Title 48

NRS 534.090 Forfeiture and abandonment of rights. 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, failure for 5 successive years after April 15, 1967, on the part of the holder of any right, whether it is an adjudicated right, an unadjudicated right or a right for which a certif…

NRS 534.100 Recognition of existing water rights; classification of water in definable aquifer or percolating water by State Engineer; adjudication of vested underground water rights. 1. Existing water rights to the use of underground water are hereby recognized. For the purpose …

NRS 534.110 Rules and regulations of State Engineer; statements and pumping tests; conditions of appropriation; designation of critical management areas; restrictions; limit to restrictions on domestic wells. 1. The State Engineer shall administer this chapter and shall prescribe…

NRS 534.115 Retirement of groundwater rights through the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program. 1. The State Engineer shall retire all decreed or certificated groundwater rights purchased by or donated to the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program pursuant to…

NRS 534.120 State Engineer authorized to make rules, regulations and orders when groundwater is being depleted in designated area; preferred uses of water; revocable permits to appropriate water; revocation of revocable permits; restrictions placed on appropriations of groundwate…

NRS 534.125 State Engineer to file notice related to revocable permit. If the State Engineer issues a revocable permit pursuant to NRS 534.120 or if a well for domestic use is drilled in an area in which the State Engineer has issued such a revocable permit, the State Engineer sh…

NRS 534.130 State Engineer, assistants and Artesian Well Supervisor authorized to enter premises to investigate and carry out duties. The State Engineer, or the assistants or authorized agents of the State Engineer, and the Artesian Well Supervisor, or the assistants of the Artes…

NRS 534.140 Well drillers: Annual licenses; fees; continuing education; regulations for well drilling; licensing by State Contractors’ Board. 1. Every well driller, before engaging in the physical drilling of a well in this State for development of water, must annually apply to t…

NRS 534.1405 Well drillers: Petition for review of criminal history to obtain license; requirements; fee; report. 1. The State Engineer shall develop and implement a process by which a person with a criminal history may petition the State Engineer to review the criminal history o…

NRS 534.141 Application for renewal of license must include certain information regarding state business license; grounds for denial of renewal. 1. In addition to any other requirements set forth in this chapter, an applicant for the renewal of a license to drill pursuant to NRS …

NRS 534.142 Payment of child support: Statement by applicant for license to drill; grounds for denial of license; duty of State Engineer. [Effective until the date of the repeal of 42 U.S.C. § 666, the federal law requiring each state to establish procedures for withholding, susp…

NRS 534.144 Suspension of license for failure to pay child support or comply with certain subpoenas or warrants; reinstatement of license. [Effective until the date of the repeal of 42 U.S.C. § 666, the federal law requiring each state to establish procedures for withholding, sus…

NRS 534.146 Application for license to include social security number of applicant. [Effective until the date of the repeal of 42 U.S.C. § 666, the federal law requiring each state to establish procedures for withholding, suspending and restricting the professional, occupational …

NRS 534.150 Well Drillers’ Advisory Board: Appointment; terms of members; vacancies; compensation; duties. 1. For the purpose of examining applicants for well drillers’ licenses, the State Engineer may appoint a Well Drillers’ Advisory Board referred to in this section as the “Bo…

NRS 534.160 License required to drill well; revocation of or refusal to reissue license; order to plug well; penalty for allowing unlicensed person to drill. 1. A person shall not drill a well for water in this State without having first obtained a well-drilling license. 2. Well …

NRS 534.170 Well driller to keep log and records; contents; information to be furnished to State Engineer; report of test. 1. The well driller shall keep: (a) A log of the depth, thickness and character of the different strata penetrated and the location of water-bearing strata; …

NRS 534.180 Applicability of chapter to wells used for domestic purposes; registration and plugging of wells used for domestic purposes; wells for accessory dwelling unit of single-family dwelling. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2 and as to the furnishing of any in…

NRS 534.185 Waiver of certain requirements for domestic wells by State Engineer; exceptions. 1. The State Engineer shall, upon written request and receipt of a written agreement between the affected property owners, waive the requirements of this chapter regarding permits for the…

NRS 534.190 Penalties. Any person violating any of the provisions of NRS 534.010 to 534.180, inclusive, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. [12:178:1939; A 1947, 52; 1943 NCL § 7993.21]—(NRS A 1967, 610; 2019, 2526, 2943)

NRS 534.193 Additional penalties. 1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 534.280, 534.310 and 534.330 and 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 chap…

NRS 534.195 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, order or decision issued or regulation a…

NRS 534.250 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Permit required; issuance, contents, modification and assignment of permit; monitoring requirements. 1. Any person desiring to operate a project must first make an application to, and obtain from, the State Engineer…

NRS 534.260 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Contents of application for permit. The State Engineer shall prescribe and furnish guidelines for an application for a permit for a project. The application must include: 1. A fee for application of $2,500; 2. The n…

