The purpose of the P public zone is to achieve the following:

A.

To accommodate the wide range of public institutional and auxiliary uses that are established in response to the health, safety, cultural, and welfare need of the citizens of the county;

B.

To organize the assemblage of specific, non-profit, and profit public facilities into efficient, functionally compatible, and attractively planned administrative centers in conformance with the master plan;

C.

To establish allowed uses and those requiring a special use permit to ensure compatibility with adjacent zones; and

D.

To ensure development standards and setback requirements that are compatible with abutting regulatory zones.

(Ord. No. 12-244, § I, 12-4-2012)

The following uses are allowed in the P public zone, unless otherwise stated, when the use is owned and managed by a governmental entity or non-profit organization. A special use permit is required for each use listed in this section when it is owned or managed by a for-profit entity.

A.

Buildings and facilities owned, leased, or operated by Storey County, Storey County School District, other political subdivision of Storey County or the State of Nevada, or the government of the United States, including:

1.

Agricultural use types including, general agricultural uses, agricultural animal production, custom animal processing, agricultural supplies sales, agricultural entertainment, and commercial uses.

2.

Agricultural and horticultural uses for domestic purposes and incidental to the permitted uses. This use includes community gardens.

3.

Public facilities and buildings for fire, emergency services, sheriff, public works, and other governmental agencies and departments. A special use permit is required for county jails.

4.

Helipads and heliports for use only by medical evacuation transport services.

5.

Outdoor storage or maintenance of materials, operable vehicles, trailers, and heavy equipment, including fueling stations and maintenance buildings, associated with public works or other government entity.

6.

Automotive, truck, and heavy equipment services including washing and detailing (manual hand-washing, coin-operated, and production line methods), service and fueling stations, and repair (including painting and body repair).

7.

Childcare where four or less children are cared for. A special use permit is required for more than four children;

8.

Crisis care uses, temporary.

9.

Libraries, post offices, community centers, and courts of law.

10.

Education including elementary, middle, and high (K-12) schools and academies, colleges and higher education, technical and vocational education, apprentice training, whether public, private, or parochial. A special use permit is required for education institutions and academies that include student residential and boarding accommodations.

11.

Highway rest areas, picnicking areas, parks and playgrounds, dog parks, walking and bicycle trails, interpretive tails, restroom facilities, and information kiosks.

12.

Parking lots and structures, park-and-rides and carpool transfer centers, multi-modal transit hubs, transportation garages and storage, railroad and light rail infrastructures, train tunnels, and railroad switchyards and turntables.

13.

Indoor veterinarian services and shelters for small and large animals.

14.

Uses involving the indoor discharge of firearms.

15.

Temporary (less than one year) concrete and asphalt batch plants when incidental to an on-site construction project.

B.

Public utilities uses:

1.

Public utility service yards, electric substations, and gas transmission stations.

2.

Public utility or public service buildings, structures, and uses, not including power generation for sale to a public utility.

3.

Water treatment and storage facilities and groundwater recharge.

4.

Storm water drainage, detention, retention, and storage.

C.

Tourism, cultural resources, and community health uses:

1.

Entertainment and casual education services such as docents, guided tours on foot, gold panning, and museums.

2.

Library and cultural services.

3.

Farmers markets.

4.

Historical sites, markers, kiosks, and attractions.

5.

Archeological heritage and cultural resource centers.

6.

Permanent indoor and outdoor civic auditoriums and theatres.

7.

Golf courses, driving ranges, miniature golf, and country clubs.

8.

Fair grounds and rodeo arenas.

9.

Athletic fields, buildings, and complexes.

10.

Health clubs, personal fitness gyms, swimming pools, spas, saunas, and complexes dedicated to such uses.

11.

Permanent indoor and seasonal or temporary outdoor roller and ice-skating rinks and skateboard parks.

D.

Healthcare uses:

1.

Healthcare facilities, including, medical services, convalescent services, continuum of care facilities for seniors, and group care services. A special use permit is required for civic convalescent and group care services.

E.

Accessory uses, buildings, and structures if they are incidental to a permitted use and are placed on the same lot or parcel with a permitted use, and meet the requirements of Section 17.12.045-046 Accessory buildings.

F.

The use of up to one shipping container as an accessory building. Review and approval by the director of planning for conformance with Section 17.12.045 is required if the use exceeds ninety days or the period of an active building permit for the principal use on the premises.

G.

Other similar uses which are determined by the board to be consistent with the uses permitted within the zone, after considering a recommendation on the use by the planning commission.

(Ord. No. 18-280, § II, 2-6-2018)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 18-280, § II, adopted February 6, 2018, amended 17.15.020 in its entirety to read as herein set out. Former 17.15.020, pertained to allowed and permitted uses, and derived from Ord. No. 12-244, § I, 12-4-2012.

The following uses require a special use permit:

A.

Airports, airstrips, and related facilities.

B.

Helipads and heliports used for non-emergency evacuation, sheriff and government uses.

C.

Cemeteries, columbariums, crematories, mausoleums, mortuaries, and funeral parlors.

D.

Childcare facilities exceeding 4 children.

E.

Health care facilities and uses, which include civic convalescent and group care services. Civic convalescent care services are not be allowed within one thousand five hundred feet of a residential use and two thousand five hundred feet of a public or private school or daycare.

F.

Halfway houses. Halfway houses are prohibited within one thousand five hundred feet of CR, R, and E zones and two thousand five hundred feet of a public or private school or daycare.

G.

Education facilities which include student residential and boarding accommodations.

H.

County jails.

I.

Solid waste recycling collection center.

J.

Solid waste transfer station.

K.

Solid waste collection center.

L.

Permanent outdoor skateboard parks and related facilities.

M.

Outdoor veterinarian services and shelters for small and large animals.

N.

Zoos, animal theme and amusement parks, and other maintenance, display, or possession of one or more wild animals.

O.

The keeping of five or more dogs or three or more pot-belly pigs more than twelve weeks of age. A minimum of ten acres is required.

P.

Use involving outdoor discharge of firearms.

Q.

Natural resources river restoration regulated under Section 17.12.100.

R.

Sewage treatment plants and facilities and other sewage or sludge processing, treatment, or storage.

S.

Hospital services.

T.

The use of two or more shipping containers as accessory buildings exceeding ninety days or the period of an active building permit for the principal use on the premises.

(Ord. No. 12-244, § I, 12-4-2012; Ord. No. 18-280, § II, 2-6-2018)

A building, manufactured building, manufactured home, or structure may not exceed a height of three stories or forty-five feet, whichever is higher, except as may be allowed by a variance. The requirements of this section do not apply to church spires, belfries, cupolas, domes, chimneys, grain silos, water towers, or flagpoles. Radio, television, other communication antenna, and wind energy turbine support structures are regulated pursuant to Section 17.12.044 Height of Buildings and Structures.

(Ord. No. 12-244, § I, 12-4-2012)

Unless otherwise stated in this section, the distance between the principal building and the property line must be in accordance with the setback requirements in the abutting regulatory zone. Setbacks for accessory buildings must meet the provisions under Section 17.12.045. Setbacks are from the property line except when an encroaching easement exists for the purpose of providing a public or private road, but not driveway (see Section 17.12.090 for explanation and illustration). Distance requirements are as follows:

(Ord. No. 12-244, § I, 12-4-2012; Ord. No. 18-280, § II, 2-6-2018; Ord. No. 20-314, § 4, 2-2-2021)