2019 Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 533 - Adjudication of Vested Water Rights; Appropriation of Public Waters
NRS 533.386 - Duties of State Engineer concerning conveyances; administrative action required upon entry of final judgment of court.

1. The State Engineer shall confirm that the report of conveyance required by paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of NRS 533.384 includes all material required by that subsection and that:

(a) The report is accompanied by the prescribed fee;

(b) No conflict exists in the chain of title that can be determined by the State Engineer from the conveyance documents or other information on file in the Office of the State Engineer; and

(c) The State Engineer is able to determine the rate of diversion and the amount of water conveyed in acre-feet or million gallons from the conveyance documents or other information on file in the Office of the State Engineer.

2. If the State Engineer confirms a report of conveyance pursuant to subsection 1, the State Engineer shall in a timely manner provide a notice of the confirmation to the person who submitted the report of conveyance. The notice must include, without limitation:

(a) A statement indicating that neither the confirmation of the report of conveyance nor the report of conveyance, if the report sets forth the amount of water conveyed, guarantees that:

(1) The water right is in good standing with the Office of the State Engineer; or

(2) The amount of water referenced in the notice or in the report of conveyance is the actual amount of water that a person is entitled to use upon conveyance of the application or permit to appropriate any of the public waters, the certificate of appropriation, the adjudicated or unadjudicated water right, or the application or permit to change the place of diversion, manner of use or place of use of water.

(b) A statement that the confirmation of the report of conveyance is not a determination of ownership and that only a court of competent jurisdiction may adjudicate conflicting claims to ownership of a water right.

3. If the State Engineer determines that the report of conveyance is deficient, the State Engineer shall reject the report of conveyance and return it to the person who submitted it, together with:

(a) An explanation of the deficiency; and

(b) A notice stating that the State Engineer will not confirm a report of conveyance that has been rejected unless the report is resubmitted with the material required to cure the deficiency. The notice must also include a statement of the provisions of subsection 5.

4. If, from the conveyance documents or other information in the Office of the State Engineer, it appears to the State Engineer that there is a conflict in the chain of title, the State Engineer shall reject the report of conveyance and return it to the person who submitted it, together with:

(a) An explanation that a conflict appears to exist in the chain of title; and

(b) A notice stating that the State Engineer will not take further action with respect to the report of conveyance until a court of competent jurisdiction has determined the conflicting claims to ownership of the water right and the determination has become final or until a final resolution of the conflicting claims has otherwise occurred. The notice must also include a statement of the provisions of subsection 5.

5. The State Engineer shall not consider or treat the person to whom:

(a) An application or permit to appropriate any of the public waters;

(b) A certificate of appropriation;

(c) An adjudicated or unadjudicated water right; or

(d) An application or permit to change the place of diversion, manner of use or place of use of water,

is conveyed as the owner or holder of the application, right, certificate or permit for the purposes of this chapter, including, without limitation, all advisements and other notices required of the State Engineer and the granting of permits to change the place of diversion, manner of use or place of use of water, until a report of the conveyance is confirmed pursuant to subsection 1.

6. If the State Engineer is notified that a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a judgment confirming ownership of a water right or resolving a conflict in a chain of title, and that the judgment has become final, the State Engineer shall take such administrative action as is appropriate or necessary to conform the records of the Office of the State Engineer with the judgment of the court, including, without limitation, amending or withdrawing a permit or certificate that was previously approved by the State Engineer.

(Added to NRS by 1995, 435; A 2003, 2982; 2005, 2563)