HVAC Contractor Permit Requirements in Bellevue, NE

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Nebraska Department of Revenue — Sales and Use Tax Permit

   Any business selling taxable goods or taxable services in Nebraska must hold a sales tax permit from the Nebraska Department of Revenue and collect tax at the combined state and local rate for the delivery location. Register online through the Department's business registration service or by filing paper Form 20; NebFile is the separate system used to file returns once you are registered, not the registration tool. Local city sales and use taxes are layered on top of the state rate and change by quarter, so use the Department's Sales Tax Rate Finder for the exact rate at each address rather than assuming a flat figure.

   Official government source

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.·Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

   $0 — the Nebraska Department of Revenue charges no fee to register for a sales and use tax permit, online or by paper Form 20.

   Registering online, you are either assigned a Nebraska ID number at the time of registration or contacted by the Department within five business days for additional information. Allow about two weeks for a paper Form 20.

2. EPA Section 608 Technician Certification (refrigerants)

   Under federal law, technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment containing regulated refrigerants — and anyone who purchases those refrigerants — must hold EPA Section 608 technician certification. This requirement applies nationwide regardless of state licensing, so it is in addition to any Nebraska or city HVAC license. There are four certification types: Type I for small appliances, Type II for high-pressure appliances, Type III for low-pressure appliances, and Universal for all three. Certification is earned by passing a closed-book proctored exam administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization, not by the EPA itself, and does not expire. If you lose your card, the certifying organization that issued it can replace it.

   Official government source

   Not set by the EPA — each EPA-approved certifying organization sets its own course and proctored exam price, so this is a private-market cost rather than a government fee. Compare providers before booking.·Exams are offered on demand by approved certifying organizations, and certification does not expire once earned. The EPA publishes no processing time because it does not administer the exam.

   Not set by the EPA — each EPA-approved certifying organization sets its own course and proctored exam price, so this is a private-market cost rather than a government fee. Compare providers before booking.

   Exams are offered on demand by approved certifying organizations, and certification does not expire once earned. The EPA publishes no processing time because it does not administer the exam.

1. HVAC Licensing for Bellevue — local competency license plus EPA Section 608

   Nebraska has no statewide HVAC or mechanical contractor license and no state mechanical contractor board, so licensing happens at the city level. The City of Bellevue Building Department (Permits & Inspections, 1510 Wall Street, 402-293-3014) issues local Contractor, Master and Journeyman competency licenses through its Application for Competency, which requires passing an ICC, Prometric or Experior trade examination and, for master licenses, documentation of a current journeyman license. Mechanical permits are pulled per project through the city's portal at app.govwell.com/bellevue-ne. Two other requirements apply regardless of city: federal EPA Section 608 certification for anyone who purchases, recovers or handles refrigerants, and, if any of the work involves electrical connections, the Nebraska State Electrical Division's Heating/Air Conditioning/Refrigeration specialty registration.

   Official government source

   Bellevue does not publish its competency license fee schedule online — confirm with the Building Department at 402-293-3014. The Nebraska State Electrical Division's Heating/AC/Refrigeration specialty registration is $37.50 for each year of the two-year license period. Bellevue mechanical permits are $23.50 issuance plus itemized unit fees (for example $14.80 for a furnace up to 100,000 Btu/h, $10.65 for an air handler). EPA Section 608 exams are priced by the private certifying program.·Bellevue publishes no processing time for competency licenses; allow time to schedule and pass the trade examination. NSED specialty registrations run on a two-year cycle expiring December 31 of even-numbered years.

   Bellevue does not publish its competency license fee schedule online — confirm with the Building Department at 402-293-3014. The Nebraska State Electrical Division's Heating/AC/Refrigeration specialty registration is $37.50 for each year of the two-year license period. Bellevue mechanical permits are $23.50 issuance plus itemized unit fees (for example $14.80 for a furnace up to 100,000 Btu/h, $10.65 for an air handler). EPA Section 608 exams are priced by the private certifying program.

   Bellevue publishes no processing time for competency licenses; allow time to schedule and pass the trade examination. NSED specialty registrations run on a two-year cycle expiring December 31 of even-numbered years.

2. Bellevue Business Licensing — no general business license required

   Bellevue does not require a general business license for businesses operating within city limits, and there is no annual license that must be renewed and displayed at your place of business. The City Clerk's page enumerates every license and permit that office issues — fireworks permits, handicapped parking permits, liquor licenses, tobacco licenses, trash hauler licenses, pawnbroker licenses, vendor/solicitor licenses, event/event-participation licenses, hunting waiver permits, and annual occupation tax stickers for vending machines and distributors — and a general or all-purpose business license is not among them. Check whether your specific business type falls into one of those regulated categories; if it does not, no city license is required. State-level obligations still apply: register your entity or trade name with the Nebraska Secretary of State, register with the Nebraska Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or services, and obtain any state professional license your trade requires.

   Official government source

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.·Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

   $0 — Bellevue charges no general business license fee because no such license exists. The specific regulated licenses the City Clerk does issue are priced individually; contact the Clerk's office for those.

   Not applicable — there is no general business license application to file.

3. City of Bellevue Mechanical Permit (per project)

   Mechanical permits in Bellevue are issued by the City of Bellevue Building Division (Permits & Inspections, 1510 Wall Street, 402-293-3014) — not by Sarpy County, whose permitting covers unincorporated areas. A separate permit is pulled for each HVAC installation or major repair, and inspections are required on completion. Permits are filed through the city's online portal at app.govwell.com/bellevue-ne. Bellevue's adopted fee table (1997 Uniform Administrative Code Table 3-C) charges a flat issuance fee plus itemized unit fees by equipment, so a straightforward furnace-and-coil replacement costs well under the range often quoted for these permits.

   Official government source

   $23.50 permit issuance fee (plus $7.25 for a supplemental permit), then itemized unit fees: $14.80 for a forced-air or gravity furnace up to 100,000 Btu/h and $18.20 above that; $14.80 for a floor furnace, suspended heater, recessed wall heater or floor-mounted unit heater; $7.25 per appliance vent; $13.70 for repair, alteration or addition to a heating, refrigeration, cooling or absorption unit; $10.65 for an air-handling unit up to 10,000 cfm and $18.10 above that; $10.65 for an evaporative cooler or a mechanically exhausted hood; $7.25 per ventilation fan. Inspections outside normal business hours and reinspections are $49.50 per hour.·Bellevue publishes no guaranteed issuance time. Permits are filed and tracked through the GovWell portal, and inspections are scheduled once the work is complete.

   $23.50 permit issuance fee (plus $7.25 for a supplemental permit), then itemized unit fees: $14.80 for a forced-air or gravity furnace up to 100,000 Btu/h and $18.20 above that; $14.80 for a floor furnace, suspended heater, recessed wall heater or floor-mounted unit heater; $7.25 per appliance vent; $13.70 for repair, alteration or addition to a heating, refrigeration, cooling or absorption unit; $10.65 for an air-handling unit up to 10,000 cfm and $18.10 above that; $10.65 for an evaporative cooler or a mechanically exhausted hood; $7.25 per ventilation fan. Inspections outside normal business hours and reinspections are $49.50 per hour.

   Bellevue publishes no guaranteed issuance time. Permits are filed and tracked through the GovWell portal, and inspections are scheduled once the work is complete.

Official Sources

• Nebraska State HVAC Contractor License
• City of Bellevue City Clerk

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