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Occupancy Permit / Change Of Use (Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit) in Wells, Nevada

The City of Wells has no separate change-of-use or certificate-of-occupancy application, checklist, or fee. The city's own Zoning Code (Title 10, Chapter 2, Section 10-2-2) defines 'OCCUPANCY PERMIT' as simply 'a permit issued by the Building Department indicating that a newly constructed building is complete and safe for occupancy or use' -- issued as part of the standard Building Department permitting process rather than as a distinct product. A change of occupancy or use is processed through the same universal Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application used for all other permit types (see building-permit), and is governed technically by the city's adopted 2012 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), which by its own terms in City Code 4-1-1.C.6 'shall apply to the repair, alteration, and change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings.' Zoning Code Section 10-3-1 (Zoning Certificate-Building Permit) additionally requires a zoning certificate-building permit 'for the construction of all buildings and structures' -- the same permit under which a change-of-use project is reviewed for zoning-district conformity (Title 10, Chapter 6, Section 10-6-1, 'Conformity Required'). No dedicated fee, checklist, or review-timeline exists specifically for occupancy/change-of-use projects; they are billed under the same general Building Permit Fee valuation table (Resolution No. 19-04, Table 1) as any other building-scope project.

Verified 2026-07-22 · Source

When you need this permit

  • File the universal Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application, selecting Building (and other trades as applicable to the scope of work triggered by the occupancy/use change)
  • The proposed new use must conform to the zoning district's allowable/special uses under Title 10, Chapter 7 ('Zoning Districts; Allowable And Special Uses') -- a use not permitted outright in the district may require a special use permit (Title 10, Section 10-3-2) rather than a simple occupancy change
  • Work triggered by the change of occupancy is reviewed under the city's adopted 2012 International Existing Building Code (repair, alteration, and change of occupancy of existing buildings) and 2012 IBC/IRC as applicable
  • Applicable special approvals identified on the universal application (Nevada State Fire Marshal, Nevada State Health, Fire Sprinklers, Engineering, Addressing, Contract Plan Review) should be confirmed with the Building Department for a change-of-use project specifically
  • No published fee schedule item, checklist, or review-timeline SLA is specific to occupancy permits or changes of use -- billed under the general Building Permit Fee valuation table (Resolution No. 19-04, Table 1) like any other building-scope permit

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, general table -- no distinct change-of-use/occupancy line item)City of Wells Resolution No. 19-04, Table 1 -- the same general valuation-based table used for all other building-scope permit types; no separate occupancy/change-of-use fee exists
Minimum charge $43.50 ($20.00 Processing Fee + $23.50 Permit Fee) for valuations of $1-$500, rising per Resolution 19-04 Table 1 (e.g. $391.25 at $25,000 valuation, $993.75 at $100,000 valuation)

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Occupancy Permit / Change Of Use (Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit) permit actually take in Wells?

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Inspection process

    Tips

    • Wells' own Zoning Code (10-2-2) defines an 'Occupancy Permit' simply as proof from the Building Department that a building is complete and safe for use -- it is not a separate application or fee, just part of the standard Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit process.
    • A change of use is also a zoning-conformity question, not just a building-code one: check Title 10, Chapter 7 (Zoning Districts; Allowable and Special Uses) to confirm the new use is permitted outright in the district, or whether a special use permit (Title 10, Section 10-3-2, $50.00 plus $3.00 per dwelling unit/600 square feet) is required instead.
    • The city's adopted 2012 International Existing Building Code governs the technical requirements for a change of occupancy in an existing building -- confirm with the Building Department whether your specific change of use triggers additional IEBC requirements.

