An initial application shall be made to the court of the county in which the agreement provides the arbitration hearing shall be held or, if the hearing has been held, in the county in which it was held. Otherwise the application shall be made in the county where the adverse party resides or has a place of business or, if he or she has no residence or place of business in this state, to the court of any county. All subsequent applications shall be made to the court hearing the initial application unless the court otherwise directs.
§ 25-2619.Venue.
Article 26: Uniform Arbitration Act · Last amended 1987 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section sets venue for arbitration-related applications in the county where the agreement designates the hearing, or where the hearing was held, and otherwise in the adverse party’s county of residence or business, with all later applications routed to whichever court heard the first one.
Full Text of § 25-2619
Source
Laws 1987, LB 71, § 19.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-2619 tells a party which county’s court to file in. An initial application goes to the court of the county the agreement designates for the arbitration hearing — or, if the hearing has already happened, the county where it was held. If neither points to a specific county, the fallback is the county where the adverse party resides or has a place of business. And if the adverse party has no residence or place of business anywhere in Nebraska, the application may go to the court of any county in the state.
Once the first application is filed, venue for the rest of the case is largely settled: all subsequent applications in the matter go to the same court that heard the initial application, unless that court directs otherwise. This keeps a single arbitration dispute from being split across multiple courthouses as it moves through compelling arbitration, the hearing, and any post-award challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Nebraska county do I file my arbitration application in?
The county the agreement designates for the arbitration hearing, or, if the hearing already took place, the county where it was held.
What if the agreement doesn’t specify a county for the hearing?
File in the county where the adverse party resides or has a place of business, or, if that party has no Nebraska residence or place of business, in any county’s court.
Do I have to keep filing in the same court once my case is underway?
Generally, yes. All applications after the initial one go to the court that heard the initial application, unless that court directs otherwise.
Does venue change if the arbitration hearing ends up somewhere other than what the agreement said?
Once the hearing has been held, venue for the initial application follows the county where it was held, rather than the county originally designated.
Why does this section matter for a party trying to confirm or vacate an award?
It determines which court has proper venue to hear that confirmation or vacatur application, following the same rules used for the initial application in the matter.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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