
| 48-2114, penalty | For not being registered, or for registration information that is not substantially complete and accurate, the Commissioner issues a citation. The administrative penalty is not more than US$500 for a first violation and not more than US$5,000 for a second or later one. The contractor has fifteen working days to contest |
| 48-2117, database | The Department of Labor and the Department of Revenue keep a database of registered contractors on the Department of Labor website. A contractor that fails to comply with the Act is removed from it |
| 69-1601, home solicitation sale | A sale of consumer goods or services of US$25 or more where the seller personally solicits the sale, including after the buyer's invitation, and the buyer's agreement is made away from the seller's place of business. Excluded: a sale where the buyer started the contact, the work meets a bona fide immediate personal emergency, and the buyer gave a separate dated, signed handwritten statement waiving the three-day cancellation right, and a visit the buyer asked for to repair or maintain the buyer's personal property |
| 69-1602 to 69-1604 | The seller states at the outset their own name, the business name and the kind of goods or services. The contract carries a boldface ten-point notice headed BUYER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL. The buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the seller gives notice, by mail, and notice counts as given when mailed. Until the seller complies, the buyer may cancel by any means |
| 69-1605 to 69-1607, effect | Within ten days after cancellation the seller returns all money paid, and the transaction and any security interest are void. A seller who performed services before cancellation is not entitled to compensation. A sale made in violation entitles the buyer to recover sums paid, actual damages, costs and a reasonable attorney's fee |
| 59-1602, unfair practices | Unfair competition and unfair or deceptive practices in trade or commerce are unlawful |
| 59-1614, civil penalties | A violation of section 59-1602 carries a civil penalty of not more than US$2,000 for each violation. A violation of sections 59-1603 or 59-1604, or of an injunction, carries a civil penalty of not more than US$500,000. The Attorney General brings the action in the name of the state |
What registration involves
Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act is a registration, not a licence: the sections read set no examination and ask for workers' compensation proof, a fee of up to US$40 and an annual renewal. The definition lists structures and ends with a catch-all, and does not name tree work, so whether a tree company is a contractor under it is a question for the Nebraska Department of Labor. The US$5,000 annual earnings floor and the own-property exclusion are in the statute text.
Home solicitation sales and storm work
The home solicitation sections apply to a seller who solicits at the buyer's door and to sales made after the buyer's invitation. Two exclusions matter to emergency work in the text: the handwritten waiver for an immediate personal emergency, and the buyer-requested visit to repair or maintain personal property, which does not cover additional goods or services sold on that visit. How a storm-damaged tree fits is a question for the Nebraska Attorney General. For how other states treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statutes 48-2103 and 48-2104, Contractor Registration Act definitions and registration required, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2107, Contractor Registration Act fees, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2114, Contractor Registration Act violation, citation and penalty, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statutes 69-1601 to 69-1607, home solicitation sales, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statutes 59-1602 and 59-1614, Consumer Protection Act unfair practices and civil penalties, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 59-1602, Consumer Protection Act unfair practices, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2103, Contractor Registration Act definitions, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2105, Contractor Registration Act application and renewal, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2110, Contractor Registration Act workers' compensation revocation, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 48-2117, Contractor Registration Act database, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1602, home solicitation sales, disclosure, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1603, home solicitation sales, right to cancel, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1604, home solicitation sales, notice of right to cancel, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1605, home solicitation sales, effect of cancellation, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1606, home solicitation sales, duty of buyer, read October 9, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature, Revised Statute 69-1607, home solicitation sales, buyer recovery, read October 9, 2026