Nye County commissioners voted 5-0 Oct. 7 to grant a temporary variance from a new short‑term rental registration requirement that had called for a Nevada‑licensed engineer to provide a stamped letter stating a septic system’s maximum occupancy.

County licensing staff said the engineer-stamp requirement proved costly and in some cases unattainable for property owners. “Obtaining the services of a licensed or certified engineer to provide a stamp, is extremely, it's a hardship for our our applicants,” said Samantha Tackett, who oversees business licensing for the town registration program.

Under the variance approved by the board, applicants registering short‑term rentals may submit a current inspection report from a licensed septic contractor or sanitation company confirming the system is functioning rather than an engineer’s capacity letter until the county revises the code provision (PTO 74 §8.11(f)). The change applies only to the short‑term rental registration process, staff said.

Commissioner John Bain framed the decision narrowly as a choice between a costly engineer-driven certification and a practical contractor inspection: “This is not a debate on the whether we like this whole law. This is just a debate on the narrow application of whether or not we have to put forward an engineer who's an expensive person or the septic company who can just send out a representative essentially,” he said.

Public commenters raised related concerns about shelters and legal compliance; county staff said enforcement and code‑compliance complaints remain separate and would be handled through existing processes.

The variance is intended as an interim measure while staff reviews the short‑term rental regulation and prepares proposed amendments for the board.