Sarpy County’s Planning and Building Department at 1210 Golden Gate Drive in Papillion permits and inspects construction in the unincorporated county outside the cities’ extraterritorial limits, immediately south of Omaha. It is the fastest-growing county in Nebraska and among the smallest by area, and those two facts together define the work: four cities — Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista and Gretna — are annexing outward into a limited stock of unincorporated land, so the county's territory is contracting even as the population rises.
Offutt Air Force Base occupies a substantial area as federal land outside county jurisdiction. The county enforces the codes it has adopted, as Nebraska's default framework provides, with well and on-site wastewater approvals on unserved parcels.
This guide covers unincorporated Sarpy County outside the cities’ extraterritorial limits. Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna and Springfield permit their own construction, including in their extraterritorial areas beyond the city limits, and Offutt Air Force Base is federal land outside county jurisdiction.
The unincorporated map is shrinking. Four cities are annexing outward into a county already among the smallest by area, so land that is county jurisdiction today may be municipal jurisdiction by the time a permit is filed. On a Sarpy County parcel near any city boundary, confirm the jurisdiction at filing rather than at purchase.
What requires a building permit in Sarpy County?
In Sarpy County the questions are which code edition has been adopted, what has been amended, and the county's adopted codes and its shrinking unincorporated area.
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- Construction, alteration, repair, demolition or change of occupancy in unincorporated territory
- Zoning and subdivision approval from the county ahead of the building permit
- Well and on-site wastewater approval where the parcel is unserved
- New buildings, additions and any structural work on an existing building
- Alterations, repairs and renovations, and any change of occupancy
- Decks, accessory structures above the local threshold, retaining walls, storm shelters and swimming pools
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and small accessory work below the county's own published thresholds
- Ordinary repairs that do not alter structure, egress or systems
- Painting, papering, flooring, cabinets and similar finish work
- Small accessory structures below the locally adopted threshold — zoning still applies
- Work a property owner performs on a home they own and occupy, who is not a contractor for registration purposes
What is local, and what the state still reaches
Locally, what stands out is the annexation pressure from four cities and the federal land at Offutt.
Nebraska's state building code applies by default where a city, village or county has adopted none; local codes must conform generally, and the energy code is mandatory statewide. Nebraska rules
Who handles permitting in Sarpy County?
The Planning and Building Department, through its Permits and Inspection Division, is the permitting authority for unincorporated Sarpy County outside the cities’ extraterritorial limits, enforcing the codes the county has adopted alongside its zoning and subdivision regulation. Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna and Springfield permit their own, Offutt Air Force Base is federal ground outside county jurisdiction, and contractors register with the state Department of Labor.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Sarpy County Planning and Building Department |
| Office | 1210 Golden Gate Drive, #1240, Papillion, NE 68046 (courthouse administrative offices, 2nd floor) |
| Phone | (402) 593-1555 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:45 pm |
| Online | SmartGov permit portal (co-sarpy-ne.smartgovcommunity.com) and the Zoning and Jurisdiction Finder |
| Scope | Outside the five cities and their extraterritorial areas |
| Federal land | Offutt Air Force Base, outside county jurisdiction |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Sarpy County authorized 107 new privately owned housing units, 81 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
A house in unincorporated Sarpy County is permitted by the county against the codes it has adopted, with zoning cleared first and well and on-site wastewater approvals where the parcel is unserved. Acreage development in the county's southern and western reaches is the steady residential work; nearer the cities, annexation is the question to settle first.
Commercial permits
Commercial and industrial work in unincorporated Sarpy County — the interstate corridors, the data centre and distribution development that has followed the county's growth, and the businesses serving the base — clears county zoning and subdivision, then plan review against the county's adopted code.
Establishing the authority and the edition
In unincorporated Sarpy County the Platte River along the southern boundary and the Papillion Creek system bring floodplain review into the file, Offutt Air Force Base sits outside county jurisdiction, and municipal annexation steadily reduces the unincorporated area.
