Washoe County, NV Ordinances (2026)

A Washoe County home-based business must be clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use, occupy no more than 33 percent of the principal dwelling's gross floor area, and is…

Nevada allows registered cottage food operations to sell non-hazardous homemade foods without a full food-establishment permit. Operators must register with the health authority…

Running child care in a Washoe County home requires a Nevada state license. A licensed family home cares for five to six children; a group home cares for seven to twelve. Care for four…

A licensed home-based business in unincorporated Washoe County cannot host more than three customer or client visits a day, or have more than three present at once, though…

Washoe County prohibits any public advertising that calls attention to a dwelling being used for business, except when required by the State of Nevada. Telephone and other listings…

STR permits in unincorporated Washoe County are valid for exactly 12 months and must be renewed and reissued annually to keep advertising or operating. Miss the expiration date and the…

In the Tahoe Basin (TRPA area), Washoe County STR quiet hours run daily from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Guests must reduce outdoor activity, and repeat noise violations force the owner to file…

Washoe County does not require an STR to be the owner's primary residence. Non-owner-occupied whole-home rentals are permitted, and there is no cap on the number of STR permits issued…

Whole-home STRs in unincorporated Washoe County must obtain a Transient Lodging Tax (room tax) license from the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) and collect the…

Washoe County does not require on-site host presence, but every STR must designate one Local Responsible Party who can be reached 24/7 by text-enabled phone, respond within 30 minutes…

Each unincorporated Washoe County STR gets an occupancy limit set by the Planning and Building Division. The occupant load is calculated as one occupant per 200 square feet of…

Washoe County sets no cap on the number of nights an STR may rent and no minimum booking length. Any rental under 28 days needs a permit. The permit prohibits events, parties, and…

In the Tahoe Basin (TRPA area), Washoe County STRs must provide one on-site parking space for every four occupants, all improved and on-site. Outside TRPA, the residential parking…

Every unincorporated Washoe County STR must carry a Certificate of Insurance providing a minimum of $500,000 liability coverage per occurrence. The owner acknowledges this coverage in…

Unincorporated Washoe County permits standard wood, block and metal fences to code height, plus non-solid see-through specialty fences up to 10 feet for recreational courts, and entry…

Unincorporated Washoe County lets fences be built anywhere within or on the lot line, subject to height limits, but bars fencing across county utility, sewer, water, drainage and…

Retaining and rockery walls follow the same height limits as fences in unincorporated Washoe County. Combined fences and walls cannot exceed 6 feet in required side and rear setbacks…

Unincorporated Washoe County requires commercial and industrial development adjoining residential uses to build a fence, wall or perimeter planting at least 6 but not more than 8 feet…

Washoe County exempts most residential fences from a building permit under Washoe County Code § 100.105.2: fences up to 30 inches in the front yard or six feet elsewhere need no permit…

Outdoor music and events in unincorporated Washoe County have no dedicated ordinance. They are measured against the Development Code's property-line day-night sound (Ldn) limits, 65…

Unincorporated Washoe County has no clock-based quiet-hours rule. Instead its Development Code caps day-night average sound (Ldn) at the property line and adds a 10 dB penalty to noise…

Nevada state law, not county code, governs vehicle noise. Every motor vehicle must have a muffler in good working order and constant operation, and no one may use a muffler cutout…

Washoe County does not restrict construction work hours, but temporary construction, repair or demolition noise is exempt from the Development Code's noise limits only when it occurs…

Washoe County's Development Code sets day-night average sound (Ldn) limits measured at the property line: 65 Ldn abutting residential, parks, schools or hospitals, and 75 Ldn in…

In Washoe County it is unlawful to keep, harbor or own any animal that by making loud and frequent noises causes annoyance to the neighborhood or nearby persons. Washoe County Regional…

Washoe County has no dedicated leaf-blower ordinance for unincorporated areas. Gas leaf blowers are treated like any other noise source and must not push day-night average sound (Ldn)…

Washoe County's Development Code addresses aircraft noise through land-use compatibility. Development within airport noise contours must conform to Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150…

Hot tubs and spas require a building permit and are subject to the same barrier rules as pools, but a spa or hot tub fitted with an ASTM F1346 safety cover is exempt from the ISPSC…

