Private land squatters law adjusted

Effective Monday, August 25, the grace period allowed to those illegally occupying private land will no longer apply.

With the adoption of Nye County Bill No. 2025-26, county code has been amended to get rid of the provision giving squatters 24 hours in which to vacate, instead requiring them to remove themselves and their possessions as soon as they are given notice by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office that they are in violation of local law.

“I call this the Jabbour Amendment because it was commissioner [Bruce] Jabbour who suggested this when we had done the public lands version of this. On public lands, the rule is immediate,” Nye County Commissioner Ian Bayne explained at the board’s August 5 meeting. “This change would make it consistent for both private and public lands.”

Bayne was referring to another section of county code which was amended in May to ban camping in public areas, thus preventing homeless members of the community from setting up tents, chairs or other personal possessions in places such as public parks and sidewalks. That code states violators must vacate immediately and the bill was simply aligning the public camping code with the private land squatters code.

Jabbour thanked Bayne for pushing forward with that alignment and sponsoring the August 5 agenda item. “It absolutely makes sense that if they are squatting, they are not there with written permission, they need to leave immediately with their possessions,” he emphasized.

All five members of the commission have historically been in agreement when it comes to the county’s attempt to address the problems resulting from the ever-increasing homeless population and that morning’s bill was no exception. Bayne made the motion to adopt, with a second from Jabbour and the motion passed with all in favor.

Under Nye County Bill No. 2025-26, the provision in Nye County Code Title 9 previously allowing for a 24-hour period to vacate has been removed.

Now the code reads, “Any person contacted by law enforcement due to belief that the person is in violation of this ordinance and who cannot provide the required documentation described in section 2 [showing proof of permission to occupy], law enforcement will notify the person engaged in the prohibited conduct that they must vacate the location immediately and that he/she/they is/are subject to citation or arrest.”

In addition, the bill gives law enforcement to ability to notify squatters as soon as they are reported, rather than having to wait a specified period of time.

As previously written, Nye County Code Title 9 stated that any person staying on private land, whether improved or not, for over five consecutive calendar days was guilty of unlawful presence on the land of another. As stipulated in the newly amended version, that has now been changed to use the term “loiters” rather than “stays” and to eliminate the reference to five consecutive days of occupation.

The bill goes into effect on August 25.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com