An ordinance restricting livestock ownership in Lyon County could be adjusted, allowing some property owners to have horses, goats or other large animals on their land legally.
A county ordinance requires a net acre, or an acre of property excluding any right-of-ways, to own livestock.
This has left some who have .97 of an acre, because a road or utility right-of-way goes through their property, either in violation of the law if they had livestock, or unable to have the animals they wanted.
The ordinance could be changed to allow livestock on a gross acre, or an acre of property that includes right-of-ways, after a public hearing today before the commission.
Lyon County senior planner Paul Esswein said the rule change would help those homeowners who have allowed right-of-ways on their property, but doing so cost them the net acreage required for livestock.
"In a court case not too long ago the county was told that the requirement that you have one net acre when a person has .97 of an acre, that it was ridiculous to deny them the right to have that animal," he said.
He said he was not concerned about people having more animals than their land can sustain because those who have many animals tend to have more than one acre.
He also said there was no limit to the number of livestock animals a property owner may own.
- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.