Omaha, NE
Omaha building permit cost
Omaha charges a building permit fee from the construction valuation
using seven bands in Table 43-91 of the Omaha Municipal Code. Below $2,000 the fee is a flat $41.00. Above that each band adds a published rate for every additional $1,000 of valuation, or fraction of one, easing from $9.53 down to $1.96. Plan review is a separate 25% of the permit fee, and the Planning Department adds a Technology and Training fee on top.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permit fee, valuation $1.00 to $2,000.00Permit fee | $41.00 flat fee | Project valuation up to $2,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $2,000.01 to $25,000.00Permit fee | $41.00 + $9.53 per $1,000 of project valuation above $2,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $2,000 and up to $25,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $25,000.01 to $50,000.00Permit fee | $260.19 + $6.44 per $1,000 of project valuation above $25,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $25,000 and up to $50,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $50,000.01 to $100,000.00Permit fee | $421.19 + $3.19 per $1,000 of project valuation above $50,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $50,000 and up to $100,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $100,000.01 to $500,000.00Permit fee | $580.69 + $2.78 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $100,000 and up to $500,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $500,000.01 to $1,000,000.00Permit fee | $1,692.69 + $2.37 per $1,000 of project valuation above $500,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $500,000 and up to $1,000,000 | — |
| Building permit fee, valuation $1,000,000.01 and upPermit fee | $2,877.69 + $1.96 per $1,000 of project valuation above $1,000,000, or fraction thereof | Project valuation over $1,000,000 | — |
| Plan review feePlan review | 25% of calculated permit fee | plan review is true | — |
| Technology and Training fee — 8% bandTechnology fee | 8% of calculated permit fee | permit fee up to 62499 | — |
| Technology and Training fee — $100 bandTechnology fee | $100.00 flat fee | permit fee over 249999 | — |
| Technology and Training fee — $50 bandTechnology fee | $50.00 flat fee | permit fee over 62499 and up to 249999 | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A commercial tenant finish with a declared construction valuation of $250,000 and plans submitted for review.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $250,000 |
| Plan review | Yes |
Example total
$1,297.11
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 3Rules considered 11
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Building permit fee, valuation $100,000.01 to $500,000.00Permit feeSec. 43-91, Table 43-91 — $580.69 for the first $100,000.00 plus $2.78 for each additional $1,000.00 or fraction thereof, to and including $500,000.00.Show the working
| $580.69 + $2.78 per $1,000 of project valuation above $100,000, or fraction thereof, in $1,000 steps | $997.69 |
Plan review feePlan reviewSec. 43-92 — plan review is 25 percent of the building permit fee shown in Table 43-91.Show the working
| 25% of calculated permit fee | $249.42 |
Technology and Training fee — $50 bandTechnology feeOrdinance #39121 — a flat $50.00 technology and training fee for underlying fees of $625.00 to $2,499.99.Show the working
| $50.00 flat fee | $50.00 |
| Total | $1,297.11 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Building permit fee, valuation $1.00 to $2,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $2,000.01 to $25,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $25,000.01 to $50,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $50,000.01 to $100,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $500,000.01 to $1,000,000.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Building permit fee, valuation $1,000,000.01 and up — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Technology and Training fee — 8% band — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Technology and Training fee — $100 band — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 3 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Table 43-91's fifth band: $580.69 for the first $100,000 plus $2.78 for each of the 150 additional thousands, which is $997.69. Plan review is 25% of that, $249.42, and the Technology and Training fee is a flat $50.00 at that size of underlying fee. The valuation is the example's, not the City's.
What is different in Omaha
The bands run from a flat $41.00 up to $2,000, then $41.00 plus $9.53 per additional $1,000 to $25,000, and onward through seven rows ending at $2,877.69 plus $1.96 per additional $1,000 above $1,000,000.