NRS 534.270 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Review of application for permit; notice of application; protests; hearing; determination; judicial review. 1. Upon receipt of an application for a permit to operate a project, the State Engineer shall endorse on th…

NRS 534.280 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Annual report to State Engineer. 1. Any person who holds a permit for a project must compile and file with the State Engineer annual reports which define the operation of the project and provide such information as …

NRS 534.290 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Permit for recovery well; recovery limited to designated wells; designation of person entitled to recover water; use or exchange of recovered water. 1. A permit for a recovery well must comply with the requirements …

NRS 534.300 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Storage account to be established; limit on amount of water recovered. 1. The State Engineer shall establish a storage account for each project for which the State Engineer has issued a permit. If the project stores…

NRS 534.310 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Annual fee for permit; disposition of money received by State Engineer; employment of consultants by State Engineer. 1. The State Engineer shall levy and collect an annual fee from each person who holds a permit for…

NRS 534.320 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Revocation or suspension of permit; orders to cease and desist; injunction. 1. The State Engineer may periodically review a project to determine if the holder of the permit is complying with the terms and conditions…

NRS 534.330 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Penalties. 1. A person who is determined pursuant to NRS 534.320 to be in violation of this chapter or a permit issued or regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter may be assessed a civil penalty in an amount not …

NRS 534.340 Project for recharge, storage and recovery of water: Designation of areas of active management. The State Engineer shall designate areas of active management pursuant to NRS 534.030. (Added to NRS by 1987, 1776)

NRS 534.350 Requirements for certain public water system to receive credits for addition of new customers to system. 1. A public water system may receive credits, as provided in this section, for the addition of new customers to the system. The granting of a credit pursuant to th…

NRS 534.360 Water Rights Technical Support Account: Creation; administration; uses. 1. There is hereby created in the State General Fund an account designated as the Water Rights Technical Support Account. The Account must be administered by the Board for Financing Water Projects…

NRS 534A.010 “Geothermal resource” defined. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, “geothermal resource” means the natural heat of the earth and the energy associated with that natural heat, pressure and all dissolved or entrained minerals that may be obt…

NRS 534A.031 Exploration and subsurface information: Filing with Division of Minerals of Commission on Mineral Resources; confidentiality; release to State Engineer or other agency. 1. Any exploration and subsurface information obtained as a result of a geothermal project must be…

NRS 534A.040 Applicability of procedures for appropriation. A consumptive use of water brought to the surface outside of a geothermal well is subject to the appropriation procedures of chapters 533 and 534 of NRS, except for: 1. Water that is removed from an aquifer or geothermal…

NRS 534A.050 Ownership of geothermal resources. The owner of real property owns the rights to the underlying geothermal resources unless they have been reserved by or conveyed to another person. (Added to NRS by 1983, 2091)

NRS 534A.060 Permit required to drill or operate geothermal well or drill exploratory well; application. 1. A person may not drill or operate a geothermal well or drill an exploratory well without obtaining a permit from the Administrator of the Division of Minerals of the Commis…

NRS 534A.070 Approval or rejection of application for permit to drill exploratory well; review of application for permit to drill or operate geothermal well; hearing; conditions. 1. The Administrator of the Division of Minerals of the Commission on Mineral Resources shall approve…

NRS 534A.080 Fees; use of money. 1. The Commission on Mineral Resources shall impose and collect a fee for examining and filing an application for a permit to drill or operate a geothermal well or to drill an exploratory well. The fee must be deposited with the State Treasurer, f…

NRS 534A.090 Regulations of Commission on Mineral Resources. The Commission on Mineral Resources may adopt regulations necessary for carrying out the provisions of this chapter. (Added to NRS by 1983, 2091)

NRS 534B.010 Scope of chapter. 1. The provisions of this chapter govern exploration for dissolved mineral resources. 2. Ownership of dissolved mineral resources is determined by the applicable federal and state laws or regulations. 3. Except as expressly provided, nothing in this…

NRS 534B.020 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined in NRS 534B.030 to 534B.070, inclusive, have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections. (Added to NRS by 2017, 3412)

NRS 534B.030 “Administrator” defined. “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Division of Minerals of the Commission on Mineral Resources. (Added to NRS by 2017, 3412)

NRS 534B.040 “Dissolved mineral resource” defined. “Dissolved mineral resource” means all dissolved or entrained minerals that may be obtained from the naturally occurring liquid or brine in which they are found, including, without limitation, lithium. The term does not include a…

NRS 534B.050 “Dissolved mineral resource exploration borehole” defined. “Dissolved mineral resource exploration borehole” means a penetration in the ground that is made to sample or obtain water or chemical, geologic, geophysical or geotechnical information about a dissolved mine…