Summary
Nevada delegates zoning authority to local governments — cities and counties — under Chapter 278 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS 278.010 to 278.630), Nevada's planning and zoning enabling act in the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act lineage. NRS 278.020 grants the governing bodies of cities and counties the power to regulate and restrict land improvement and structures for the general welfare, while NRS 278.250 authorizes those governing bodies to divide their jurisdiction into zoning districts and to regulate buildings, structures, and land within them, provided the regulations conform to the locally adopted master plan. Zoning power is thus exercised at the municipal and county level (with regional planning provisions in larger areas such as Washoe and Clark counties); Nevada is not a home-rule state in the strong sense, so local zoning power derives from this state enabling statute rather than an independent constitutional grant. There is no state-level zoning regime comparable to Hawaii or Oregon.
The delegation
NRS 278.020 Regulation by governing bodies of improvement of land and location of structures for general welfare.
1. For the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals or the general welfare of the community, the governing bodies of cities and counties are authorized and empowered to regulate and restrict the improvement of land and to control the location and soundness of structures.
2. Any such regulation, restriction and control must take into account the potential impairment of natural resources and the total population which the available natural resources will support without unreasonable impairment.
3. The governing body of a city or county may consider the master plan, if any, of the city or county and the master plans, if any, of any adjoining cities or counties in carrying out the provisions of this section.
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NRS 278.250 Zoning districts and regulations.
1. For the purposes of NRS 278.010 to 278.630, inclusive, the governing body may divide the city, county or region into zoning districts of such number, shape and area as are best suited to carry out the purposes of NRS 278.010 to 278.630, inclusive. Within the zoning district, it may regulate and restrict the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair or use of buildings, structures or land.
2. The zoning regulations must be adopted in accordance with the master plan for land use and be designed:
(a) To preserve the quality of air and water resources.
(b) To promote the conservation of open space and the protection of other natural and scenic resources from unreasonable impairment.
(c) To consider existing views and access to solar resources by studying the height of new buildings which will cast shadows on surrounding residential and commercial developments.
(d) To reduce the consumption of energy by encouraging the use of products and materials which maximize energy efficiency in the construction of buildings.
(e) To provide for recreational needs.
(f) To protect life and property in areas subject to floods, landslides and other natural disasters.
(g) To conform to the adopted population plan, if required by NRS 278.170.
(h) To develop a timely, orderly and efficient arrangement of transportation and public facilities and services, including public access and sidewalks for pedestrians, and facilities and services for bicycles.
(i) To ensure that the development on land is commensurate with the character and the physical limitations of the land.
(j) To take into account the immediate and long-range financial impact of the application of particular land to particular kinds of development, and the relative suitability of the land for development.
(k) To promote health and the general welfare.
(l) To ensure the development of an adequate supply of housing for the community, including the development of affordable housing.
(m) To ensure the protection of existing neighborhoods and communities, including the protection of rural preservation neighborhoods and, in counties whose population is 700,000 or more, the protection of historic neighborhoods.
(n) To promote systems which use solar or wind energy.
(o) To foster the coordination and compatibility of land uses with any military installation in the city, county or region, taking into account the location, purpose and stated mission of the military installation.
3. The governing body shall enact ordinances designating the kinds of uses which will be permitted in the various zoning districts, and providing for the manner in which nonconforming uses may be continued or eliminated.
Verification
Read the verification audit
Verified against the official Nevada Legislature site (leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-278.html) and nevada.public.law.
(a) Real & current: NRS Chapter 278 "Planning and Zoning" exists and is current. NRS 278.020 and 278.250 are real, in-force sections.
(b) Genuine zoning enabling authority: NRS 278.020 states "the governing bodies of cities and counties are authorized and empowered to regulate and restrict the improvement of land and to control the location and soundness of structures" for the general welfare. NRS 278.250(1) states "the governing body may divide the city, county or region into zoning districts" and "may regulate and restrict the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair or use of buildings, structures or land"; subsection (2) requires that "The zoning regulations must be adopted in accordance with the master plan for land use." This is the SSZEA-lineage enabling act. Notably, the statute itself uses the phrase "For the purposes of NRS 278.010 to 278.630, inclusive," confirming the claimed citation range is the statute's own self-defined scope for the enabling provisions. (The full chapter extends beyond 278.630 — up to ~278.828 — with later-added administrative, regional-planning, and unlawful-acts provisions, but the enabling core is correctly bounded as cited; the "key grants at 278.020, 278.250" are accurate.)
(c) authority_model: "county_and_municipal" is accurate — authority is delegated to the governing bodies of cities and counties (with regional planning overlays in Washoe/Clark per other Chapter 278 provisions). Nevada is not strong home-rule; local zoning derives from this state enabling statute. No statewide land-use regime comparable to Hawaii/Oregon.
Title, citation range, key sections, and authority model all confirmed accurate.