NEBRASKA

The earliest known automobile licensing in Nebraska was by the city of Omaha in 1904, and possibly other cities before or after that.  The relatively early effective date of the first state law on July 1, 1905, marked an end to city registration in Nebraska.

Lincoln (43,973)

The Nebraska State Journal, in various articles, reported on the passage of the city's first automobile licensing ordinance on October 24, 1904.  The ordinance required automobile owners to register with the city clerk and display owner-provided numbers three inches high for the rear of each machine.  The ordinance became effective on October 29, 1904, at which time 18 automobiles had been registered, with #13 being turned back in.  As of April 9, 1905, there were 50 automobiles listed.

Omaha (124,096)

A series of news articles in the Morning World-Herald, published in Omaha, describe the implementation of that city's first automobile ordinance.  The ordinance, given its first and second readings on April 12, 1904, had this to say about license plate requirements:  "In the rear of each machine, conspicuously displayed, must be placed the number of the automobile, as registered by the city clerk, in figures of pure white, five inches each in height."  On April 26, members of the automobile club attended the city council meeting to discuss amendments to the proposed ordinance, and it was decided that "Each owner must pay a small fee annually for a registered number, along with a license or permit, the city to furnish the figures, each five inches high, which each owner must place conspicuously upon the rear of his machine."  At the May 10 meeting, the substitute ordinance was introduced into council and "It provides that a permit and registered number must be secured from the city clerk by each owner for $1;  that his registered number must be shown on his machine in conspicuous figures..."  The displayed number was to be in white on black, and was the operator's permit number.  The ordinance was passed on May 18, 1904, and became effective on May 23, 1904.

On June 1, 1904, it was reported that "Forty-one automobile owners have started to comply with the new automobile ordinance by depositing their permit fee with the city treasurer.  Several of them, however, have failed to secure their permits."  Police were ordered on June 9 to investigate automobiles without numbers and others with duplicate numbers.  A city financial report published on June 25, 1905, listed an entry of $84 collected from the registration of 84 automobiles "last year."  The city license year has not been verified as of yet, but this data is presumed to be for licenses through February 28, 1905, since an Omaha Daily Bee article on April 12, 1905, reported that "Ninety-four automobiles are registered in the city clerk's office.  Of this number eighty-five checked in last year and the remaining eight since March 1 of the present year."

Finally, a July 1, 1905, article with the headline "OMAHA OWNERS OF AUTOS WILL HEED CITY BUT NOT STATE LAW" discusses the conflicting state of affairs.  "The new state automobile law which goes into effect July 1 has resulted in a muddled condition in Omaha.  It butts up solidly here against a city ordinance...In Omaha the new city charter was signed on the same day as the auto law..."  The concensus was that the city charter would therefore take precedence over the state law.

(South Omaha (26,259)

Annexed by the city of Omaha on June 20, 1915, this city, whose central business district was considered to be 20th Street between N and Q streets, was clearly interested in following in Omaha's footsteps with its own automobile ordinance.  The Morning World-Herald of Omaha reported that the South Omaha city council met on June 6, 1904, to consider an automobile ordinance.  "An important provision of the proposed law requires each chauffeur to register the number of his machine with the city clerk.  The number must also be placed on the rear of the machine..."  We don't know if this ordinance ever passed, but the likelihood that it did is strong, as there was still over a year to go before the state law took over.)