Washoe County adopted the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and maps every parcel as low, moderate, high, or extreme wildfire hazard. Your zone determines defensible-space and construction requirements. Check your parcel on the county fire-hazard GIS map.
Washoe County and TMFPD administer the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC), which classifies land by wildfire hazard: low (blue), moderate (green), high (orange), and extreme (red) on the official GIS map at gis.washoecounty.us/wrms/firehazard. The zone sets the required defensible-space buffer (30 ft moderate, 50 ft high, 100 ft extreme) and can trigger ignition-resistant construction, roofing, vent, and access requirements for new or substantially remodeled homes. Because so much of the unincorporated county (Spanish Springs, Sun Valley, Cold Springs, Washoe Valley, Incline Village) sits in the WUI, these standards apply widely across the region.
WUI construction requirements are enforced at building permit review; ongoing defensible-space obligations are enforced by TMFPD under the county Nuisance Code, with abatement costs charged to owners.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Washoe County, NV
Home composting is allowed in unincorporated Washoe County. There is no dedicated composting permit, but a pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or become...
Washoe County, NV
Unincorporated Washoe County has no ordinance prohibiting or specially regulating artificial turf on residential property. It is a common water-saving choice...
Washoe County, NV
Washoe County does not require native plants, but its arid high-desert setting and TMWA's conservation program strongly encourage drought-tolerant, water-wis...
Washoe County, NV
Rainwater harvesting is legal statewide. Nevada NRS 533.027 allows de minimis collection of precipitation from the rooftop of a single-family dwelling for no...
Washoe County, NV
There is no county watering schedule. In the Truckee Meadows, Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) assigns sprinkler days by address: odd addresses water W...
Washoe County, NV
Unincorporated Washoe County has no local weed ordinance. Noxious weeds are governed statewide by NRS Chapter 555: landowners must control designated noxious...
See how Washoe County's wildfire zones rules stack up against other locations.
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