Title 46

NRS 517.430 Renewal of prospecting permits: Limitations and extensions. 1. No person or agent of any person shall be granted a new prospecting permit upon the same claims, or any of them, under the provisions of NRS 517.390 to 517.430, inclusive: (a) If such claims, or any of the…

NRS 517.450 Sale of mine or claim not subject to prospecting permit: Affidavit and petition. 1. Whenever a patented mine or mining claim has been, for a year or more, the property of a county through operation of the revenue laws of this state and no prospecting permit granted un…

NRS 517.460 Sale of mine or claim not subject to prospecting permit: Order for and notice of sale; conveyance to purchaser; disposition of proceeds. 1. Upon receipt of an affidavit and petition as required by NRS 517.450, the board of county commissioners, by an order appearing i…

NRS 519.010 Possessors of mining claims deemed lawful owners of ores therefrom. Any person, copartnership, association or corporation in the actual and peaceable possession of any mining claim, under claim or color of title, and engaged in the mining, shipment and treatment, or s…

NRS 519.020 Purchasers in good faith deemed owners of ores. Any person who, or copartnership, association or corporation which, shall in good faith and in the usual course of business and without notice, as provided in NRS 519.030, purchase and obtain delivery of any ore or ores …

NRS 519.030 Notice to purchasers of their liability; institution of action to enforce title. 1. If any person, copartnership, association or corporation shall be or shall claim to be the owner or owners, or entitled to the possession or enjoyment, of any mine, mines, mining claim…

NRS 519.040 Liability of claimant for failure to institute action after service of notice. If any person, copartnership, association or corporation claiming title to or right of possession of such mine, mines, mining claim, claims or premises, not having before then brought actio…

NRS 519.050 Liability of purchaser after notice and institution of action. Any purchaser of ore or ores who or which shall have received the notice provided for in NRS 519.030, and followed or preceded by the commencement of an action as therein set forth, who shall purchase or c…

NRS 519.060 Payment for ores within 30 days after delivery, sale or settlement; penalty. 1. Every person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of purchasing, sampling, reducing or refining of ores, the predominating value of which is in gold or silver, for others, shall ma…

NRS 519.070 Unlawful to change value of ore, substitute ore or issue false bill of sale or certificate of purchase; penalty. Any person, corporation or association, or the agent of any person, corporation or association, engaged in the milling, smelting, sampling, concentrating, …

NRS 519.080 Records of assayers and purchasers: Contents. Every assayer, person, partnership, association or corporation engaged in the business, or who or which may hereafter be engaged, directly, indirectly or occasionally in the business, or who or which, being engaged in othe…

NRS 519.090 Examination of books of assayer and purchaser upon affidavit of theft or other unlawful taking. 1. Whenever an affidavit shall be made by any person before any justice of the peace or district judge that any ore, free gold, gold dust, gold amalgam, gold nuggets, gold …

NRS 519.100 Penalty for failing to keep books, making false entries or refusing to allow inspections. Every assayer, person, copartnership, association or corporation described in NRS 519.080 who or which shall fail, refuse or neglect to keep the book or books, or to make the ent…

NRS 519.110 Failure, refusal or neglect of assayer or purchaser not to operate as excuse or defense. If any assayer, person, partnership, association or corporation shall fail, refuse or neglect to make the inquiries or secure the information necessary to the making of the proper…

NRS 519.120 Assayers to identify bullion or amalgam; penalty for refusal or neglect to comply. 1. Every person or firm engaged in the business of assaying within this state shall be required to place a written description, pasted on or stamped upon every bar of bullion or amalgam…

NRS 519.130 Statement required in certain documents containing results of assay; penalties; enforcement. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, every person or firm engaged in the business of assaying within this state shall, in each report or other document containing …

NRS 519A.010 Legislative findings; cooperation with state and federal agencies in administration and enforcement of chapter. 1. The Legislature hereby finds that: (a) The extraction of minerals by mining is a basic and essential activity making an important contribution to the ec…

NRS 519A.020 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined in NRS 519A.030 to 519A.130, inclusive, have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1281; A 2025, 1323)

NRS 519A.030 “Administrator” defined. “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Division. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1281)

NRS 519A.040 “Affected” defined. “Affected” means that the surface of the land is or will be disturbed by mining, or that the land will be used: 1. As an evaporation or settling pond, leach dump, placer area or tailings pond or dump; or 2. In conjunction with any structure, facil…

NRS 519A.045 “Beneficiation” defined. “Beneficiation” means the dressing or processing of ores to: 1. Regulate the size of a desired product; 2. Remove unwanted constituents; and 3. Improve the quality, purity or assay grade of a desired product. (Added to NRS by 2025, 1320)

NRS 519A.050 “Commission” defined. “Commission” means the State Environmental Commission. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1281)

