Can you build your own house in Nevada without a contractor’s license?

You qualify for Nevada’s owner-builder exemption only for a residence you intend to occupy yourself¹. You must own the property and have no intent to sell or lease the residence¹. Nevada’s exemption covers building a home or improving an existing residence¹. Ownership alone does not qualify you; you must apply to the State Contractors’ Board¹.

You can act as your own general contractor, doing the work yourself or hiring licensed subcontractors³. Start by deciding whether you will live in the home. If you plan to rent it out or build it for sale, you cannot use Nevada’s exemption¹.

Submit your Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement to Nevada’s State Contractors’ Board and the local building official responsible for your building permit¹. The Board’s website calls the linked application an Owner-Builder Affidavit of Exemption³. To get the form by mail, call the Board’s Southern Nevada office at (702) 486-1100³.

Your statement needs identifying information, the county, assessor’s parcel number, work description, building permit type and reason for the exemption¹. You must declare that you own the property and will occupy the residence, with no intent to build for sale or lease¹. Fill out the statement completely and accurately, then sign under penalty of perjury¹.

Nevada deems your exemption approved unless the Board notifies you of denial within 10 days after submission¹. The Board must give reasons for a denial within that same period¹. You can send more materials addressing those reasons, and the Board may then approve your application¹. Keep a copy of your submission. Ask the Board how to document its receipt.

The Nevada Board’s decision covers your licensing exemption; construction subject to permit rules still needs a local building permit^1,4. Ask the Board whether you need to pay an exemption application fee. Ask the local building official about building permit fees, plan-review charges and the inspection schedule for your proposed house.

You can hire subcontractors for your Nevada owner-builder project, but you must supervise directly and they must be properly licensed by the State Contractors Board³. You cannot hire an unlicensed person as your contractor, agent or construction manager³. You keep legal responsibility for the job even if you hire a consultant³.

Workers without contractor licenses must be your employees and work under your direct supervision³. Nevada’s Board lists payroll deductions, industrial insurance coverage and unemployment compensation among your duties as an employer³. Selling, leasing or offering your newly built home within 1 year after completion creates a rebuttable presumption of intent to sell or lease¹. You still must meet Nevada’s requirement to build for your own occupancy, regardless of that period¹.

You need a residential building permit on unincorporated land in 14 Nevada counties². These include Douglas County, White Pine County and Lincoln County². You also need residential building permits in Nevada’s Nye County and Pershing County².

You do not need a residential building permit in unincorporated areas of Nevada’s Eureka County⁵. Start with the Nevada no-building-permit guide to understand that distinction⁵. These county answers apply to unincorporated land². Nevada’s building permit rule applies where a building official has been appointed and building codes or zoning regulations cover the area⁴. Your Nevada licensing exemption does not waive that rule^1,4.

Your house plans must meet applicable building code and zoning rules before a required Nevada building permit can be issued⁶. Take your parcel number and proposed house plans to the local building official. Ask which office serves your address, which code editions apply and what inspections you need before occupancy.

You need septic approval before a Nevada building permit for new construction that needs an individual sewage disposal system⁷. Your septic application needs a plot plan, soil information, percolation-test results and design specifications⁷. Ask the building official which office handles septic approval for your parcel before you commit to the house layout. Ask Nevada’s Contractors Board whether your earlier owner-builder projects affect your eligibility for the proposed exemption.