Washoe County, NV Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Washoe County's Nuisance Code, adopted at WCC 50.300 to 50.310, declares 24 categories of public nuisance in the unincorporated county. Item 12 of WCC 50.308 makes it unlawful to alter land in a way that causes or contributes to erosion, subsidence, or surface water drainage that impacts public or private property. The adjoining items reach related site-disturbance activity: item 13 makes unpermitted grading a nuisance unless authorized under the county's development code (grading incidental to existing farming is exempt), and item 14 makes discharging pollutants into receiving waters or the county's stormwater management system a nuisance as well, so a construction site that both regrades a slope and lets sediment reach a drainage channel can trigger more than one violation at once.

WCC 50.306 makes it unlawful to maintain, or permit to be maintained, any nuisance described in the Nuisance Code, and it is enforced by the sheriff, fire chief, district health officer, and inspectors in the departments of community development, building and safety, regional parks and open space, public works, and water resources, per the definition of "enforcement official" at WCC 50.304(7). An enforcement official who observes an active erosion problem, or work in progress without required permits, may issue a stop activity order or remediation order under WCC 125.157, naming the responsible party, describing the corrective action and deadline, and warning of penalties, a criminal citation, or county abatement if the order is ignored. The property owner can request a hearing before an administrative hearing officer within 30 calendar days of service.

Separately, WCC 125.020 authorizes the district attorney to bring a civil action to enjoin or abate a continuing nuisance violation on the county's behalf.