Nevada has a housing problem. And Governor Joe Lombardo says he knows exactly where a big piece of the fix is stuck: Washington, D.C.
On July 14, Lombardo sent a letter to the top leaders of the U.S. Senate and House committees that handle public lands. His message was simple.
Nevada has nearly 10 land bills sitting in Congress, some for almost a decade, and it's time to move them forward.
Why This Matters So Much In Nevada
Here's something that surprises a lot of people who move here. More than 80 percent of Nevada's land is owned and controlled by the federal government. That's not a typo. Less than one out of every five acres in our state is privately owned.
Think about what that means for a family trying to buy a house. In most states, if a city runs out of room, builders just buy land next door and start building.
In Nevada, “next door” is often a chunk of desert owned by Washington. And unlocking that land usually means waiting on federal permission that can take years.
Lombardo laid out the cost of that wait in blunt terms. The median home price has recently reached $670,000 in Reno and $490,000 in Las Vegas. And the clock is ticking. Washoe County is estimated to run out of developable land by 2027, and Clark County by 2032.
That's Reno next year. That's Las Vegas in six years.
A Governor Trying To Cut Through Red Tape
For conservatives, this story hits close to home. It's about a basic belief that government shouldn't stand between a family and a place to live. Lombardo's letter makes that case without a lot of fuss.
He pointed out that federal law already allows land sales and exchanges, but in practice the process favors exchanges over selling land outright. In other words, the rules exist. They're just not being used the way they should be.
“To be clear, I recognize the importance and value of retaining public lands, but there must also be reasonable, predictable, and efficient processes for land disposal under appropriate circumstances,” Lombardo wrote.
He added that Nevada's congressional delegation has brought “community-driven, community-specific, and Nevada-led solutions to Congress,” and he urged lawmakers to help get those bills to President Trump's desk.
That last part matters. This isn't a fight between conservation and growth. Lombardo is asking for both. He wants land protected where it should be protected, and freed up where it can help Nevada families buy a home, build a school, or bring in a new employer.
I’m calling on Congress to pass bipartisan Nevada lands legislation.
With over 85% of Nevada's land managed federally, unlocking it is crucial to addressing our housing challenges and creating opportunities for communities across the state.https://t.co/pz7iZlnVid
— Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) July 20, 2026
What Happens Next
These lands bills need Congress to act. That means the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the very committees Lombardo wrote to, have to schedule votes and move legislation forward.
Existing law, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, already gives federal agencies the tools to do this. What's missing is the will to use them faster.
Lombardo also pointed to what his administration has already done at the state level. He signed the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, cut red tape to speed up building, and struck a data-sharing deal with the Bureau of Land Management to identify land that's ready for release.
What Conservatives Can Do
If you're tired of hearing that Nevada can't build enough homes because Washington owns the land, this is the moment to say something.
Nevada's congressional delegation needs to hear from voters that these bills matter. A call or an email to your senator or House member, urging them to support the Nevada lands bills sitting in committee, adds real pressure.
Local chambers of commerce and homebuilders associations are also tracking this issue closely and welcome public support.
Nevada didn't create this housing shortage on its own. A big part of it was built into the map before most of us got here. Fixing it means asking Washington to finally let go of a little more land, carefully and responsibly, so Nevada families have somewhere to put down roots.
Read Lombardo's letter here: 2026—governor-ltr-of-support-for-nv-lands-bills-1
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