    Frequently asked questions

    Wells requires an occupancy permit / change of use (building, electrical, plumbing & mechanical permit) for: File the universal Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application, selecting Building (and other trades as applicable to the scope of work triggered by the occupancy/use change); The proposed new use must conform to the zoning district's allowable/special uses under Title 10, Chapter 7 ('Zoning Districts; Allowable And Special Uses') -- a use not permitted outright in the district may require a special use permit (Title 10, Section 10-3-2) rather than a simple occupancy change; Work triggered by the change of occupancy is reviewed under the city's adopted 2012 International Existing Building Code (repair, alteration, and change of occupancy of existing buildings) and 2012 IBC/IRC as applicable; Applicable special approvals identified on the universal application (Nevada State Fire Marshal, Nevada State Health, Fire Sprinklers, Engineering, Addressing, Contract Plan Review) should be confirmed with the Building Department for a change-of-use project specifically; No published fee schedule item, checklist, or review-timeline SLA is specific to occupancy permits or changes of use -- billed under the general Building Permit Fee valuation table (Resolution No. 19-04, Table 1) like any other building-scope permit. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Wells Building Department at (775) 752-3355 before starting work.

    In Wells, the published Building Permit Fee (valuation-based, general table -- no distinct change-of-use/occupancy line item) is: Minimum charge $43.50 ($20.00 Processing Fee + $23.50 Permit Fee) for valuations of $1-$500, rising per Resolution 19-04 Table 1 (e.g. $391.25 at $25,000 valuation, $993.75 at $100,000 valuation). These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Wells does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Wells Building Department at (775) 752-3355 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through City of Wells Building Department at 525 Sixth Street, P.O. Box 366, Wells, NV 89835. Phone: (775) 752-3355, email: building@cityofwellsnv.com. Office hours: Not published online. Building Department fax: (775) 752-3419. City Manager's office (general city contact) also reachable at (775) 752-3355. Source: City of Wells Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application form (PDF).. Official information: https://cityofwellsnv.com/.

    Wells, Nevada has adopted: Nevada is a home-rule state for building codes: there is no single mandatory statewide building-code edition — each city and county adopts and amends its own code. The only genuine statewide floor is the energy code: NRS 701.220 directs the State to adopt and update energy-efficiency standards for new construction. Always confirm the specific adopted edition for the jurisdiction in question rather than assuming a uniform statewide code. Source: Nevada Legislature NRS Chapter 701 (State Office of Energy).; The City of Wells Municipal Code, Title 4 (Building Regulations), contains the city's building-code adoption chapters, and Title 4/5 include a 'Chapter 3 Uniform Fire Code' provision. The exact edition-year of the IBC/IRC/UBC (or Uniform Building Code) currently adopted by the City of Wells could not be independently verified: American Legal Publishing's amlegal.com code library (which hosts the official City Code of Wells, Nevada) renders its chapter content only via an in-browser JavaScript application; direct fetch and browser-header curl requests both returned only the unrendered page shell (no chapter text), and amlegal blocks the fetch tool outright (HTTP 403) on direct chapter URLs. No cached/indexed rendering of the Title 4 building-code adoption section (chapter number and specific code edition) surfaced through targeted web search either. This field is intentionally left without a specific claimed edition rather than guessing. Source: attempted access to City Code of Wells, Nevada, Title 4, via codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/wellsnv/latest/wells_nv/0-0-0-17004 (chapter shell only, no edition text recovered).; The City of Wells Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application confirms the city independently issues Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, and Foundation permits for Commercial, Residential, and Manufactured Home projects, with classifications New, Addition, Remodel, and Repair, and calls out 'Special Approvals Required' fields for Nevada State Fire Marshal, Nevada State Health, Fire Sprinklers, Engineering, Addressing, and Contract Plan Review — confirming the city runs its own permitting program rather than deferring to Elko County. Source: City of Wells Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application (PDF), cityofwellsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Building-Permit-Application.pdf.. Local amendments apply — see the Wells overview page for the full list.

    No. Wells' Zoning Code defines an 'Occupancy Permit' as simply the Building Department's confirmation that a building is complete and safe for occupancy -- issued through the same universal Building, Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Permit application used for every other permit type, and billed under the same general valuation-based Building Permit Fee table (Resolution No. 19-04, Table 1). A change of use must also conform to the zoning district's allowable uses (Title 10, Chapter 7); a use not permitted outright may instead require a $50 special use permit.

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