Above-ground pools, spas and hot tubs need the same building permit and barrier as in-ground pools. The pool wall itself may serve as the barrier if it is at least 48 inches high; any…

A backyard recreational fire in the TMFPD is limited to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high, must burn only clean fuel (not rubbish), and must stay at least 25 feet from any structure…

Washoe County follows Nevada state law. NRS 477.140 requires hotels/motels with at least six guest rooms and apartment buildings with at least three units to equip each sleeping room…

All open burning in the Truckee Meadows Fire district requires a TMFPD permit and is closed for the season during summer. When open, burn hours are sunrise to noon, only the first 7…

Washoe County requires new construction, additions, and occupancy changes in wildland-urban interface areas to meet the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code, chapter 5…

Washoe is a real wildfire county. TMFPD requires defensible space around structures: a 30-foot vegetation buffer in a moderate hazard zone, 50 feet in a high zone, and 100 feet in an…

Washoe County bans possessing, using, storing or discharging any fireworks or other pyrotechnic materials anywhere in the unincorporated county unless the user holds a Nevada State…

Nevada law, not a county ordinance, requires every landowner and the county itself, for streets and rights-of-way it controls in Washoe County, to control state-designated noxious…

Unincorporated Washoe County has no general tree-trimming ordinance, but in Truckee Meadows Fire District wildland-urban interface zones the WUI Code requires pruning tree crowns to…

Rainwater harvesting is legal statewide. Nevada NRS 533.027 allows de minimis collection of precipitation from the rooftop of a single-family dwelling for nonpotable domestic use…

Unincorporated Washoe County does not issue tree-removal permits for private trees, and has no tree-preservation ordinance. In wildland-urban interface hazard zones the fire district…

Washoe County treats a partially built structure that stalls for six months or longer, or one partially destroyed by fire and left that way for six months or longer, as a public…

Washoe County treats any dangerous condition or structure, and any property left in a state of disrepair that harms neighbors or contributes to blight, as a public nuisance under WCC…

Washoe County requires anyone buying, selling, or trading secondhand goods, antiques, coins, or collectibles to hold a secondhand store license, fingerprint sellers, hold purchased…

Washoe County requires a license before anyone operates a pawnbroker or secondhand store in the unincorporated area. The sheriff investigates every applicant, fingerprints are…

Washoe County bans adult bookstores, cabarets, arcades, and similar businesses within 1,000 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks, churches, gaming establishments, or each other…

Operating a massage business in unincorporated Washoe County requires a separate business license from the License Division, on top of each therapist's individual state massage…

An outdoor festival drawing 1,000 or more people needs a $1,000 license application filed 90 days ahead and a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners, while a smaller…

A group meeting, concert, athletic event or similar activity drawing more than 25 people needs a facility group use permit before it can be held in a Washoe County park under WCC…

Washoe County Code 85.365 makes it unlawful for an owner, occupant, or person in control of property abutting a public sidewalk to fail to remove snow or ice left by a storm from the…

Anyone who wants to build a driveway, fence, landscaping, or other structure inside a Washoe County road right-of-way must first get an encroachment permit from the engineering…

Washoe County Code 70.392 makes it a misdemeanor to place a table, chair, booth, tent, or other unpermitted structure on a public sidewalk, road, or highway, or to store equipment…

Washoe County bans camping on county-owned property within 1,000 feet of the Truckee River, or on any public place in the unincorporated county, under WCC 50.400. Camping includes…

Washoe County Code 70.392 makes it a misdemeanor to sleep on a public sidewalk, road, or highway within 150 feet of any crosswalk, street intersection, or school in the unincorporated…

Registered RVs, campers, boats and personal watercraft are exempt from the outdoor-storage nuisance rule and may be kept on your residential parcel. An RV may only be lived in…

Washoe County's Development Code does not set a blanket rule against parking passenger vehicles in a residential driveway, but items left outside more than 72 hours are 'outdoor…

No storage of commercial vehicles is allowed on any residentially zoned parcel in unincorporated Washoe County. A commercial vehicle is broadly defined (any vehicle for…

Washoe County distinguishes 'parking' from temporary standing while loading or unloading. Vehicles otherwise too heavy to park in a residence district may still stop while actively…

Under Nevada law it is unlawful to abandon a vehicle on any public road or on public/private property without the owner's consent. A vehicle on private property becomes 'abandoned' if…

