Article 5: Commencement of Actions and Service of Process · Last amended 1983 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceSection 25-536, Nebraska’s long-arm statute, lets a court exercise personal jurisdiction over a person whose Nebraska-connected business, contracts, torts, property, or insurance activity gives rise to the claim, or over anyone with any other contact sufficient to satisfy federal due process.
Full Text of § 25-536
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A court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a person:
(1) Who acts directly or by an agent, as to a cause of action arising from the person:
(a) Transacting any business in this state;
(b) Contracting to supply services or things in this state;
(c) Causing tortious injury by an act or omission in this state;
(d) Causing tortious injury in this state by an act or omission outside this state if the person regularly does or solicits business, engages in any other persistent course of conduct, or derives substantial revenue from goods used or consumed or services rendered, in this state;
(e) Having an interest in, using, or possessing real property in this state; or
(f) Contracting to insure any person, property, or risk located within this state at the time of contracting; or
(2) Who has any other contact with or maintains any other relation to this state to afford a basis for the exercise of personal jurisdiction consistent with the Constitution of the United States.
Source
Laws 1967, c. 143, § 2, p. 439; Laws 1983, LB 447, § 35.
Plain-English Summary
A Nebraska court cannot decide on its own that it wants to hear a case against an out-of-state defendant. Section 25-536 sets the terms under which it can. The first branch of the statute lists specific kinds of Nebraska-connected conduct that support jurisdiction when the claim arises out of that conduct: transacting business in the state; contracting to supply services or goods here; causing a tortious injury by an act or omission in Nebraska; causing a tortious injury in Nebraska by conduct outside the state, if the defendant regularly does or solicits business, engages in another persistent course of conduct, or draws substantial revenue from goods or services used here; having an interest in, using, or possessing Nebraska real property; or contracting to insure a person, property, or risk located in Nebraska at the time of contracting. Each of these covers a defendant who acts through an agent as well as one who acts directly.
These listed categories share a common thread: the claim has to arise from the very conduct connecting the defendant to Nebraska. Selling a product into the state, signing a contract to be performed here, or causing harm here through action taken elsewhere can each open the door, but only for a lawsuit growing out of that specific connection.
The second branch of the statute is a catch-all. A court may exercise jurisdiction over a person who has any other contact with, or maintains any other relation to, Nebraska sufficient to support jurisdiction consistent with the United States Constitution. That provision extends Nebraska’s reach as far as federal due process allows — meaning a defendant’s connections to the state have to be substantial enough that requiring a defense here does not offend basic fairness. Because the statute reaches to that constitutional limit, litigants and courts weighing whether jurisdiction exists over an out-of-state defendant often end up asking the broader constitutional question directly, rather than parsing only the listed categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of activity in Nebraska can subject an out-of-state person to a lawsuit here?
Transacting business in Nebraska, contracting to supply services or goods here, causing a tortious injury by conduct in the state, causing a tortious injury here through conduct elsewhere if the person regularly does business or draws substantial revenue from the state, holding an interest in Nebraska real property, or contracting to insure a person, property, or risk located here.
Does my lawsuit have to arise from the defendant’s Nebraska activity to use these specific categories?
Yes. Each listed basis in subsection (1) requires that the cause of action arise from the very conduct described — transacting business, contracting, causing injury, and so on.
What does the catch-all provision in subsection (2) add?
It lets a court exercise jurisdiction based on any other contact or relationship with Nebraska, as long as doing so is consistent with the jurisdictional limits the United States Constitution imposes.
Can I be sued in Nebraska over an injury I caused from outside the state?
Possibly, if you regularly do or solicit business in Nebraska, engage in another persistent course of conduct here, or draw substantial revenue from goods or services used in the state, and the injury resulted from your conduct.
Does owning property in Nebraska alone create jurisdiction over me for any claim?
The property-based category applies to claims arising from having an interest in, using, or possessing Nebraska real property, rather than to unrelated claims that have nothing to do with that property.
How far does Nebraska’s long-arm statute reach compared to the U.S. Constitution’s limits?
The catch-all provision is written to extend jurisdiction as far as the Constitution allows, so the statute’s outer boundary tracks federal due process limits on personal jurisdiction rather than falling short of them.
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:nebraska long arm statutepersonal jurisdiction over out of state defendant nebraskatransacting business jurisdiction nebraskaminimum contacts nebraska statutesue nonresident in nebraska25-536 jurisdiction