Title 48

NRS 533.481 Additional penalties. 1. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, the State Engineer may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, require a person who violates any provision of this chapter or any permit, certificate, order or decision issued or regulatio…

NRS 533.482 Injunctive and other relief. 1. The State Engineer may seek injunctive relief in the appropriate court to prevent the continuance or occurrence of any act or practice which violates any provision of this chapter, or any permit, certificate, decision or order issued or…

NRS 533.485 Definitions. As used in NRS 533.485 to 533.510, inclusive: 1. “Public range” means all lands belonging to the United States and to the State of Nevada on which livestock are permitted to graze, including lands set apart as national forests and lands reserved for other…

NRS 533.490 Watering livestock declared beneficial use. 1. The use of water for watering livestock is hereby declared to be a beneficial use except as provided in NRS 533.495. Subject to such exception, the right to use water for that purpose may be acquired in the same manner as…

NRS 533.492 Subsisting right to water livestock: Manner of proof; marking of location of right. 1. A subsisting right to water livestock may be proven by an owner of livestock by one or more of the following items of evidence for the number of livestock and date of priority: (a) …

NRS 533.493 Recognition of adjudicated rights to water livestock from streams by State Engineer. Within a stream system or groundwater basin where rights have been adjudicated, the State Engineer shall recognize rights to water livestock from streams, whether or not in conjunctio…

NRS 533.495 Subsisting rights not to be impaired. Whenever one or more persons shall have a subsisting right to water range livestock at a particular place and in sufficient numbers to utilize substantially all that portion of the public range readily available to livestock water…

NRS 533.500 Duties of State Engineer concerning approval and rejection of application. 1. Before approving any application for the right to use water for watering livestock, the State Engineer shall determine, by examination on the ground or otherwise, that the right and use appl…

NRS 533.503 Restrictions on issuance of permit or certificate regarding appropriation to water livestock. 1. The State Engineer shall not issue a permit to appropriate water for the purpose of watering livestock unless: (a) The applicant for the permit is legally entitled to plac…

NRS 533.504 Temporary permit regarding appropriation to water livestock: Application; approval; duration. 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 533.495 and 533.503, a person may apply for a temporary permit to appropriate groundwater to water livestock if the point of diversion …

NRS 533.505 Unlawful acts; penalties. 1. Any person who, without the right so to do, shall, on two or more separate days during any season, water more than 50 head of livestock at the watering place at which another shall have a subsisting right to water more than 50 head of live…

NRS 533.510 Prior rights not affected. NRS 533.485 to 533.510, inclusive, do not affect the validity of rights to the use of water for watering livestock or other purposes acquired under the previously existing laws of this state or by decree or impair any existing vested or decr…

NRS 533.515 Permit for appropriation of water or application to change point of diversion, manner of use or place of use if point of diversion or portion of works is outside state. 1. No permit for the appropriation of water or application to change the point of diversion, manner…

NRS 533.520 Application for permit to appropriate water for use outside State; change point of diversion for use outside State or change place of use to location outside of State; approval of application by State Engineer; conditions. 1. Any person who files an application for a …

NRS 533.524 Appropriation from interstate streams: Right of appropriation having point of diversion and place of use in another state. Upon any stream flowing across the state boundary, a right of appropriation having the point of diversion and the place of use in another state a…

NRS 533.525 Stored water may be conveyed through streams and reclaimed; conditions. Any water stored for irrigation or other beneficial purposes may be turned into the channel of any natural stream or watercourse, and mingled with its waters, and then be reclaimed, but, in reclai…

NRS 533.535 Consent to use of Lake Tahoe by United States for reservoir purposes in connection with Truckee-Carson reclamation project. 1. For the purpose of aiding the Truckee-Carson reclamation project carried out by the Reclamation Service of the United States of America, unde…

NRS 533.540 Procedure for refund of water district’s money; conditions. 1. Whenever, in the case of any order of determination of relative rights of claimants or appropriators of the waters of the Carson River and its forks, affecting the water districts mentioned and referred to…

NRS 533.545 Hearings before State Engineer: Issuance and enforcement of subpoenas. 1. Whenever the State Engineer is authorized or required by law to conduct a hearing, the State Engineer may issue subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses before the State Engineer, togethe…

NRS 533.550 Sale or lease of water right by public body for more than 5-year term; exception. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law and except as otherwise provided in NRS 533.560, a public body shall not sell or lease for a term of more than 5 years a water right owned b…

NRS 533.560 Lease of water right by public body to owner or holder of water right who exceeds entitled amount of water. 1. A public body may lease a water right owned by the public body to an owner or holder of a water right who, as determined by the State Engineer, is exceeding …

