Douglas County, NE Ordinances (2026)

Douglas County requires a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan and erosion control plan for new development in the unincorporated county, including single-lot construction, to limit…

In unincorporated Douglas County's flood fringe overlay district, new homes and substantial improvements must have their lowest floor built at least 2 feet above the base flood…

Douglas County's zoning regulations require any project going through site plan review or a special use permit in the unincorporated county to manage storm water so there is no net…

Unincorporated Douglas County requires a floodplain development permit before any construction, fill, or substantial improvement in mapped flood hazard areas, enforced by the county's…

In Douglas County's Highway Corridor Gateway Overlay along Highways 36 and 92, new commercial, office and industrial lighting must be aimed and shielded so no light crosses onto…

Unincorporated Douglas County caps light standards at 35 feet and requires hooded, glare-shielded fixtures on new commercial and office buildings inside the Highway Corridor Gateway…

Unincorporated Douglas County caps single-family homes in the R-1 low-density district at 35 feet, measured from established grade to the roof's highest point; homes inside Omaha…

Unincorporated Douglas County caps R-1 residential lots at 40% building coverage and 50% impervious surface coverage under the county's Zoning Regulations Table 4.3, a stormwater…

Unincorporated Douglas County sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by zoning district, ranging from 25 feet in urban residential districts up to 50 feet in the AG and RR…

Home cannabis cultivation is illegal in Douglas County. Nebraska law prohibits recreational marijuana cultivation. Medical marijuana was approved by voters in November 2024…

In unincorporated Douglas County, a home business that has customers visit the property is classified as a Major Home Occupation and cannot operate without a special use permit…

Douglas County zoning treats a state-licensed home daycare serving six or fewer people as a permitted-by-right land use in every zoning district, including all residential districts…

In unincorporated Douglas County, a home occupation may display just one sign, attached to the residence, capped at 3 square feet: freestanding signs are barred outright.

Unincorporated Douglas County splits home businesses into two tiers: Home Occupation I needs a special use permit, Home Occupation II is allowed by right with no customers or outside…

Unincorporated Douglas County caps industrial noise at 65 dbA (7am-10pm) and 55 dbA (10pm-7am) at the boundary of any residential district in Light Industrial zones; Omaha and its…

Unincorporated Douglas County zoning bars new adult entertainment businesses within 1,000 feet of another, 500 feet of residential zoning, and 1,000 feet of schools, parks, or…

In unincorporated Douglas County, a residential lot can keep one horse, llama, or hoofed animal on a fenced two-acre area, with one more animal per extra two acres, up to ten total…

Unincorporated Douglas County has no breed-specific legislation. Nebraska state law governs dangerous dogs; no county-level breed bans apply.

Douglas County zoning requires a six-foot, at-least-75%-opaque screen around loading docks, trash collection points, and dumpsters whenever a more intensive district sits next to a…

Unincorporated Douglas County requires a building permit before erecting any fence, per its Zoning Regulations. Fences must also meet height, setback, and material standards under…

Unincorporated Douglas County zoning bans barbed wire and electrified fencing in residential subdivisions, defining prohibited materials as barbs, blades, razors, electric current, or…

In unincorporated Douglas County, residential fences are capped at 4 feet in a required front or street side yard and 6 feet elsewhere, with a 30-foot corner sight-triangle rule at…

In unincorporated Douglas County, a low uncovered deck or patio can project up to ten feet into a required yard, but it still must clear a three-foot side setback and a twenty-foot…

Douglas County caps short-term lodging occupancy at two guests per code-compliant bedroom, with a hard ceiling of 10 total occupants, in the unincorporated county. Omaha and its…

Unincorporated Douglas County treats Airbnb-style rentals as a "Short-Term Lodging Establishment" use requiring a county Special Use Permit in nearly every zoning district, not a…

Douglas County follows Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. No just-cause requirement: month-to-month tenancies may be terminated with 30 days' notice without…

Douglas County has no rent control. Nebraska state law does not authorize municipal rent control under Dillon's Rule, so rents in Omaha and unincorporated Douglas County are set at…

Unincorporated Douglas County requires off-street loading docks for any commercial use that receives or ships freight, sized by building square footage under the county's zoning code…

In unincorporated Douglas County, off-street parking areas, a term that includes driveways, must be hard-surfaced with concrete, concrete pavers, or asphalt and kept free of mud, dust…

Unincorporated Douglas County reserves land for farming through the AG Agricultural/Open Space District, requiring 80-acre minimum lots for new development to keep agricultural and…

Unincorporated Douglas County has no permit to cut down a tree on ordinary property, but subdivisions and site-plan developments that remove existing trees must replace each one under…

In unincorporated Douglas County, an accessory dwelling unit is allowed by right in the AG, RR and R-1 districts if its footprint is 75% or less of the principal home's first-floor…

In unincorporated Douglas County, a shed or other accessory building can't exceed 20% of the rear yard, can't be lived in, and needs a signed non-conversion agreement before a building…