Washoe County OKs Iveson Ranch drone and energetics testing with strict limits after agreement with Burning Man

Washoe County commissioners on Jan. 13 unanimously affirmed the Planning Commission’s approval of a special-use permit for Iveson Ranch, allowing drone research, outdoor storage and controlled explosives testing on the 320‑acre site north of Gerlach.

The approval includes newly negotiated conditions that the applicant and appellant Burning Man jointly drafted with county staff: energetic testing will be limited to no more than 12 pounds per test; testing frequency is capped (no more than five tests per day and a maximum of 375 tests in any 12‑month period); and numerical limits were placed on detonators, small charges and solid rocket motors. The board also approved a condition restricting airplane and drone flights on Sundays to no more than five Sundays per year, with medical evacuations excepted.

The applicant, BRDR Properties’ general manager (introduced during the hearing), said the permitted activities would be limited, safety‑driven and coordinated with federal and state regulators including the FAA and ATF. He told commissioners the site is remote — roughly 2½ miles from the nearest inhabited neighbor — and said company staff already coordinate test flights and safety plans with state fire officials and the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. “We will be transparent and compliant,” he said during his presentation, and he described modest employment estimates of 8–12 jobs averaging $80,000–$100,000 annually.

Marissa Furman, counsel for the appellant Burning Man Project, told the board the nonprofit brought the appeal after the Planning Commission session to secure two specific operational limits. After follow-up meetings between the applicant, Burning Man and county staff, Furman said both conditions in question had been revised and accepted; she urged the board to adopt the amended conditions.

County planning staff explained the special use review was required because the application includes hazardous materials (explosives) and an airstrip. Planning staff also noted the ATF’s licensing and recordkeeping regime governs storage and movements of regulated energetic materials and that the applicant will be required to obtain BLM approval to use airspace crossing BLM land. Staff put the proposed, jointly agreed conditions into the record.

Commissioners praised the negotiation that led to the compromise language. “This is an example of working together,” Commissioner Claire Andreella said during deliberations. The board voted to affirm the Planning Commission’s findings and to approve the hazardous materials special‑use permit with the amended conditions.

Next steps: County staff will incorporate the revised conditions into the permit record and the applicant must comply with ATF requirements, obtain required BLM approvals for airstrip use and submit operational plans to the fire district as required for explosive permits.

What the vote means: The decision authorizes limited, regulated energetics testing at Iveson Ranch under the enumerated operational limits and safety conditions; it is not a blanket approval for any additional munitions or explosive uses outside the specified materials and quantities.