Permitting Requirements & Fees

In general, a solid waste management facility may include the following:

Statutory & Regulatory Authorities: Nevada Revised Statutes 444.440 through 444.620 provides the legislative authority to develop and implement a regulatory program for the management of solid waste in Nevada. The State Environmental Commission has the authority to adopt regulations under these statutes. Nevada Administrative Code 444.570 through 444.7499 defines regulatory standards for solid waste management. In Nevada, solid waste regulations are enforced and implemented by the respective solid waste management authority listed below.

A Permit must be obtained from the solid waste management authority for any Solid Waste Disposal, Incinerator, Process, Waste Tire or Compost facility. An approval to operate must also be obtained from the solid waste management authority for any transfer station, Material Recovery or salvage yard facilities. Some permits and approvals have fees associated with them. These fees are described in this Solid Waste Fee Summary. Here is the link to NDEP's ePayment login page.

Regulatory Jurisdiction: There are three Solid Waste Management Authorities in Nevada that administer solid waste management regulations including permitting and enforcement. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) administers all permitting activities outside of Clark and Washoe Counties; NDEP also has the responsibility to review the Washoe and Clark County solid waste programs.

Procedures for Obtaining Permits — Prospective permittees must submit a complete application form with supporting information and documents (as required) to the respective solid waste management authority. Applications for solid waste facilities should be submitted at least 180 days prior to construction. A completeness review is conducted within 45 days of submittal and if the application is deemed complete; a technical review is performed to evaluate the merits of the application. The review process is conducted within the context of the applicable regulations.

In general, the significant event associated with the permitting process are as follows:

• Application Submission;
• A Completeness Review is conducted within 45 days;
• Once the Application is deemed complete, a technical review is performed to evaluate the merits of the application to assure its consistency with regulations;
• Upon completion of the technical review, a notice of intent to issue or deny the permit is posted in a local newspaper, posted on the NDEP website and sent out electronically. All comments (whether received via mail, fax or e-mail) are responded to and the public review and comment period for all Public Notices is 30 days;
• If the NDEP determines a public hearing will be necessary it will be published 30 days prior to the hearing. The hearing is a forum for the public to provide further comments and interact with NDEP staff to provide commentary on the application for a permit. A hearing effectively extends the public comment period. The public hearing is not a legal forum for expert testimony, or calling of witnesses nor is it a forum for any type of legal representation;
• Within 30 days of the close of the public comment period (which may include the public hearing), the NDEP will make a decision. The decision may be rendered by either issuing the permit without condition, with conditions or requiring the applicant to address the comments within the application; and
• Any person who wishes to appeal a decision or action of the solid waste management authority may do so. Such an appeal must be made in writing to the State Environmental Commission.

Document Submission — Complete plans and specifications must be submitted to the solid waste management authority for approval for all applicable solid waste facilities. Permit applications for municipal and industrial solid waste disposal facilities must include information specific to the type of facility. For additional information about "Landfill Class" types see the legal definitions contained in the Nevada Administrative Code:[Class I], [Class ll] and [Class lll]

Application Forms — NDEP applications/forms are available for download in Adobe pdf format from this website under Forms/Guidance.

• Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Site Permit Application
• Industrial Solid Waste Disposal Site Permit Application
• Compost Plant Permit Application
• Salvage Yard Application
• Process Facility Application
• Waste Tire Facility Application
• Incineration Facility