1. Any person interested may, within 30 days after the date of last publication of the notice of application, file with the State Engineer a written protest against the granting of the application, setting forth with reasonable certainty the grounds of such protest, which, except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, must be verified by the affidavit of the protestant, or an agent or attorney thereof.

2. If the application is for a permit to change the place of diversion, manner of use or place of use of water already appropriated within the same basin, a protest filed against the granting of such an application by a government, governmental agency or political subdivision of a government must be verified by the affidavit of:

(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), the director, administrator, chief, head or other person in charge of the government, governmental agency or political subdivision; or

(b) If the governmental agency or political subdivision is a division or other part of a department, the director or other person in charge of that department in this State, including, without limitation:

(1) The Regional Forester for the Intermountain Region, if the protest is filed by the United States Forest Service;

(2) The State Director of the Nevada State Office of the Bureau of Land Management, if the protest is filed by the Bureau of Land Management;

(3) The Regional Director of the Pacific Southwest Region, if the protest is filed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;

(4) The Regional Director of the Pacific West Region, if the protest is filed by the National Park Service;

(5) The Director of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, if the protest is filed by any division of that Department; or

(6) The chair of the board of county commissioners, if the protest is filed by a county.

3. On receipt of a protest that complies with the requirements of subsection 1 or 2, the State Engineer shall advise the applicant whose application has been protested of the fact that the protest has been filed with the State Engineer, which advice must be sent by certified mail.

4. The State Engineer shall consider the protest, and may, in his or her discretion, hold hearings and require the filing of such evidence as the State Engineer may deem necessary to a full understanding of the rights involved. The State Engineer shall give notice of the hearing by certified mail to both the applicant and the protestant. The notice must state the time and place at which the hearing is to be held and must be mailed at least 15 days before the date set for the hearing.

5. Each applicant and each protestant shall, in accordance with a schedule established by the State Engineer, provide to the State Engineer and to each protestant and each applicant information required by the State Engineer relating to the application or protest.

6. If the State Engineer holds a hearing pursuant to subsection 4, the State Engineer shall render a decision on each application not later than 240 days after the later of:

(a) The date all transcripts of the hearing become available to the State Engineer; or

(b) The date specified by the State Engineer for the filing of any additional information, evidence, studies or compilations requested by the State Engineer. The State Engineer may, for good cause shown, extend any applicable period.

7. The State Engineer shall adopt rules of practice regarding the conduct of a hearing held pursuant to subsection 4. The rules of practice must be adopted in accordance with the provisions of NRS 233B.040 to 233B.120, inclusive, and codified in the Nevada Administrative Code. The technical rules of evidence do not apply at such a hearing.

[62:140:1913; A 1951, 132] — (NRS A 1967, 192; 1993, 2081; 2007, 2016; 2011, 757, 3505)