Nevada Administrative Code

NAC 534.442 Waiver to use water to explore for minerals. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. A request for a waiver to allow a temporary use of water from an existing well to explore for minerals or to drill a well and to use the water from the well to explore for minerals must be…

NAC 534.444 Waiver to use water to explore for oil, gas or geothermal resources. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. A request for a waiver to allow the temporary use of water from an existing well to explore for oil, gas or geothermal resources, or to drill a well and use the wat…

NAC 534.446 Waiver to use water for construction of highway. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. A request for a waiver to allow the temporary use of water from an existing well for the construction of a highway, or to drill a well and use the water from the well for the construct…

NAC 534.448 Waiver to drill well in shallow groundwater system to alleviate certain potential hazards. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. A request for a waiver to drill a well in a shallow groundwater system for removing water for the purpose of alleviating potential hazards to …

NAC 534.4485 Waiver to drill drain well in shallow groundwater system. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. A request for a waiver to drill a drain well in a shallow groundwater system for removing water to depressurize the earth and alleviating potential hazards to persons and pro…

NAC 534.449 Waiver of requirement to plug well. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.060, 534.110) 1. The owner of a well who wishes to obtain a waiver pursuant to subsection 7 or 8 of NRS 534.060 from the requirement that a well be plugged must submit a written request for the waiver to t…

NAC 534.4495 Requirements for extension of waiver granted pursuant to NAC 534.440 to 534.449, inclusive. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. The State Engineer may, for good cause shown, grant an extension of the time in which a waiver granted pursuant to any of the provisions of …

NAC 534.450 Waiver of requirement of this chapter. (NRS 534.020, 534.050, 534.110) 1. The State Engineer may, for good cause shown, waive a requirement of the provisions of this chapter. 2. A request for a waiver of a requirement of this chapter must be made in writing to the Sta…

NAC 534.500 Assessment of demerit points against license of well driller; suspension and reinstatement of license; removal of demerit points. (NRS 534.020, 534.110) 1. The Division shall assess demerit points against the license of a licensed well driller who is found by the Stat…

NAC 534A.010 Definitions. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined in NAC 534A.012 to 534A.085, inclusive, have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. (Supplied in codification; A by Comm’n on Mi…

NAC 534A.012 “Administrator” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Division. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85) — (Substituted in revision for NAC 534A.039)

NAC 534A.015 “Annular space” and “annulus” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Annular space” or “annulus” means the space between the walls of the well as drilled and the casing or between a permanent casing and the borehole. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-1…

NAC 534A.020 “Aquifer” defined. (NRS 513.063, 532.120, 534.020, 534.110, 534A.090) “Aquifer” means a geological formation or structure that stores or transmits water. [St. Engineer, Exploration Drilling Reg. part Art. I, eff. 12-13-77] — (NAC A by Comm’n on Mineral Resources by R…

NAC 534A.031 “Blowout” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Blowout” means an uncontrolled escape of fluids and gases from a geothermal well. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.033 “Casing” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Casing” means the conduit required to prevent waste and contamination of the groundwater, the geothermal resource, or both, and to hold the formation open during the construction or use of the well. (Added to NAC by Comm’n o…

NAC 534A.035 “Commission” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Commission” means the Commission on Mineral Resources. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.037 “Division” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Division” means the Division of Minerals of the Commission on Mineral Resources. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.040 “Geothermal resource” defined. (NRS 532.120, 534.020, 534.110) “Geothermal resource” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 534A.010. [St. Engineer, Exploration Drilling Reg. part Art. I, eff. 12-13-77]

NAC 534A.045 “Guide shoe” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Guide shoe” means a short, heavy cylindrical section which is rounded at the bottom and placed at the end of a string of casing. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.061 “Injection well” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Injection well” means any well used to dispose of fluids derived from geothermal resources into an underground reservoir. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.063 “Observation well” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Observation well” means any well used to observe the level of the water and its temperature, pressure and chemistry in a geothermal field. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85; A by R032-19, …

NAC 534A.064 “Operator” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Operator” means the person who has the right to drill and operate a geothermal well. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.065 “Person” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Person” includes any trust, estate, agency or governmental entity. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.066 “Production well” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Production well” means a geothermal well which is used to transmit fluids derived from geothermal resources to the surface where the fluids are available for industrial, commercial or domestic purposes. (Added to NA…

NAC 534A.067 “Reservoir” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Reservoir” means an aquifer or combination of aquifers or porous zones containing a common geothermal or groundwater resource. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.069 “Thermal gradient well” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Thermal gradient well” means a well drilled to obtain a temperature gradient reading in an area of potential geothermal resources. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources, eff. 11-12-85)

NAC 534A.083 “Well bore” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Well bore” means a cylindrical hole made in the construction or drilling of a well. (Added to NAC by Comm’n on Mineral Resources by R032-19, eff. 12-30-2019)

NAC 534A.085 “Well log” defined. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) “Well log” means a written record progressively describing the strata, water and geothermal resources encountered in drilling a well. The term includes all relevant data maintained by the operator including volume, pressure…

NAC 534A.110 Drilling rig: License to operate. (NRS 532.120, 534.020, 534.110) [Replaced in revision by NAC 534A.188.]

