Possible, but hard and costly. Only about 5 inches of rain falls a year, so you will rely on a well or hauled water. The growing season runs about 259 frost-free days, long enough for a spring and a fall garden. The nearest roads are often dirt tracks, so plan to build or maintain your own access.
What the land says
Rain
Desert rain. Plan on a well or hauled water, and on irrigating anything you grow.
About 5 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Well depth varies a lot here. Get a local driller's quote before you offer.
Typical well depths here range from 40 feet to 700 feet
Growing season
Long enough for a spring and a fall garden.
About 259 frost-free days, USDA zone 9a; last frost about February 15, first about November 27
Sun
Strong sun. A modest solar array covers a household.
About 6.5 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps flood zones within a quarter mile in places
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low here
Storms
Hurricanes and strong tornadoes are rare here.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; no strong (EF2 or stronger) tornado within 25 miles since 1990
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 3%, about 2,170 feet above sea level
Soil
Sandy and fast-draining. Septic may need an extra treatment step, and garden beds need compost to hold water. The county's soil test decides.
Loam, excessively drained (USDA soil survey). A standard system typically runs $5,000 to $10,000
Road
Dirt tracks. Plan to build or maintain your own road.
Nearest road often a dirt track, about 0.6 miles away (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Nevada parcel, or plan the one you own
Get a free 0-100 off-grid score.
A step-by-step build plan, sizing your solar, water, garden, septic, heat, and buildings.
Is it legal here?
Zoning
Clark County zones land outside its towns and publishes its zoning map. Our free lookup shows the district for any address.
Building code
Nevada has no statewide residential building code for private homes: each city and county decides whether to adopt a building code, and where it has, its building department issues the permits. The codes the state adopts itself cover only buildings on state property.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
Water belongs to whoever claimed it first. A new well or pond may need a state permit, and a creek may already be claimed.
Depends on depth, which varies here. Get a driller's quote.
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$18,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$9,000 to $23,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $5,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$34,000 to $72,000
Before the house, plus the well
Before you make an offer on land here
Well depth
Get a local driller's depth estimate.
Typical well depths here range from 40 feet to 700 feet.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
Sandy ground drains fast, and some counties require an extra treatment step.
Road access
Confirm a recorded easement to the parcel.
The nearest roads are often dirt tracks.
Nearby counties
2,336,573 people live in Clark County, about 296.1 per square mile. It ranks 17th of the 17 Nevada counties we scored, and Nevada ranks 49th of 50 states.