Frequently Asked Questions
The Southern Nevada Health District is updating its Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS) regulations to protect drinking water, prevent pollution of the environment, and avoid costly cleanups in the future. Septic systems that are aging, located near the water table, or highly concentrated can cause contaminants such as nitrates to enter groundwater and potentially cause illness. Updating the rules helps ensure wells remain safe and property owners avoid health risks and expensive repairs to their septic systems down the road.
Following are Frequently Asked Questions received by the Health District. This list will be updated as needed.
The Health District is updating the regulations for several key reasons, as the current regulations have not been comprehensively updated since 2009. Those key reasons are: (1) protecting public health and water quality, (2) modernizing the regulations, (3) creating a sustainable program, (4) preventing costly system failures, and (5) improving homeowner and homebuyer awareness. The changes are intended to simplify, modernize, and strengthen safeguards for public health and the environment.
The 5-year operating permit replaces the lifetime permit and has two main purposes.
- Program Funding: The purpose of the fee (proposed at $226 for 5 years, which is equivalent to $42.50/year) is to fully fund the septic program rather than have it subsidized by other funds.
- System Maintenance and Public Health: The 5-year review will allow the Health District to review system performance periodically at renewal, address changes or degradation, and determine ongoing compliance. This review helps notify homeowners of potential issues and associated costs.
Homeowners will receive early identification and risk mitigation (direct benefit), community health and property value protection (indirect benefit), and program sustainability (administrative benefit). It will help notify homeowners of potential issues that can compromise the system before it starts to fail. The program helps protect local water quality by ensuring septic systems are maintained, which is critical since many areas have shown elevated nitrate concentrations in private wells.
The Health District does not place liens on properties for non-payment of permit fees. If fees remain unpaid, the property would be considered out of compliance with Health District regulations. We work with property owners to resolve compliance issues and encourage them to contact us if they have concerns so we can discuss available options.
There will be no onsite inspection by a Health District inspector or by a 3rd party inspector. The 5-year permit renewal involves a “review of the permit,” which is intended to identify potential issues that can compromise systems before they start to fail. This review includes: (1) documentation review to verify the completeness and accuracy of the Health District‘s records, (2) compliance review and notification of compliance issues if necessary, and (3) proactive maintenance. The goal is to catch non-compliant or high-risk conditions via documentation before they escalate into an expensive failure that requires an emergency repair.
The proposed regulations introduce a mandatory onsite inspection only in the case of a property transfer (sale of the home), and the inspection must be performed by the Health District or a Health District approved 3rd party inspector. This will also be the case for any new septic installation.
If issues are identified during the property transfer inspection, the homeowner and prospective buyer will be notified of the issues and will have the opportunity to make corrections if corrective action is possible. The Health District does not intend or have the ability to restrict water use.
The new regulations will apply to all septic systems, new and existing, in Clark County. The Southern Nevada District Board of Health is the governing body of the Health District and is authorized to adopt regulations to regulate sewage disposal and liquid waste management in the interest of the public health, and to protect and promote the public health and safety in the geographical area subject to the jurisdiction of the Health District.
Yes, these new regulations will affect you because they govern the management, operation, and maintenance of your Individual Sewage Disposal Systems (ISDS), or septic system. However, if you do not have access to a community sewerage system (e.g., you live in Sandy Valley, Mount Charleston, or another area without sewer infrastructure), the provisions requiring connection to the sewer system would not apply to you.
A sewer line is “adjacent” if it is within a right-of-way directly next to the property. In other words, the sewer would be considered adjacent to the property if no main line extension is required to connect the property to the sewer. SNHD has no intention of mandating sewer connections for properly operating septic systems.
If a septic system is failing and the property is adjacent to an accessible sewer line, the Health District will not be able to renew the property’s operating permit. In such cases, connection to the community sewer will be required unless the sewer agency determines that connection is not feasible due to utility obstructions, lack of capacity, or other issues. In cases where sewer connection is not feasible, the property owner will then be required to repair the failing system or install a new septic system to correct the public health issue.
No, the new lot size restrictions will not apply to any existing lots. This change will apply specifically to larger parcels that are subdivided into lots smaller than 0.5 acre. The purpose of increasing the minimum lot size is to reduce septic system density and ensure consistency with state ISDS regulations in NAC 444.790.
No, the Health District’s proposed regulations do not take away or revoke water rights. The regulations focus on managing wastewater to protect water quality for all of Clark County, not on controlling anyone’s legal right to use their water.
Assembly Bill 220 (2023) authorizes, but does not require, the Health District to create a financial assistance program for septic-to-sewer conversions. The Health District is open to creating such a program once a sustainable funding source is identified, but we do not yet have a tentative start date for this enrollment process.
The Health District has exclusive regulatory authority over septic systems in Clark County. The Health District and SNWA have complementary roles and collaborate as appropriate to ensure the protection of the community’s water resources and public health.
The Health District has jurisdictional authority to permit, inspect, and regulate septic systems in Clark County. An important distinction is when the Colorado River is the water supply source. Since June 6, 2023 (the effective date of AB220), Nevada state law has prohibited the installation of new septic systems on properties that receive water from the Colorado River. In those cases, a waiver must be granted by SNWA before the Health District can issue a permit for a new septic system.
As of right now, future dates are to be announced. However, any future community outreach events will be posted here: www.snhd.info/septicregs. Additionally, a public hearing will be scheduled after the first of the year at a regular meeting of the Southern Nevada District Board of Health. The date, time, and location of the public hearing will be posted at the website mentioned above.
Yes, your voice and opinion have a direct effect on the outcome. The public input process is a critical part of how the new regulations are finalized.
How Your Input Is Used: The Health District is actively collecting all public comments, feedback, and concerns gathered during workshops and public comment periods. The Environmental Health Engineering staff will consolidate and summarize this feedback before it is formally presented to the Southern Nevada District Board of Health. The Board is the governing body that is authorized to approve, adjust, or reject the proposed regulations. Your feedback informs the Board’s decisions and ensures that community perspectives are considered before the final regulations are adopted.
Comments can be submitted by email to septicregs@snhd.org, provided during the public comment period at workshops and other public meetings, or mailed to Southern Nevada Health District, P.O. Box 3902, Las Vegas, NV 89127. However, we will record and consider all public comments regardless of how or where we receive them.
Updated on: October 16, 2025