NRS 533.565 Dedication of right to appropriate water: Requirements; exceptions. 1. Before a supplier of water may require the dedication of a right to appropriate water in order to ensure a sufficient supply of water to provide new or modified water service to one or more parcels…

NRS 534.010 Definitions. 1. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined in NRS 534.0105 to 534.0175, inclusive, have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. 2. As used in this chapter, the terms “underground water” and “gro…

NRS 534.0105 “Aquifer” defined. “Aquifer” means a geological formation or structure that stores or transmits water, or both. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.011 “Area of active management” defined. “Area of active management” means an area: 1. In which the State Engineer is conducting particularly close monitoring and regulation of the water supply because of heavy use of that supply; and 2. Which has received that designatio…

NRS 534.0115 “Area of hydrologic effect” defined. “Area of hydrologic effect” means the surface area of land covering the extent of hydrologic response of water recharged pursuant to a project to recharge. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.012 “Artesian well” defined. “Artesian well” means a well tapping an aquifer underlying an impervious material in which the static water level in the well stands above where it is first encountered in the aquifer. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.0125 “Augmentation” defined. “Augmentation” means to increase the volume of stored water in a system of aquifers by artificially introducing water into that system. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.013 “Domestic use” and “domestic purposes” defined. “Domestic use” or “domestic purposes” extends to culinary and household purposes directly related to: 1. A single-family dwelling; and 2. An accessory dwelling unit for a single-family dwelling if provided for in an appl…

NRS 534.0135 “Percolating waters” defined. “Percolating waters” are underground waters, the course and boundaries of which are incapable of determination. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.014 “Person” defined. “Person” includes any municipal corporation, power district, political subdivision of this or any state, or an agency of the United States Government. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.0145 “Project” defined. “Project” means a facility designed and constructed to add water to a system of aquifers, store water underground and recover that water pursuant to a permit issued pursuant to NRS 534.250. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.015 “Recharged water” defined. “Recharged water” means water that reaches or percolates into an aquifer or system of aquifers: 1. Through natural processes; 2. By secondary recharge as a result of beneficial uses; or 3. Artificially through facilities specifically constru…

NRS 534.0155 “Storage account” defined. “Storage account” means an account established pursuant to NRS 534.300 for a project for underground storage and recovery. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.016 “Stored water” defined. “Stored water” means water which has been stored underground for the purpose of recovery pursuant to a permit issued pursuant to NRS 534.250. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.0165 “Waste” defined. “Waste” means causing, suffering or permitting any artesian well to discharge water unnecessarily above or below the surface of the ground so that the waters thereof are lost for beneficial use or in any canal or ditch conveying water from a well whe…

NRS 534.017 “Well driller” defined. “Well driller” means any person who drills a well or wells, for compensation or otherwise. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1770)

NRS 534.0175 “Well drilling” and “drilling a well” defined. “Well drilling” or “drilling a well” are synonymous, and mean drilling or boring new wells, placing casing in wells, cleaning and repairing existing wells, cementing wells and doing all other things normally associated w…

NRS 534.020 Underground waters belong to public and are subject to appropriation for beneficial use; declaration of legislative intent. 1. All underground waters within the boundaries of the State belong to the public, and, subject to all existing rights to the use thereof, are s…

NRS 534.025 Removal of underground waters to alleviate hazards caused by secondary recharge is beneficial use. The removal of groundwater from any basin in Nevada, to alleviate potential hazards to persons and property resulting from the rise of groundwater caused by secondary re…

NRS 534.030 Administration by State Engineer: Petition by appropriators in basin; hearing in absence of petition; certain artesian water, underground aquifers and percolating water; advisory services of governing bodies of water districts and water conservation boards. 1. Upon re…

NRS 534.035 Groundwater boards: Establishment; number, appointment, terms and expenses of members; officers; meetings and quorum; duties; dissolution. 1. In each area designated as a groundwater basin by the State Engineer pursuant to the provisions of NRS 534.030, the board of c…

NRS 534.037 Groundwater management plan for basin designated as critical management area: Petition; hearing; approval or disapproval; judicial review; amendment; certain persons not required to comply; duties of State Engineer if perennial yield modified; review of results. 1. In…

NRS 534.039 Perennial yield of basin designated as critical management area: Duty of State Engineer to affirm, modify and review. 1. If the State Engineer designates a basin as a critical management area pursuant to subsection 7 of NRS 534.110, the State Engineer shall, in the or…

NRS 534.040 Employment and compensation of well supervisor and assistants; levy, collection and distribution of special assessment; exception. 1. Upon the initiation of the administration of this chapter in any particular basin, and where the investigations of the State Engineer …

NRS 534.050 Permit to appropriate water required before sinking well in designated groundwater basin; requirements in undesignated areas; waivers; penalties. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 and NRS 534.180, every person desiring to sink or bore a well in any basin…