Milled in Chico, California
Log Home Kits in Nevada
Sierra Log & Timber mills red cedar log home packages in Chico, California, and ships them directly to jobsites across the continental United States, Nevada included. A Nevada build has one code question to settle before the plans are drawn: the snow load the county or city publishes for the site, which several Nevada building departments print as a table by elevation.
Checked 11 November 2026
How a package reaches a Nevada site
Sierra ships complete building material packages directly to jobsites across the continental United States, Nevada included, by direct-to-parcel freight delivery from the mill in Chico, California.
A package is not a rigid precut kit. Sierra's Smart Cut™ system pairs panel layout drawings with timbers labeled with exact lengths and notch locations, so the builder gets factory accuracy and the flexibility to adapt on the ground.
Every component is engineered in the Sierra facility before it ships, and the builder receives a complete, labeled shell package.
It is a type of precut… but different. The concept was built around builder speed, limiting butt joints, increased log efficiency and the ability to stage “just in time” trucks.
What Nevada building departments publish about snow load
The roof, the spans and the log sizes are designed to the snow load for the site, and that load comes from the rule in force where the house is built, not from the mill. The table lists what each Nevada rule on file says, in its publisher's own words, with the page it was read from and the date it was read.
The rules on file are county and city rules, Carson City's among the county rules. Where a department publishes a table by elevation, the row here gives the table's first and last figures and the source link opens the whole table.
City rules are listed after the county rules, each marked with the town it applies inside. Where a department sets the load site by site, the parcel's figure comes from that department.
| Where | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Carson City | Carson City Building Division publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 43 psf at 4,500 ft to 43 psf at 5,000 ft. Above 5,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “West of U.S. 395, Eastern Sierra Slope, Carson City, Reno, Washoe County*, Douglas County ... | East of U.S. 395 for Carson City, Reno, Sparks ... | 5000 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52” | 2024 Northern Nevada Code Amendments (hosted by Washoe County Building)Read 2 November 2026 |
| Clark County | Clark County Department of Building & Fire Prevention publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: 5 psf below 1,600 ft, rising to 20 psf at 3,500 ft. Above 3,900 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “|GROUND SNOW||WIND DESIGN| ... |5 < 1600’|98| ... |10 < 2700’|98| ... |15 < 3500’|98| ... |20 < 3900’|98| ... |IBC for Elevations > 3900’|IBC|” | Southern Nevada Amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code (SNBO, hosted by City of Henderson)Read 2 November 2026 |
| Douglas County | Douglas County Community Development (Building) does not publish one figure for every site; ask the building department for your parcel. In its words: “Adopted Building Codes: 2024 Northern Nevada Code Amendments ... Ground Snow Load: See snow load table-Appendix B - (ASCE7 Design Reduction allowed)” | Building Codes and Design Criteria - Douglas County, NevadaRead 2 November 2026 |
| Lyon County | Lyon County Community Development Department – Building publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 15 psf at 4,500 ft to 203 psf at 10,000 ft. Above 10,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “TABLE 1608.2.1 GROUND SNOW LOADS, Pg, FOR NORTHERN NEVADA LOCATIONS 1,2,3 | Elevation (ft) | Lyon County Pg (lbs/ft2) Risk Category I | ... II | ... | 4500 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 18 | | 5000 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | ... 3. Intermediate values may be interpolated by proportion” | Building Information and Design Criteria (2024) – Lyon County, NVRead 4 November 2026 |
| Storey County | Storey County Building Department publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 20 psf at 4,500 ft to 129 psf at 7,000 ft. Above 8,500 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “| GROUND SNOW LOAD (psf) Risk Category | Elevation 4,500-4,999 | Elevation 5,000-5,499 | Elevation 5,500-5,999 | Elevation 6,000-6,499 | Elevation 6,500-6,999 | Elevation 7,000-8,500 | ... | II | 20 | 20 | 50 | 70 | 90 | 129 |” | Storey County 2024 Building / Design RequirementsRead 4 November 2026 |
| Washoe County | Washoe County Building Program publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 43 psf at 4,500 ft to 43 psf at 5,000 ft. Above 5,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “| 4500 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | ... | 5000 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | ... Table 1608.2.1 refers to the old Hwy 395” | Design Requirements - Washoe CountyRead 2 November 2026 |
| Inside Ely, White Pine County | City of Ely Building Department does not publish one figure for every site; ask the building department for your parcel. In its words: “Snow load varies and the building department will verify the snow load once we receive your application and determine snow load based on case study for your altitude.” | Building Department and Building Codes City of ElyRead 2 November 2026 |
| Inside Incline Village, Washoe County | Washoe County Building Program (Lake Tahoe Basin) publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 315 psf at 6,000 ft to 600 psf at 10,000 ft. Above 10,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “Lake Tahoe Basin Risk Category ... | 6000 | ... | 252 | 315 | 346 | 378 | ... | 10000 | ... | 480 | 600 | 660 | 720 | ... Most projects including all Residential Projects fall under Risk Category II.” | Design Requirements - Washoe CountyRead 2 November 2026 |
| Inside Reno, Washoe County | City of Reno Building and Safety publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 43 psf at 4,500 ft to 43 psf at 5,000 ft. Above 5,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “The snow loads for elevations above 4500 feet shall be taken from Table 1608.2.1. ... West of U.S. 395, Eastern Sierra Slope, Carson City, Reno, Washoe County ... | 4500 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 52” | 2024 Northern Nevada Code Amendments (hosted by Washoe County Building)Read 2 November 2026 |
| Inside Sparks, Washoe County | City of Sparks Building & Safety publishes a ground snow load table by elevation: from 43 psf at 4,500 ft to 203 psf at 10,000 ft. Above 10,000 ft it gives no figure. In its words: “East of U.S. 395 for Carson City, Reno, Sparks, Washoe County*, Douglas County and East of S.R. 88 ... | 5100 | ... | 36 | 45 | 49 | 54 | ... Intermediate values may be determined by interpolation” | 2024 Northern Nevada Code Amendments (hosted by Washoe County Building)Read 2 November 2026 |
Who issues the permit, and how long it takes
Under NRS 278.580 the governing body of any city or county may adopt a building code and rules, ordinances and regulations to enforce it, and may fix a reasonable schedule of fees for the issuance of building permits.
Before the plans are drawn, ask the department that issues the permit what snow load it requires for the site.
This is very open ended due to a lot of factors: terrain, design and complexity and the state you are building in. So on a fast track, you can design and build within 6 months if you are not in California or states like this that have heavy permit processes. California and other heavy permit states take approx. 4-6 months to design, engineer and get a permit (and sometimes longer due to the permit process). Once that is done, the average length of time of the build is 6-12 months depending on the builder, the location and the design complexity. Yes it can take longer than that in heavy snow areas and/or areas with really extreme land developments that have to take place to build. Of course, an owner builder can take forever to build any home. Outside of California is approximately the same for building but much faster for the design to permit process.
Nevada county pages
Each link opens that county's page in the Sierra Log & Timber resources directory.