Omaha Street Excavation Bond
What it is & who requires it
Anyone cutting or excavating in an Omaha street, alley or boulevard. The eligibility rule is worth reading before you buy anything, because two classes of permittee are outside the bond entirely: public utility corporations operating in the streets, and the State of Nebraska for its own necessary operations. Everyone else needs it — licensed master plumbers and any other person taking an excavation permit. A master plumber has a shortcut the ordinance grants in terms: the plumbing bond required under chapter 49 may be declared to satisfy this requirement, so the same instrument can do double duty rather than being bought twice. Note that the Nebraska Department of Roads may take permits without fee or bond, on condition that it backfills, replaces the surface at its own expense and indemnifies the city.
Obligee: City of Omaha (City Clerk; City Attorney; Public Works). Citation: Omaha Municipal Code § 34-56 (Bond and insurance); § 34-54 (Eligibility); § 34-55 (State operations); ch. 34, art. — street excavation permits; and § 49-305(a)(3) (master plumber’s additional street excavation bond); Code 1980, § 34-56; Ord. No. 34464, § 1, 2-3-98.
Bond amount
The required bond amount is $20,000.
How to get it
This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
Request a bond quote
Tell us about the bond and the project. A licensed producer follows up — these bonds are individually underwritten, so they are not issued instantly.
Term & renewal
Term: Filed and maintained with the city clerk for as long as the permittee holds excavation permits, rather than posted per cut.
Renewal: Maintained continuously with the city clerk; the ordinance requires the permittee to file and maintain the bond rather than renew it per permit.
Filing
Filed and maintained with the Omaha city clerk and approved by the city attorney both as to surety and as to form. The sum is stated flatly in the ordinance rather than as a minimum, which is what separates this bond from Omaha’s contractor and electrical bonds, so what you file is not negotiated. Insurance is required alongside it and is not an alternative: commercial general liability including contractual liability at the city’s stated per-occurrence and aggregate limits, automobile liability, and a signed indemnity agreement. One practical point for plumbing firms: chapter 49 requires a master plumber to provide this street excavation bond in addition to the plumbing bond in order to secure permits for building sewers, storm sewers or water services, so the two instruments are designed to sit together.
Source
Verified against the obligee source (last checked 2026-09-02).
Related Nebraska bonds
Frequently asked questions
- Who requires the Omaha Street Excavation Bond?
- It’s required by City of Omaha (City Clerk; City Attorney; Public Works) (Omaha Municipal Code § 34-56 (Bond and insurance); § 34-54 (Eligibility); § 34-55 (State operations); ch. 34, art. — street excavation permits; and § 49-305(a)(3) (master plumber’s additional street excavation bond); Code 1980, § 34-56; Ord. No. 34464, § 1, 2-3-98). Anyone cutting or excavating in an Omaha street, alley or boulevard. The eligibility rule is worth reading before you buy anything, because two classes of permittee are outside the bond entirely: public utility corporations operating in the streets, and the State of Nebraska for its own necessary operations. Everyone else needs it — licensed master plumbers and any other person taking an excavation permit. A master plumber has a shortcut the ordinance grants in terms: the plumbing bond required under chapter 49 may be declared to satisfy this requirement, so the same instrument can do double duty rather than being bought twice. Note that the Nebraska Department of Roads may take permits without fee or bond, on condition that it backfills, replaces the surface at its own expense and indemnifies the city.
- How much is the Omaha Street Excavation Bond?
- The bond amount is $20,000.
- How do I get the Omaha Street Excavation Bond?
- This bond is individually underwritten, so it is not issued instantly. Request a quote and a licensed producer follows up to walk you through it.
- What is the term?
- Filed and maintained with the city clerk for as long as the permittee holds excavation permits, rather than posted per cut. Renewal: Maintained continuously with the city clerk; the ordinance requires the permittee to file and maintain the bond rather than renew it per permit.
- Is this bond insurance for me?
- No. It protects the obligee and the public — not you. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety.
- How is this requirement verified?
- We verify it against the obligee’s primary source (last checked 2026-09-02); the source link is on this page.
