Nevada Counties With No Building Codes and No Zoning

Eureka County is the only county listed without a residential building permit requirement; 14 of Nevada’s 17 counties require residential building permits^5,7. Another 2 counties fall in the limited-requirement category, which should not be treated as a building-permit exemption for a proposed home⁵. Start with the Nevada no-building-codes list for the no-permit option⁷.

Nevada’s owner-builder exemption concerns contractor licensing for a residential structure built or improved for the owner’s own occupancy, without intent to sell or lease⁹. The owner must apply to the State Contractors’ Board and submit an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement to both the Board and the local building official; applicable codes still apply⁹. Building-permit fees are set locally rather than by a uniform statewide fee schedule¹.

Eureka County is the only Nevada county listed without countywide zoning; the other 16 counties have zoning^5,8. Eureka also appears in the no-building-permit and no-zoning list, while the no-zoning list isolates the zoning question^2,8.

Nevada gives county governing bodies authority to regulate buildings and land through zoning districts under the applicable master plan¹. No countywide zoning does not erase Nevada’s subdivision rules: division into 5 or more lots generally falls under the subdivision framework, subject to statutory exemptions, and counties and incorporated cities must enact subdivision ordinances¹. Before buying land to divide, ask the county planning office which mapping and subdivision approvals the proposed division needs¹.

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