Equine Business Permitting Guide
This webpage is intended as a guide to help you navigate the process for permitting your equine facility.
Planning Permits
The planning permit required depends on the size of the equine facility. The Washoe County Development Code breaks equine facilities into three categories:
- Small equine facility - 1 through 8 horses
- Medium equine facility - 9 through 20 horses
- Large equine facility - 21 or more horses
The permitting process depends on the regulatory zone (find your zoning on the Washoe Regional Mapping System).
Table showing planning permits required for equine facilities in applicable regulatory zones.
Key: A= Allowed by right (no planning permit required); AR= Administrative Review Permit; S= Special Use Permit
| Use Type | LDR | MDR | HDR | LDS/LDS2 | TC | PR | GR | GRA |
|
Small Equine Facility |
A | A | A | AR* | S | AR | A | A |
| Medium Equine Facility | AR | AR | AR | S | S | AR | AR* | AR |
| Large Equine Facility | S | S | S | S | S | AR | S | S |
Note: *See Section 110.342.10(k) for alternate permitting requirements.
The process to get an administrative review or special use permit generally takes approximately 2-3 months after a complete application is submitted. Regardless of the permit required, Washoe County Code has certain requirements related to equine businesses, which include:
- Equine facilities must specify their scope of activity during the permitting process, including activities, volume of customers, and infrastructure such as buildings
- A minimum lot size of 35,000 square feet is required
- Not allowing livestock shelters in setback areas
- Requiring businesses to produce documents such as boarding contracts if needed in the course of investigating a credible complaint
- Limiting hours of operation to 7:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m.
- Additional review and mitigation as needed for impacts to source water or regulated waterways
- Allowance for the use of temporary bathroom facilities for small and medium equine facilities that do not operate out of a structure
- Alternate landscaping requirements, including buffers along streets and buffers adjoining residential uses when such uses are within 100 feet of the equine facility
- Allow medium equine facilities by right on General Rural (GR) parcels that are at least 35 acres when such facilities are located at least 100 feet from adjoining property lines
- Allowances for small equine facilities by right on Low Density Suburban (LDS) parcels when less than three horses are associated with the facility
- Standards related to compliance animal welfare regulations and coordination with Washoe County Regional Animal services
View Article 342, Agricultural Uses for more details. These requirements will be checked through either the planning permit process or the business license process (more information below).
Contact Information
Planning Counter, planning@washoecounty.gov, 775-328-6100
Business License
A Washoe County business license is required for all businesses that operate in unincorporated Washoe County, including equine facilities. This requirement is in addition to the required State issued business license. The business license webpage has a new license toolkit which provides a guide to the process and other documents, such as a common questions page. After reaching out to planning staff and confirming and/or completing the planning permitting process, applicants should reach out to business license staff to obtain information about the process and the required documentation. The business license application can be found online.
Contact Information
Business License Counter, businesslicense@washoecounty.gov, 775-328-3733
Water Rights
All non-personal equine facilities will require commercial water rights and be subject to approval by the Nevada Division of Water Resources. The process of obtaining a commercial water right can take several months to a year or longer. For further information, view the Nevada Water Rights webpage.
Water right permit/certificate numbers, title information, and status are also submitted to the Washoe County Community Services Department for review of acceptability. It is beneficial to provide the Washoe County Engineering Division with this information to determine acceptability prior to purchase of the Water Rights. For more details on Washoe County water rights requirements, see Article 422 of the Washoe County Development Code.
Contact Information
Nevada Division of Water Resources, 775-684-2800
Washoe County Engineering Counter, engineering@washoecounty.gov, 775-328-2041
Commercial Septic
Any equine facility requiring permanent bathroom facilities and not connected to municipal sewer will need an approved commercial septic system. Commercial septic systems are regulated by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Pollution Control. While commercial septic systems must be approved by the State, modifications to existing residential septic systems may not necessarily be required. Exact requirements are determined by the Bureau of Water Pollution Control and dependent on the details of the business. Washoe County recommends reaching out to the State early in the permitting process to determine if upgrades will be required to serve the business.
Contact Information
Bureau of Water Pollution Control, 775-687-9418
Fire Requirements
Washoe County residents are served either by the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) or the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District (NLTFPD). The applicable fire district will review any planning permits, building permits, and business license applications related to the proposed equine facility. In general, fire requirements relate to having adequate site access and appropriate fire alarm and suppression infrastructure in buildings. If the equine facility involves a building over 5,000 square feet, such as an indoor arena, Washoe County recommends reaching out to the fire district to discuss applicable requirements. The parking and access surfacing requirements in Washoe County Code for agricultural uses are compliant with fire district requirements.
Contact Information
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, info@tmfpd.us, 775-326-6000
North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, 775-831-0351
Building Requirements
Equine facilities proposing or using one or more structures will need to be permitted with plans created by a design professional. Structures associated with equine facilities are generally considered commercial and must meet all requirements of a commercial structure, including those related to accessibility, ingress/egress, and accessible bathrooms. If an equine facility is proposing to use a structure that was permitted and constructed as a residential structure, building code requirements for commercial structures will apply, including the commercial requirements of the 2024 IBC and the 2017 ICC A117.1 for accessibility.
Contact Information
Building Counter, building@washoecounty.gov, 775-328-2020