The county board of any county described in section 25-412.01 or 25-412.02 may enter into an agreement under the Interlocal Cooperation Act with the county board of another county or other counties for the trial of all contested criminal and civil cases, whether or not a jury trial has been requested. Any case subject to any such agreement shall be subject to the applicable provisions of law relating to changes of venue except as provided in section 25-412.04.
§ 25-412.03.County board; agreements for criminal and civil trials.
Article 4: Venue · Last amended 1975 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceSection 25-412.03 lets the county board of a small county described in section 25-412.01 or 25-412.02 enter an interlocal agreement with another county board to handle the trial of all its contested criminal and civil cases, subject to the ordinary venue-change rules except as modified by section 25-412.04.
Full Text of § 25-412.03
Source
Laws 1975, LB 97, § 3; R.S.1943, (1985), § 24-903.
Cross References
Interlocal Cooperation Act, see section 13-801.
Plain-English Summary
Sections 25-412.01 and 25-412.02 let individual criminal and civil cases move to an adjoining county on a case-by-case basis when a small county lacks adequate trial facilities. Section 25-412.03 offers a more structural alternative: the county board of such a county may enter into an agreement under the Interlocal Cooperation Act with the county board of another county, or several other counties, to handle the trial of all contested criminal and civil cases from the smaller county.
The agreement covers every contested case, whether or not a jury trial has been requested, rather than requiring a separate decision each time a case comes up. That gives a small county a standing arrangement instead of repeated ad hoc transfers.
Cases handled under such an agreement remain subject to the ordinary law governing changes of venue, with one qualification: section 25-412.04 modifies how the jury is selected for cases tried this way, so that provision controls over the general venue-change rules on that specific point.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an interlocal agreement in this context?
It is an agreement between the county board of a qualifying small county and the county board of another county or counties, entered under the Interlocal Cooperation Act, to handle the trial of contested criminal and civil cases.
Which counties can use this arrangement?
Does the agreement have to cover jury trials only?
No. It covers all contested criminal and civil cases, whether or not a jury trial has been requested.
Do the usual venue-change rules still apply to cases handled this way?
Yes, generally, except where section 25-412.04 sets a different rule for jury selection in cases tried under such an agreement.
How is this different from the case-by-case transfer allowed in sections 25-412.01 and 25-412.02?
Those sections let individual cases move to an adjoining county; section 25-412.03 lets the county boards set up a standing agreement covering all contested cases instead of deciding venue case by case.
Where can I find the Interlocal Cooperation Act referenced in this section?
Section 25-412.03 cross-references it at section 13-801, which is outside Chapter 25 and governs interlocal agreements generally.
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
Also known as: interlocal agreement county trials nebraskacounty board agreement for trialssmall county trial sharing arrangementinterlocal cooperation act venuejoint county court agreement nebraskasection 25-412.03 explained