NRS 519A.055 “Discharge” defined. “Discharge” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 445A.345. (Added to NRS by 2025, 1320)

NRS 519A.060 “Division” defined. “Division” means the Division of Environmental Protection of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1281)

NRS 519A.070 “Exploration project” defined. “Exploration project” means all activities conducted in this state by a person on or beneath the surface of land for the purpose of, or in connection with, determining the presence, location, extent, depth or grade of any mineral, which…

NRS 519A.073 “Facility” defined. “Facility” means all portions of a mining operation, including, without limitation, the mine, waste rock piles, ore piles, process components for beneficiation, processed ore disposal sites, and all associated buildings and structures. The term do…

NRS 519A.075 “Fluid management system” defined. “Fluid management system” means the portion of a facility constructed to contain or transport process fluids. (Added to NRS by 2025, 1320)

NRS 519A.080 “Mining operation” defined. “Mining operation” means all activities conducted in this state by a person on or beneath the surface of land for the purpose of, or in connection with, the development or extraction of any mineral. The term does not include an aggregate o…

NRS 519A.090 “Operator” defined. “Operator” means any person who owns, controls or manages an exploration project or a mining operation. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1282)

NRS 519A.093 “Point source” defined. “Point source” means any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance from which pollutants are or may be discharged, including, without limitation, any pipe, ditch, channel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentr…

NRS 519A.095 “Process component” defined. “Process component” means the distinct portion of a constructed facility which is a point source. (Added to NRS by 2025, 1320)

NRS 519A.097 “Process fluid” defined. “Process fluid” means any liquid, including, without limitation, meteoric waters, which are intentionally or unintentionally introduced into any part of a process component for beneficiation. (Added to NRS by 2025, 1320)

NRS 519A.100 “Reclamation” defined. “Reclamation” means actions performed during or after an exploration project or mining operation to: 1. Shape, stabilize, revegetate or otherwise treat the land in order to return it to a safe, stable condition consistent with the establishment…

NRS 519A.110 “Small exploration project” defined. “Small exploration project” means an exploration project which is limited to a surface disturbance of not more than 5 acres in any calendar year. To determine the area of the surface disturbed, all land disturbed and left unreclai…

NRS 519A.120 “Small mining operation” defined. “Small mining operation” means a person who disturbs less than 5 acres of land in any calendar year. To determine the area of the surface disturbed, all land disturbed and left unreclaimed by an operator within a 1-mile radius of the…

NRS 519A.125 “Stabilize” defined. “Stabilize” means the condition in which a contaminant in a material or process fluid is bound, contained or treated so that the contaminant does not exhibit a potential to adversely impact human health, public safety or the environment. (Added t…

NRS 519A.130 “Surety” defined. “Surety” means, but is not limited to, a trust fund, surety bonds that guarantee performance or payment into a trust fund or an account held by or for the benefit of the Division, letters of credit, insurance or any combination of these or other for…

NRS 519A.140 Duties of Division. The Division shall: 1. Administer and enforce the provisions of NRS 519A.010 to 519A.280, inclusive, and the regulations adopted by the Commission pursuant to NRS 519A.160. 2. Employ persons who are experienced and qualified in the area of reclama…

NRS 519A.150 Powers of Division. The Division may: 1. Conduct or authorize investigations, research, experiments and demonstrations relating to reclamation. 2. Collect and disseminate nonconfidential information relating to mining reclamation. 3. Enter into agreements relating to…

NRS 519A.160 Regulations of Commission. The Commission shall adopt regulations: 1. Establishing reasonable fees, based on the actual cost of administration and enforcement, to be charged by the Division for an application for and the issuance of a permit, the rates of which must …

NRS 519A.170 Fees: Disposition; interest. All fees collected by the Division pursuant to this chapter, including, without limitation, the fees for an application for and the issuance of a permit, must be deposited with the State Treasurer for credit to the appropriate account of …

NRS 519A.180 Permit required. A person shall not engage in an exploration project without a valid permit for that purpose issued by the Division. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1284)

NRS 519A.190 Application for permit: Contents; fee; conditions; bond; grounds for denial; issuance. 1. A person who desires to engage in an exploration project must: (a) File with the Division, upon a form approved by it, an application for a permit. The application must include:…

NRS 519A.200 Permit required. A person shall not engage in a mining operation without a valid permit for that purpose issued by the Division. (Added to NRS by 1989, 1284)

NRS 519A.210 Application for permit: Contents; fee; conditions; bond; grounds for denial; issuance. 1. A person who desires to engage in a mining operation must: (a) File with the Division, upon a form approved by it, an application for a permit for each location at which the per…

NRS 519A.220 Applicant to complete checklist for permit; contents. The Division shall develop a checklist to be completed by applicants for a permit to engage in a mining operation. The information requested by the checklist must include: 1. Information relating to the plan for r…