Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Nevada's official board.
Nevada requires a well driller's license from the Division of Water Resources, which states that every water well drilled in the state must be drilled by a licensed Nevada well driller.
| Requirements | The Division of Water Resources states that every well driller in the state must annually apply to the Division for a drilling license before engaging in any well development activities, and that every water well drilled in Nevada must be drilled by a licensed Nevada well driller under NRS 534.160. Licensed drillers must supervise drilling sites for new wells, plugging of abandoned wells and rehabilitation of existing wells. Under NAC 534.280 and NAC 534.282 an applicant must be at least 18 years of age and must submit evidence of at least two years of full-time experience in the preceding five years together with at least four professional references, which the State Engineer evaluates. The examination has three parts: a 100-question closed book written test on the Regulations for Water Well and Related Drilling, made up of 80 multiple-choice questions, 10 fill-in-the-blank questions on preparing a Notice of Intent card and 10 on preparing a Well Driller's Report, requiring a score of at least 80 percent to pass; a single-question pass or fail topographic map reading test requiring the candidate to locate a given point on a United States Geological Survey quadrangle map by 40-acre subdivision; and an oral interview before three members of the Nevada Well Driller's Advisory Board. Nevada's official Well Driller's Report form records both a Nevada contractor's license number issued by the State Contractors Board and a Nevada driller's license number issued by the Division of Water Resources, and the Nevada Administrative Code defines contractor classification C-23 as drilling wells and installing pumps, pressure tanks and storage tanks. |
| Reciprocity | Yes, open to any US jurisdiction on a substantial-similarity test. Under the current regulation (Adopted Regulation R027-25 amending NAC 534), the State Engineer may issue a well-drilling licence by reciprocity to an applicant who holds a current well-drilling licence issued by another state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia, has held that licence for at least 2 years immediately preceding the date of application, and demonstrates that the requirements for licensure there are substantially similar to or more stringent than Nevada's. The applicant submits an application plus Form 4056 'Request for Reciprocity' to the Division of Water Resources and must satisfy the standard application requirements of NAC 534.282. The written examination is not waived: the applicant is exempt only from the oral examination, and only on achieving a score of at least 87 percent on the written examination. No specific partner states are named, any qualifying jurisdiction is eligible. |
| Renewal | Licenses expire on June 30 annually and renewal applications must reach the Division by June 15. Renewal requires eight credit units of continuing education completed during the current licensing period, including Nevada well drilling regulations coursework at least once within two consecutive licensing renewal periods. |
| Notes | Nevada requires a well driller's license from the Division of Water Resources, which states that every water well drilled in the state must be drilled by a licensed Nevada well driller. |
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Sources: water.nv.gov, www.leg.state.nv.us, water.nv.gov, water.nv.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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