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AB104
Nevada Bill AB104: New Rules for Water Rights, Grants, and Permits
Last scannedAug 22, 2026, 1:27 AM
In one sentence
This law creates programs to buy or accept donations of groundwater rights to retire them permanently, changes how temporary water permits work, updates grant rules for saving water, and sets requirements for connecting homes to sewer systems.
What it does
- Creates the Nevada Conservation and Recreation Program in state statute, which includes a grant program and the Nevada Voluntary Water Rights Retirement Program.
- Establishes an Account for Retiring Water Rights so the State Department can purchase specific decreed or certificated groundwater rights to stop their use permanently.
- Sets a deadline of June 30, 2035, after which no new applications or donations for retiring water rights will be accepted under this program.
- Changes existing temporary groundwater permits into revocable permits and prohibits drilling domestic wells within 1,250 feet of public water service lines in certain areas.
- Updates grant rules to allow funding for replacing grass with water-efficient plants and changes how much money recipients must contribute based on median household income instead of average income.
- Sets new eligibility requirements for property owners who want financial help to connect their septic systems to community sewer lines.
Who it affects
- The State Engineer and the Director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Property owners with groundwater rights or those wishing to drill wells near public water services
- Water purveyors, local governments, and organizations applying for conservation grants
- Homeowners with septic systems who want to connect to community sewer lines
Limits and unknowns
- Provisions related to the Account for Retiring Water Rights expire on June 30, 2035.
- The law does not specify where the initial funding for buying water rights will come from in this text.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Retiring Water Rights
- Buying or accepting a donation of water rights so that the owner can no longer use that specific amount of groundwater.
- Revocable Permit
- A permit to take groundwater, previously called temporary, which allows officials to cancel it under certain conditions.
- Median Household Income
- The middle value of household incomes in a group, used here instead of the average to calculate how much money grant recipients must provide.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Revises provisions relating to water. (BDR 48-383)