Only the county may lawfully place curb markings and parking signs. It is unlawful for a private person to place, alter, or interfere with any official traffic-control device or…

On county-owned parking lots and property, Washoe County Code 80.620 reserves green-painted curb zones for electric vehicles that are actively charging, capping the stay at four hours…

On highways under county jurisdiction, the Board of County Commissioners may post signs prohibiting or restricting stopping, standing and parking where it is dangerous or would…

Washoe County has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban countywide, but during a declared red winter enforcement period it is unlawful to stop, park or leave a vehicle standing on…

Under TMFPD's fire code, charcoal and open-flame cooking devices cannot be used on combustible balconies or within 10 feet of combustible construction. Small LP-gas grills (container…

Backyard smokers and barbecue grills are exempt from the recreational-fire size rule, but the same 10-foot combustible-construction clearance for open-flame cooking devices applies…

Setbacks in unincorporated Washoe County depend on the regulatory zone. Common suburban zones require a 30-foot front yard; rural LDR requires 30-foot front, 50-foot side and 30-foot…

Most residential and rural regulatory zones in unincorporated Washoe County cap building height at 35 feet. Urban and commercial zones allow more (up to 70-80 feet). Accessory…

Washoe County Development Code caps combined building footprints by regulatory zone: 50% in Medium/High Density Suburban, 25% in Low Density Suburban, 20% HDR, 15% MDR, and 10% (or…

Cats are exempt from Washoe County's dog leash and at-large rules, so they may roam. However, unspayed female cats may not be allowed to run at large while in season, and keeping more…

Washoe County prohibits keeping, harboring or feeding high-risk rabies vectors -- bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes -- on private property. Feeding these animals can force…

In designated congested areas of unincorporated Washoe County, dogs must be leashed off their owner's premises. Outside congested areas, a dog must be accompanied and under voice or…

Poultry and livestock may be kept in unincorporated Washoe County where the Development Code zoning allows it, but in congested areas the owner must keep them fenced or penned so they…

Washoe County does not require spay or neuter for pets generally, but a dog formally declared dangerous or vicious must be sterilized within 30 days of that declaration, with proof…

Washoe County does not ban retail pet sales or require pet stores to be adoption-only. Instead, any pet store, kennel or boarding facility must hold an annually renewed commercial…

Washoe County makes it unlawful to keep, harbor, or feed a bat, skunk, raccoon, fox, coyote, or other high-risk rabies-vector species on private property, under WCC 55.645. That ban is…

Washoe County has no breed-specific dog ban. WCC 55.750 expressly bars finding a dog dangerous or vicious "based solely on the dog's breed," and instead requires proof of an unprovoked…

In congested areas of unincorporated Washoe County, keeping more than five dogs or seven cats over four months old for more than 30 days in any six-month span requires a variance…

Garbage service is mandatory in unincorporated Washoe County, but curbside recycling is an optional service offered through the franchised hauler (Waste Management); the county code…

Dumping garbage, waste, or sewage on public or private land is illegal under both Washoe County Code (WCC 90.110) and Nevada law (NRS 444.630); a first offense is a misdemeanor…

Every property owner in the franchised area of unincorporated Washoe County must subscribe to garbage collection with the county's exclusive franchised hauler (Waste Management)…

Washoe County Code 90.060 requires the franchise garbage hauler's weekly residential service to use one 32-gallon, 75-pound 'designated container,' which must sit behind the curb or at…

Washoe County bills garbage service by dwelling unit under WCC 90.060, but an apartment, condo, duplex or mobile home park owner who switches to a Dumpster or equivalent bin can apply…

Washoe County's franchise covers one designated container weekly; extra garbage, rubbish or waste matter is billed separately (WCC 90.060), and residents may haul bulky items to an…

A manufactured or modular home built within 6 years of placement may serve as a detached ADU if permanently affixed and converted to real property. A shed or accessory structure cannot…

In unincorporated Washoe County, one ADU is allowed per parcel. Attached ADUs need a 5,000 sq ft lot; detached need 12,000 sq ft. Detached units are capped at 1,500 sq ft (800 in…

Detached sheds and accessory structures 12 feet or less in height may sit within required rear and side setbacks if kept at least 5 feet from those property lines. They are never…

