Elko County, NV Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Elko County, NV, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Prohibited acts
- Burn, scavenge or salvage at a disposal site
- Covered sites
- Places operated by the County or an unincorporated town
- Required sign
- "No burning, scavenging or salvaging"
- Fine range
- $299 to $1,000 under § 10-10-17
- Jail
- Up to six months
- Burn permit fees
- Set by resolution under § 3-2-9
Summary
Elko County Code § 10-10-9 makes it unlawful to burn, scavenge or salvage at a disposal site operated by the County or by an unincorporated town. Waste left at a site is deemed abandoned, and a violation is a misdemeanor. Burn permit fees are set by resolution under § 3-2-9, and the code prints no separate open-burning ban.
(A) As used in this Section the words "disposal site" and "solid waste" have the following meanings: DISPOSAL SITE: Any place operated by the County or by an unincorporated town within the County at which solid waste is dumped, abandoned, accepted or disposed of by incineration, land filling, composting or any other method. ... (B) It shall be unlawful for any person to burn, scavenge or salvage at a disposal site. (C) All solid waste dumped or otherwise disposed of at a disposal site for any length of time, no matter how short, is deemed abandoned and becomes the property of the operator of the site. (D) The governing body of the disposal site operator may by resolution adopt such rules and regulations as may be desirable and appropriate for the management of the site. (E) Disposal sites shall be posted with a sign identifying them as such and bearing the words "No burning, scavenging or salvaging."
Full Breakdown
Section 10-10-9 is the county code's burning prohibition. It applies to a "disposal site," defined as any place operated by the County or by an unincorporated town within the County where solid waste is dumped, abandoned, accepted or disposed of by incineration, land filling, composting or any other method. At those sites it is unlawful for any person to burn, scavenge or salvage. The section's definition of solid waste covers garbage, rubbish, junk vehicles, ashes or incinerator residue, street refuse, dead animals, demolition waste, construction waste and solid or semisolid commercial and industrial waste, and excludes hazardous waste managed under NRS 459.400 to 459.600.
Ownership shifts at the gate. Solid waste dumped or otherwise disposed of at a disposal site for any length of time, no matter how short, is deemed abandoned and becomes the property of the site operator. The governing body of the operator can adopt rules for the site by resolution, and every site must carry a sign identifying it and bearing the words "No burning, scavenging or salvaging."
Burning elsewhere in the unincorporated area runs through the fire code. Section 3-2-1 adopts the 2018 International Fire Code and the 2018 Northern Nevada Amendments for Elko County outside the cities of Elko, Wells, Carlin and West Wendover. Section 3-2-2 assigns enforcement to the Fire Prevention Division of the Elko County Fire Protection District, and in the township of Jackpot the Jackpot Fire Chief enforces, appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Section 3-2-9 states that fees for burn permits are set by resolution. The county code adopts the International Fire Code by reference and does not reprint its burning provisions, so permit questions go to the Fire Protection District and the current fee resolution.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-10-17 makes a violation of § 10-10-9 a misdemeanor: imprisonment in the County jail for up to six months, a fine of not less than $299 and not more than $1,000, or both. Each day the violation is committed or permitted to continue is a separate offense. Section 10-10-9(F) also classes a violation of that section as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is open burning banned across unincorporated Elko County?
What happens to trash I leave at a county landfill?
Who enforces the fire code outside the incorporated cities?
What is the penalty for burning at a disposal site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elko County
How Elko County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Compare Elko County to another location·View the Nevada fire regulations overview
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