Nebraska contractors register with the state Department of Labor, and electricians are licensed by the State Electrical Division. Nebraska rules
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Sarpy County permit costs and fees
Fees follow the county's schedule for unincorporated territory, with well and wastewater approvals charged separately and contractor registration handled by the state.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | The county's fee schedule, for unincorporated territory |
| Zoning and subdivision | County approval ahead of the permit |
| Well and on-site wastewater | Separate approvals where the parcel is unserved |
| Trade permits | Electrical, plumbing and mechanical, each separately |
| Contractor registration | State Department of Labor, under the Contractor Registration Act |
| City permits | Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna and Springfield issue their own |
Check the extraterritorial line first. Each city permits inside its limits and in its extraterritorial area; the county permits only outside every city’s extraterritorial limits. A parcel well outside a city can still be the city’s file, so check it on the county’s Zoning and Jurisdiction Finder before filing.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Permit required
- Parcels near a city boundary — confirm the jurisdiction at filing, not at purchase
- Electrical — separate permit, with licensing through the State Electrical Division
- Plumbing — separate permit under the adopted plumbing code
- Mechanical — separate permit under the adopted mechanical code
- Fire protection — under the State Fire Marshal's jurisdiction where it applies
Typically exempt
- Work a property owner performs on a home they own and occupy, where the jurisdiction allows it
- Like-for-like replacement the adopted codes place below the permit threshold
Rather not deal with the Sarpy County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade work is permitted separately under the codes the jurisdiction has adopted. Nebraska rules
How to apply for a Sarpy County building permit
Inside a city or village, that municipality; just outside it, the city or village where it controls building in its extraterritorial zone; otherwise the county.
The adopting ordinance is the governing document; editions differ between neighbouring jurisdictions.
Snow load, wind speed and frost depth come from the jurisdiction’s adopted code; Nebraska has no statewide table.
State contractor registration, state electrical licensing, and any local trade licence, such as a city plumbing licence.
Reviewed against the locally adopted code, with the state energy code applying throughout.
Footing to final, with the trades on their own permits, then the certificate of occupancy.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Sarpy County reviews unincorporated work against its adopted codes. What delays a project here is annexation between purchase and filing, and a county filing for a parcel that sits in a city’s extraterritorial area.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Inspections in Sarpy County
Inspections follow the sequence of the code the jurisdiction has adopted — footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation and final — requested from the local department by permit number, with the trades inspected on their own permits. Work that passes final receives a certificate of occupancy for new buildings and changes of occupancy. Sarpy County inspects the work it permits in the sequence its adopted code sets, with the trades inspected on their own permits; inside the cities and their extraterritorial areas, inspection is theirs.
Sarpy County permit search and official resources
- Sarpy County Planning and Building — permits, the jurisdiction finder and the online permit portal
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6403 — state building code — the codes the Legislature adopts by reference and their exceptions
- Nebraska Department of Labor — contractor registration under the Contractor Registration Act
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6403 — state building code — the codes the Legislature adopts by reference and their exceptions
- Nebraska State Fire Marshal — fire prevention, life safety and elevator review within its jurisdiction
- Nebraska Department of Labor — contractor registration under the Contractor Registration Act
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Does the county permit inside the cities?
No. Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Gretna and Springfield permit inside their limits and in their extraterritorial areas; the county covers only land outside those areas.
Could my parcel be annexed before I build?
It is a real possibility here — four cities are annexing outward into a small county, so confirm the jurisdiction at filing rather than at purchase.
Does the county permit on Offutt Air Force Base?
No. The base is federal land outside county permitting jurisdiction.
Do I need a well and wastewater approval?
On unserved parcels, yes — both are separate approvals alongside the building permit.
Which code does the county enforce?
The codes Sarpy County has adopted; the state code at 71-6403 applies only as a default where a jurisdiction has adopted nothing.
How long is a county permit good for?
One year from the date it is issued, and construction must begin within the first six months.
Simplify Sarpy County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Sarpy County’s boundaries move faster than its files. We confirm the jurisdiction at filing, including the cities’ extraterritorial lines.
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More Nebraska permitting guides
More Nebraska permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Sarpy County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.