Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-10
93 of Nebraska's 93 counties — 100% — let an owner build their own home without a licensed contractor. That is the 10th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Richardson County (65/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 2952 counties nationwide → Nebraska: no building codes → Nebraska: no zoning → Nebraska: no codes, no zoning → Nebraska: tiny homes → Nebraska: no minimum home size → Full Nebraska profile →
93 of 93 Nebraska counties · sorted by Index score
Unincorporated Richardson County: no county building permit is required, so there is no permit to be exempt from and you may build your own home. State licensing for electrical,…
Forms, Permits and Regulations – Richardson County ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Under the Nebraska Contractor Registration Act, owners performing work on their own property (not for sale or lease) are exempt from contractor registration.
Nebraska Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2104) ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. Certain Nebraska residential construction projects that do not require involvement of a Nebraska-licensed architect or professional engineer; this is not a gener…
Exemptions | State of Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Owner-builders undertaking construction or other regulated activity in rural, unincorporated Valley County. No construction may begin without an approved permit or written confi…
Valley County Zoning Permit Application ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Owner-builder construction requiring a Lincoln County land-use permit in the county's regulated jurisdiction. The property owner and any contractor must ensure that the land-use…
Application for Land Use Permit ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Under the Nebraska Contractor Registration Act, a person performing work on their own property (owner-occupied, not for resale) is exempt from contractor registration.
Nebraska Contractor Registration Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-2103) ↗Statewide rule. Owners of private-land construction projects in Nebraska, including Howard County, regarding exemption from the Engineers and Architects Regulation Act; this is …
Nebraska Revised Statute 81-3446 — Construction projects on private lands; applicability of act; owner; duties ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. An owner performing construction work on the owner's own property for Nebraska contractor-registration purposes, and an owner performing electrical work on the o…
Who Needs to Register ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Unincorporated Cuming County: no county building permit is required, so there is no permit to be exempt from and you may build your own home. State licensing for electrical, plu…
Zoning FAQs ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. Owner-builders undertaking private-land residential construction in Otoe County to the extent the exemption concerns involvement of a Nebraska-licensed architect…
Exemptions ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. Owner construction of a detached one- to four-family dwelling under Nebraska's Engineers and Architects Regulation Act; this is an exemption from state architect…
Nebraska Revised Statute 81-3446 — Construction projects on private lands; applicability of act; owner; duties ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. Projects on private land in McPherson County, including residential construction, where the owner seeks to avoid licensed architect or professional engineer invo…
Nebraska Revised Statute 81-3446 — Construction projects on private lands; applicability of act; owner; duties ↗Statewide rule. Owners and other non-licensed persons performing planning and design services for private-land construction in Arthur County and elsewhere in Nebraska, where the…
2026 Nebraska E&A Regulation Act Handbook ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗A person performing construction work on the person's own property within Cass County's zoning jurisdiction, for purposes of Cass County contractor registration. The exemption a…
Cass County Zoning Regulations January 2026 Reprint ↗Plumbing work regulated by Hall County's plumbing code in a single-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, including usual accessory buildings and quarters. The ap…
Hall County Building Codes ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Statewide rule. A person performing work or having work performed on the person's own property under Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act. The exemption means the person is no…
Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Nebraska state page for all 93 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Nebraska counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
