Can you drill a well without a permit in Nevada?

Exempt up to a limit. A single-family domestic well is exempt from a water-right permit up to 2 acre-ft/yr statewide, but in a State-Engineer-designated basin you must obtain approval before drilling, the State Engineer may bar new domestic wells where a municipal supplier is available, and in the most stressed basins (e.g. Pahrump) a new domestic well requires relinquishing 2.0 acre-ft of existing water rights.

Which Nevada counties have groundwater restrictions?

17 Nevada counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Eureka County, Nye County, Carson City, Churchill County, Clark County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Nevada · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Nevada

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Nevada: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 17 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Nevada water rules

Household well
Exempt up to a limit
A single-family domestic well is exempt from a water-right permit up to 2 acre-ft/yr statewide, but in a State-Engineer-designated basin you must obtain approval before drilling, the State Engineer may bar new domestic wells where a municipal supplier is available, and in the most stressed basins (e.g. Pahrump) a new domestic well requires relinquishing 2.0 acre-ft of existing water rights.
Limit: 2.0 acre-ft/yr single-family domestic (NRS 534.180); 0.5 acre-ft/yr floor if curtailed in a critical management area
Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 534 ↗
Greywater reuse
permitted
Permit required to construct/install; non-potable reuse (NAC 445A).
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
regulated
Rooftop single-family non-potable; ≤1 acre, ≤20,000 gal (AB 138).
NCSL ↗
Water rights
prior appropriation
All water appropriated by permit; single-family domestic wells exempt.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

17 constrained counties in Nevada

Closed to new supplyEureka CountyDiamond Valley Critical Management Area (Basin 153)44
Closed to new supplyNye CountyPahrump Valley (Basin 162)46
Over-appropriatedCarson CityEagle Valley (Basin 104)31
Over-appropriatedChurchill CountyCarson Desert / Lahontan Valley (Basin 101)45
Over-appropriatedClark CountyLas Vegas Valley (Basin 212)20
Over-appropriatedDouglas CountyCarson Valley (Basin 105)39
Over-appropriatedElko CountyElko Segment (Basin 049)47
Over-appropriatedEsmeralda CountyFish Lake Valley (Basin 117)36
Over-appropriatedHumboldt CountyPine Forest Valley (Basin 029)46
Over-appropriatedLander CountyBuffalo Valley (Basin 131)45
Over-appropriatedLincoln CountyLake Valley (Basin 183)50
Over-appropriatedLyon CountyMason Valley (Basin 108)41
Over-appropriatedMineral CountySoda Spring Valley (Basin 121)48
Over-appropriatedPershing CountyLovelock Valley (Basin 073)54
Over-appropriatedStorey CountyChurchill Valley (Basin 102)38
Over-appropriatedWashoe CountySan Emidio Desert (Basin 022)36
Over-appropriatedWhite Pine CountySteptoe Valley (Basin 179)51

The Bolthole Index Letter

One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and Nevada water-rule changes as basins close. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Keep exploring Nevada

See the full Nevada county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how water access is scored. Physical water is dimmed — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.