NAC 534A.170 Types of wells. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) A geothermal well is considered by the Division as: 1. A geothermal domestic well if the well is used solely for domestic heating purposes by one or more single family dwellings on a single parcel of land under the same ownersh…

NAC 534A.173 “Natural heat of the earth” construed for purposes of NRS 534A.010. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) For the purposes of NRS 534A.010, “natural heat of the earth” means energy obtained from any medium used to transfer heat, the temperature of which is greater than 85 degrees …

NAC 534A.175 Authority of Administrator to grant exception to certain requirements of chapter. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) Except for any fee required pursuant to NAC 534A.210 to 534A.216, inclusive, or 534A.540, upon written application and good cause shown, the Administrator may gr…

NAC 534A.180 Applicability of NAC 534A.170 to 534A.690, inclusive. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) 1. Only the provisions of NAC 534A.170 to 534A.690, inclusive, listed below apply to geothermal domestic wells: (a) NAC 534A.190; (b) NAC 534A.200; (c) NAC 534A.210; (d) NAC 534A.220; (e) P…

NAC 534A.185 License required to drill geothermal well that uses water consumptively and geothermal domestic well. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) A person must be licensed to drill wells in this State pursuant to NRS 534.140 in order to drill any: 1. Geothermal well that uses water cons…

NAC 534A.188 Drilling rig: License to operate in compliance with licensing procedures of State Contractors’ Board. (NRS 513.063, 532.120, 534.020, 534.110, 534A.090) Any drilling rig operated in Nevada must be operated in compliance with the licensing procedures of the State Cont…

NAC 534A.190 Application for permit for individual geothermal well. (NRS 513.063, 534A.070, 534A.090) An application for a permit to drill or operate an individual geothermal well must be submitted to the Division on a form provided by the Administrator. Except as otherwise provi…

NAC 534A.193 Application for permit for geothermal wells in a project area. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) An application for a permit to drill or operate geothermal wells in a project area must be submitted to the Division. Except as otherwise provided in NAC 534A.196, the application …

NAC 534A.196 Application for permit for injection well; operator required to obtain permit pursuant to Nevada Water Pollution Control Law before operating well. (NRS 513.063, 534A.070, 534A.090) 1. An operator shall file with the Division an application for a permit to drill or o…

NAC 534A.200 Location of well: Limitations; application for exception. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) 1. No well may be drilled within 100 feet of: (a) The boundary of the land on which the well is situated. (b) A public road, street or highway. 2. Upon written application, the Administ…

NAC 534A.205 Location of well: Survey required; filing of certified plat of location. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the location of an individual geothermal well or the geothermal wells in a project area must be surveyed by a professiona…

NAC 534A.210 Fees for permits for individual geothermal wells. (NRS 513.063, 534A.080, 534A.090) A person who files an application for a permit to drill or operate an individual geothermal well shall pay to the Commission a fee according to the following schedule: INDUSTRIAL WELL…

NAC 534A.212 Fees for permits for geothermal wells in project areas. (NRS 513.063, 534A.080, 534A.090) 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, a person who files an application for a permit to drill or operate geothermal wells in a project area shall pay to the Commissio…

NAC 534A.214 Annual fee for industrial or commercial geothermal production well, geothermal injection well or thermal gradient or observation well. (NRS 513.063, 534A.080, 534A.090) On or before January 31 of each year: 1. The owner of the geothermal resource or the operator of a…

NAC 534A.216 Payment of fee based on depth of well. (NRS 513.063, 534A.080, 534A.090) Within 30 days after the completion of the construction of a geothermal well listed in this section and the removal of the drill rig from the location of the well, the person who holds a permit …

NAC 534A.220 Expiration of permits. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) Unless operations have been commenced or the operator is proceeding with due diligence, a permit to drill an individual geothermal well or a permit to drill geothermal wells in a project area expires 24 months after the …

NAC 534A.240 Assignment of permits. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) 1. A permit to drill or operate an individual geothermal well or a permit to drill or operate geothermal wells in a project area may be assigned, subject to the conditions of the permit, upon the written approval of the …

NAC 534A.250 Bond: Filing requirements; amount; form; effect of transfer of ownership of well; duration. (NRS 513.063, 534A.090) 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the operator shall provide a sufficient bond in favor of the State of Nevada for each geothermal well,…