Nebraska ETJ Framework — City Zoning over Unincorporated County Territory (NE)

Tracked preemption from the Nebraska overlay bundle.

Overview

Effective
1957-01-01
Sunset
Authority
state
Scope
state:NE

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

parcel.inside_etj == True

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
county_zoning_within_etjoverridecity_zoning_controlsWithin a city's ETJ, city zoning preempts county zoning
etj_radius_milesoverrideby_city_classFirst class: 2 miles (§19-929); metropolitan class (Omaha): 3 miles (§14-418); primary class (Lincoln): 3 miles (§15-902)

Citation

Authority source
Neb. Rev. Stat. §19-929 (first class); §14-418 (metropolitan); §15-902 (primary)
§ §19-929 + Chapter 14/15 ETJ provisions
https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/browse-chapters.php?chapter=19

Research notes

Single most common preemption friction in Nebraska — county records at metro edges should flag the ETJ overlay. Cities of the first class exercise zoning ETJ up to 2 miles beyond municipal limits; metropolitan/primary class up to 3 miles. Within ETJ, city zoning preempts county zoning. For Lincoln, mediated through the joint Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department. LB 614 (2025) narrows ETJ reach over farm buildings for first/second-class cities and villages on an opt-in basis.