Nevada
Buying Land in White Pine County, Nevada
White Pine County is about as remote as Nevada gets: fewer than 9,000 people across nearly 9,000 square miles, with roughly 95% of the land federally managed by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service. Private land here is a genuine minority -- and a real, already-enacted federal law has spent nearly two decades actively selling some of that federal land near Ely into private ownership. Here's what's specific to this county.
Nevada's most federally dominated county -- private land is the exception, not the rule
White Pine County covers nearly 9,000 square miles and holds fewer than 9,000 residents, and federally managed public land -- primarily BLM, with the U.S. Forest Service also holding a significant share -- has been documented at roughly 95.4% of the county's total land base, or about 5.4 million acres. That leaves only around 4.6% of the county in private ownership, an extreme concentration even relative to Nevada's already-high statewide federal share described on the state hub. In practice, this means private land here isn't spread evenly across the county -- it clusters heavily around Ely, the county seat, and a handful of other existing communities, with the vast majority of the county's land area simply not available for private purchase at all.
White Pine County and the City of Ely share a joint Regional Planning District, with zoning set out in Title 17 of the county code (current through Ordinance 549, adopted July 2025) and administered by the Regional Planning Department out of Ely. A practical wrinkle worth knowing: building permits, zoning approvals, and code enforcement inside Ely's city limits are the city's own responsibility, separate from the county -- so confirm whether a specific parcel sits inside or outside incorporated Ely before assuming which office handles it.
A real, already-enacted law that has been selling BLM land into private hands since 2006
Given how much of the county is federal, it's worth understanding one specific, documented mechanism by which private land here has actually grown: the White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-432, Title III), a federal law -- not a pending bill -- that authorized the Bureau of Land Management to dispose of up to 45,000 acres of public land in the county through competitive sale into private ownership, while simultaneously transferring some Forest Service land near Great Basin National Park to BLM management to simplify jurisdiction around the park. Sale proceeds are split under the Act: roughly 5% to the state education fund, about 10% to county law enforcement, fire protection, transportation, and natural-resource planning, and the remaining majority toward BLM land-management activities in the county.
This isn't a one-time historical footnote -- competitive sales under the Act have continued for nearly two decades, including a documented sale of roughly 1,055 acres near Ely in a more recent round, and separate BLM notices proposing further competitive sales of several hundred additional acres in the county. If a private parcel you're evaluating near Ely traces its title back to a BLM disposal, this Act is a plausible reason why that land became available at all -- and it also means additional BLM parcels near Ely could come up for competitive sale in the future. Check with the BLM Nevada office or Ely field office for the current status of any pending or completed WPCCRDA sale relevant to a parcel you're considering.
Great Basin National Park: a real neighbor, not a source of private land
Great Basin National Park, established in 1986 and covering roughly 77,000 acres around Wheeler Peak near Baker in the county's eastern reaches, is one of the least-visited national parks in the country but a genuine draw for the region's tourism economy. It is entirely federal park land administered by the National Park Service -- fundamentally different from the BLM land disposed of under the WPCCRDA, and not a source of private-sale parcels.
For a buyer looking at land near the park, the practical questions are about the surrounding community (Baker and the broader Snake Valley) rather than the park itself: confirm zoning, water availability, and access with White Pine County's Regional Planning Department directly, and don't assume proximity to a national park changes the underlying federal-versus-private status of a specific parcel one way or the other.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in White Pine County
We could not verify a phone number for a dedicated White Pine County GIS office distinct from the Assessor's parcel-lookup system (whitepinenv.devnetwedge.com) -- for parcel mapping, start with the Assessor's office listed above. For any parcel that may originate from or be subject to a current White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act sale, contact the BLM's Ely Field Office directly rather than the county, since BLM administers the disposal process.
Planning & Zoning
White Pine County Regional Planning Department
Confirming a parcel's zoning district under Title 17, permitted uses, and whether a parcel falls inside or outside incorporated City of Ely limits.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) -- Environmental Health Section
Individual sewage disposal system (septic) permits for White Pine County -- a rural county served directly by the state ISDS program.
Assessor / Property Tax
White Pine County Assessor
Current assessed value, parcel number lookup, and property tax questions.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
White Pine County Recorder
Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel, including any originating from a WPCCRDA BLM land-sale patent.
Want to know if this specific parcel actually works?
Tell us what you're looking at and we'll connect you with a local land specialist who can help you sanity-check it before you go further.
Get local guidanceTopics Specific to White Pine County
Sources
- White Pine County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act — U.S. Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-09)
- BLM approves third White Pine County CRDA land sale — U.S. Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-09)
- Notice of Realty Action: Proposed Competitive Sale in White Pine County, Nevada — Federal Register / U.S. Department of the Interior (accessed 2026-09)
- White Pine County Public Lands Policy Plan 2018 — White Pine County, Nevada Government (accessed 2026-09)
- White Pine County, NV Laws (Code of Ordinances) — American Legal Publishing / White Pine County, Nevada (accessed 2026-09)
- Great Basin National Park — Wikipedia (cross-referenced with National Park Service) (accessed 2026-09)
- White Pine County, Nevada — Wikipedia (cross-referenced with U.S. Census Bureau data) (accessed 2026-09)
- Individual Sewage Disposal Systems -- Permits — Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09