Sev Carlson

A native Nevadan, Severin (“Sev”) Carlson is a Partner in the Firm and focuses his practice on administrative law, regulatory matters, government affairs and related litigation. He is also experienced in election law and initiative petitions. Sev provides legal counsel to a wide variety of clients concerning water rights, real estate, land use and zoning, environmental, utility, as well as permitting and licensing issues.

Sev regularly represents developers before local governments in Northern Nevada on various land use entitlement matters, including zoning changes, master plan amendments, annexations, special use permits, development handbooks and agreements, on and off premises signage, and related matters as well as on local privileged licensing applications. Sev regularly appears before governing bodies in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Washoe County, Douglas County, and a number of rural Nevada counties.

Sev represents clients concerning privileged licensing issues, including gaming matters before the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission, as well as liquor licensing at the state and local level for craft distillers and retailers such as taverns and grocery stores.

Sev also routinely represents and advises clients concerning various water rights issues, including the appropriation of water rights for a variety of beneficial uses, the purchase and sale of water rights, related due diligence, and regulatory matters before the Nevada Division of Water Resources. He also advises clients with respect to various regulatory matters before the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, including the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. In 2020, after nearly a decade of protracted administrative proceedings and appeals, Sev and his co-counsel successfully represented a Nevada ranch in opposing the largest inter-basin water transfer application in Nevada history. In 2018, Sev represented a group of business owners in Clark County successfully challenging a smoking-ban initiative petition in the Eighth Judicial District Court.