Two features of the table are worth knowing. Each band's opening figure is exactly what the band below produces at its own top, so the table can be checked by hand at every handover — $41 at $2,000, $260.19 at $25,000, $421.19 at $50,000, $580.69 at $100,000, $1,692.69 at $500,000 and $2,877.69 at $1,000,000. And "or fraction thereof" applies, so one cent past a band boundary buys a whole additional $1,000 of increment.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the Table 43-91 valuation fee, plus plan review at 25% when plans are submitted and the Planning Department's Technology and Training fee. It excludes:
- The quadruple penalty for construction begun without a permit, waived only for emergency work permitted within 48 hours.
- Table 43-91's other rows: shoring ($41.00 plus $4.12 per $1,000 over $10,000), commercial/industrial insulation ($51.50), residential insulation ($25.75) and residential-addition insulation ($10.30).
- Certificate-of-occupancy fees ($125.00 each, $950.00 for pre-occupancy), the $170.00 building analysis fee and the $50.00 duplicate-plan fees.
- After-hours inspections at $55.00 per hour with a two-hour minimum, and $50.00 for each additional review submittal.
- All electrical, plumbing and fire-suppression permit fees, which are separate permits priced under Sec. 44-130 and Sec. 49-304.
- Planning Department charges that are not permit fees, and anything charged by Douglas County or a neighbouring city.
What you need before applying
- A construction valuation the Building Official acceptsRequired
"The determination of value or valuation for the purpose of assessing the permit fee shall be made by the building official. The value to be used ... shall be the total value of all construction work for which the permit is issued." The applicant states a figure, and the official decides whether it is the one used.
- A permit before work begins, or the fee quadruplesRequired
"When construction begins before the permit has been issued, the applicant shall pay a penalty fee. Said fee shall be quadruple the amount of the regular fee." The penalty is waived only for genuinely emergency work where a permit is applied for within 48 hours of the start.
Common questions
Is the Omaha building permit fee a percentage of construction cost?
No. Table 43-91 is written as an amount for the first so many thousand, plus a dollar rate for each additional $1,000 or fraction of one. The rate is 0.953% at the second band, but the published unit is used as written, because a percentage rounded to two decimals does not reproduce the City's own figures.
Does Omaha round the valuation up before charging the rate?
Yes. Each band charges per additional $1,000 "or fraction thereof", so a valuation one cent above a band boundary buys a whole additional $1,000 of increment.
Is plan review included in the permit fee?
No. Sec. 43-92 sets plan review at 25 percent of the building permit fee shown in Table 43-91, charged in addition to it. This page includes it only when the 25% review applies, which is why the worked example shows it and a deck permit does not.
What is the Technology and Training fee?
A fee the Planning Department adds to every fee it collects under Ordinance #39121: 8% of the underlying fee up to $624.99, a flat $50.00 from $625.00 to $2,499.99, and a flat $100.00 above that. The City's own example — $126.62 for a $10,000 deck — is Table 43-91's $117.24 plus 8%.
What happens if I start work before the permit is issued?
The penalty fee is quadruple the regular fee. It is not charged only where the work was a genuine emergency and a permit was applied for within 48 hours of the start.
How do I know which valuation Omaha will use?
The Building Official decides: "The determination of value or valuation for the purpose of assessing the permit fee shall be made by the building official." You state the total value of all construction work, and the official may adjust it.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
The page publishes the Technology and Training Fee Schedule (Ordinance #39121, effective 11/14/2011) and states it is added to "all fees paid to the Planning Department": 8% up to $624.99, $50.00 from $625.00 to $2,499.99, $100.00 above that. It is the only place the surcharge's three bands are published.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Omaha Municipal Code — Chapter 43 (Building), Sec. 43-91 Permit fees and Table 43-91
Read 2026-09-25 through the Municode Library, whose code version is dated August 31, 2026 (current). Sec. 43-91 sets the building permit fee in Table 43-91 and Sec. 43-92 sets plan review at 25 percent of that fee. The section's own citation block shows the base ordinance (Ord. No. 33582, 1995); Table 43-91 was amended in 2025 by Ord. No. 44525, published by the City Clerk as a scanned PDF with no text layer.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.