Nevadans have long prided themselves on wide-open spaces, but questions about who gets to use them continue to spark debate. With more than 87 percent of the state managed by federal agencies, conflicts arise when private property owners fence or gate roads that lead to public land.
The issue was underscored recently by the case of Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape (2025), which reaffirmed protections for historic access routes. Similar disputes have played out in counties like Elko and Eureka, where officials have mapped and defended rights-of-way established before 1976 under a federal statute known as RS2477.
Laws on the books are clear. The federal Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885 prohibits fencing private land in ways that obstruct public access, and a 1897 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Camfield v. United States, upheld that principle. In Nevada, Senate Bill 316, passed in 2019, made it a misdemeanor to block public roads with locked gates. First-time offenders face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Despite these measures, locked gates remain a frustration for hunters, ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Advocates say landowners sometimes face little consequence, effectively taking control of public resources. Some rural district attorneys have begun sending letters ordering gates opened, and state law allows citizens themselves to remove illegal barriers deemed a public nuisance.
State Sen. Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, has been one of the most vocal advocates for public access. Hansen, who has served District 14 (from Elko (Part), Eureka (Part), Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, Washoe (Part) counties) since 2018, has written extensively about the issue and recently released a free online guide titled Your Access Rights on Public Land: A Practical Legal Guide. He argues that enforcing existing laws is the key to keeping Nevada’s outdoors open to everyone. A lifelong outdoorsman, he is a member of Nevada Bighorns Unlimited and several historical societies. Hansen and his wife, Alexis, who represents Pershing County in the Nevada Assembly District 32, raised eight children in northern Nevada and now have 24 grandchildren.
Whether through court rulings, new enforcement, or grassroots pressure, public land advocates say the momentum is building. “Our public lands belong to all Nevadans,” Hansen said. “Not just a privileged few.”
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