Elko County, NV Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 4-2-3(E) governs the AR agricultural-residential district, the rural zone for homes on parcels of at least one acre: no building or structure shall have more than three (3) stories or a height in excess of forty feet (40'), and no accessory building shall have a height in excess of twenty five feet (25').

The residential districts print their own ceilings. In R1 (§ 4-3-2(F)), no dwelling shall have more than two and one-half (2 1/2) stories or a height in excess of thirty five feet (35'), and no accessory building shall have a height in excess of fifteen feet (15'). In R2 (§ 4-3-3(F)), no building shall have more than four (4) stories or a height in excess of fifty feet (50'). In R3 (§ 4-3-4(F)) and both conservation reserve districts (§§ 4-2-5(F) and 4-2-6(F)), no building shall have a height of more than forty feet (40').

Chapter 8 trims and adds to those numbers. Section 4-8-3 states that the height limitations of the title shall not apply to such features as chimneys, church spires or flagpoles. Section 4-8-6(C) separately says no detached accessory building shall be located within five feet (5') of any building or have a height in excess of fifteen feet (15'). An owner planning an accessory building taller than that on an AR parcel is working between that fifteen foot figure and the twenty five foot figure in § 4-2-3(E), and should settle the question with the division of planning and zoning before drawing plans. In R1, a dwelling extension into the rear yard cannot exceed one story in height under § 4-3-2(H).

The code enforcement officer for the division of planning and zoning enforces the title under § 4-9-13. The corrective actions listed there include application for and obtaining a variance, zone change or conditional use permit appropriate to the use on the property.