1. Any county or city may establish a historic district, the boundaries of which do not include the Comstock Historic District, for the purpose of promoting the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the preservation, maintenance and protection of structures, sites and areas of historic interest and scenic beauty.

2. Before establishing any historic district, the board of county commissioners of a county or the governing body of a city shall hold a public hearing after giving notice of the time and the place of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in that county or city. The notice must be published once a week for 3 consecutive weeks and include the purpose of the hearing and the boundaries of the proposed district. At the hearing any person may appear in support of or in opposition to the establishment of the proposed district.

3. Within 15 days after the hearing, the board or governing body shall:

(a) Establish the historic district and fix its boundaries; or

(b) Determine not to establish the historic district.

4. If the historic district is established, the board or governing body may adopt any ordinances it determines are in the best interest of the historic district in accordance with the purposes expressed in subsection 1. An ordinance establishing a historic district must:

(a) Contain criteria which substantially achieve the preservation and rehabilitation of buildings of historic significance to the district; and

(b) Provide for a designated review board with the power to review proposed alterations to structures within the district.

5. This section is not intended to discourage the exploration, development or extraction of mineral resources.

(Added to NRS by 1979, 643; A 1989, 22)