Converting a garage or accessory structure into livable space turns it into a dwelling unit subject to the county's ADU rules. Installing both a kitchen and a toilet automatically…

During an election period there is no limit on the number of political signs or total sign area per site, and no sign permit is required. Individual election signs cannot exceed 128…

Temporary signs like garage-sale and yard-sale signs may not stay on a site more than 10 consecutive days, and at least 90 days must pass between displays. They cannot be illuminated…

All outdoor light sources must be installed to prevent spillover onto adjoining properties and reflect light away from them. Lighting near residential zones is height-limited, and…

Outdoor lighting must not spill onto adjoining properties, and reflected glare on nearby buildings, streets, and pedestrian areas must be avoided. Where residential abuts…

County regional parks are open sunrise to sunset unless posted otherwise. No one may enter or remain in a county park after closing hours without a prior reservation. The director may…

Washoe County bars minors under 16 from loitering, wandering or playing in public streets, parks or other public places between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on school nights, and midnight to 5…

New construction and additions in Washoe County's special flood hazard areas must be built to a certified elevation. WCC 100.109.3.3 requires an engineer or land surveyor to certify…

Washoe County's Nuisance Code makes it a public nuisance to discharge pollutants into receiving waters or into the county's stormwater management system anywhere in the unincorporated…

In unincorporated Washoe County, altering land so it causes or contributes to erosion, subsidence, or surface water drainage onto public or private property is a declared public…

Washoe County requires a FEMA Elevation Certificate for construction in special flood hazard areas under Washoe County Code § 100.109.3.3. A licensed engineer or land surveyor must…

It is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Washoe County to drink alcohol while driving, or to have an open alcoholic beverage container in a vehicle's passenger area on a highway, unless…

Washoe County lets skateboards, bicycles, e-bikes and scooters operate in county parks, but WCC 95.200 requires reasonable and prudent speed and manner at all times, and the parks…

Smoking and vaping are banned in every Washoe County park and open space under WCC 95.350 unless the parks director has posted a designated smoking area, making it one of the more…

Washoe County makes it a misdemeanor to loiter in or around any school building, grounds, or adjoining streets without written permission from the principal or person in charge, under…

Washoe County bans urinating or defecating on any highway, road, alley, sidewalk or public parking lot, or anywhere else open to public view, under WCC 50.171. The ordinance borrows…

Washoe County has no separate food-truck ordinance, so the county's general sidewalk sales law governs any vendor, including a food cart, selling from a public walk, street or alley. A…

A traveling vendor without a fixed business address, including a mobile food operation, can only sell in a public street, sidewalk, park or parkway if the county license specifically…

Washoe County lets residents hold a garage or yard sale without a business license only if it lasts 72 hours or less and does not repeat on the same property more than twice in any…

Washoe County has not opted out of marijuana businesses; it licenses and zones them under article 302 of chapter 110, but requires every establishment to sit in a permanent commercial…

Washoe County bars marijuana establishments from locating within 1,000 feet of a school offering preschool through grade 12, or within 300 feet of a community facility, measured in a…

Unincorporated Washoe County imposes an 8 percent transient lodging tax, a six-percent base under WCC 25.151(1) plus two 1-percent add-ons, on any operator renting a hotel room, motel…

Anyone who peddles goods or solicits orders door-to-door in unincorporated Washoe County needs a business license before starting, cannot work between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. unless…

Washoe County requires a permit before anyone installs, alters, or replaces an electrical system, per Washoe County Code § 100.105.1. The Building Program inspects that work against…

Washoe County requires a permit before anyone installs, alters, or replaces a plumbing system, under Washoe County Code § 100.105.1. The Building Program inspects that work against the…

Washoe County requires a permit before constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, demolishing or changing the occupancy of any building or structure, under Washoe County…

Washoe County requires a building permit before installing a solar energy system under Washoe County Code § 100.105.1. Fees are set by Appendix A, Table 6: $45 to issue the permit…

Washoe County declares debris, refuse, rubbish or garbage that could become a harborage for rodents or other vermin a public nuisance under WCC 50.308(6). Large, remote parcels that…

In unincorporated Washoe County, a water customer given 24 hours' personal notice to fix a leaking pipe or plumbing fixture must complete the repair within that window. Under WCC…