Nevada Court Records Search

Nevada Court Records & Case Lookup

The Nevada government keeps up with its commitment to transparency in its operations and decisions by making the records of its judicial system available to the public. Records of the Nevada judicial system are generally open to the public in compliance with the state's open record laws.

Making court records accessible not only promotes judicial accountability but it supports legal research that may be undertaken by researchers, attorneys, and scholars in understanding precedents and case outcomes. It also assists in background checks as employers, landlords, and other entities assess a person's background.

While the state does not generally provide online access to records of its trial courts, it has a case information system for records of its appellate courts. Persons who want access to court records may visit the various courthouses in the state to submit a request at the office of the court clerk.

While the majority of the about 350,000 cases handled annually in the Nevada judicial system are open to the public, state law allows some records to be sealed or redacted. Common examples of publicly inaccessible records in the Nevada judicial system include adoption records, identities of domestic violence victims, and juvenile records.

State of Nevada Court System

The court system in Nevada is the core of the state's judicial branch. It comprises the supreme court, district courts, justice courts, and municipal courts in a three-tiered structure. The chief justice of the Supreme Court is the administrative head of the Nevada court system with the authority to assign district judges to assist in other judicial districts or to special functions.

The Nevada Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction in all civil cases originating from the district courts and in questions of law in criminal cases within the original jurisdiction of the district court. The Supreme Court does not conduct fact-finding trials but determines if procedural or legal errors occurred in a case. The Court of Appeals is assigned to handle a third of all cases appealed to the Supreme Court.

Nevada Trial Courts

Nevada trial courts are divided into courts of general jurisdiction and courts of limited jurisdiction. The district courts are the courts of general jurisdiction while the justice courts and the municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction.

District Courts in Nevada

Nevada district courts have general jurisdiction over all legal disputes as civil (involving more than $15,000), criminal, family, and juvenile issues are typically resolved in the courts through arbitration, mediation, and bench or jury trials. Appeals of the decisions of Nevada district courts are made to the Supreme Court.

Justice Courts in Nevada

The justice courts in Nevada hear preliminary felony and gross misdemeanor matters, misdemeanor and traffic cases, evictions, small claims matters, and civil matters in which the amount in dispute is up to $15,000.

Municipal Courts in Nevada

Municipal courts handle cases relating to violations of traffic and misdemeanor ordinances occurring within the limits of the city or incorporated municipalities where the courts are located. These courts handle proceedings to abate a nuisance within a municipality, actions for collection of city taxes, or assessments up to $2,500.

What are the Specialty Courts in Nevada?

Nevada specialty courts are problem-solving initiatives established to address the root causes of criminal activities by harmonizing the efforts of law enforcement, prosecution, defense bar, probation, treatment, judiciary, social services, mental health, and child protection services. These courts target non-violent offenders with substance abuse or mental health issues.

Nevada specialty courts aim to support participants in achieving total abstinence from drugs and alcohol, by promoting accountability and teaching the participants to be productive and law-abiding.

Currently, Nevada has 65 specialty court programs, including:

• 21 Adult drug courts
• 9 DUI courts
• 6 Veterans' treatment court
• 6 Mental health courts
• 4 Family treatment courts
• 4 Juvenile drug courts
• 4 Community courts
• 3 Habitual offender courts
• 2 medication-assisted treatment courts
• 2 Co-occurring disorders courts
• 2 Prison re-entry courts
• 1 Trauma court
• 1 Gambling diversion treatment courts

Nevada State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

Nevada state court records are court records created or filed within the Nevada state judicial system. These records include documents and information related to cases filed in the trial and appellate courts in the state courts.

Federal court records in Nevada are documents relating to cases handled under the jurisdiction of the federal court in the state. The only federal court in the state is the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. While state courts handle matters relating to the violations of Nevada state laws, the federal court in Nevada handles cases involving the violation of federal laws.

State court records may be obtained from court clerk offices while case information for state court records is available online via a Nevada judicial system portal. Federal court records are available online via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

What Are Public and Non-Public Court Records in Nevada?

Most court records are public records in Nevada under the Nevada Public Records Act. However, if an entire record has been ordered sealed by a court, it will be categorized as non-public and therefore not accessible to the public. Some parts of a record may also be redacted to maintain the privacy rights of the persons named on the record.

The table below includes more information on public and non-public court records in Nevada:

How To Seal or Expunge Nevada Court Records

Nevada only permits sealing court records but not expungement. While expungement completely erases the record, sealing makes the record inaccessible to the public. Sealing means that a record is hidden from the view of most persons, including employers and landlords. It keeps the record private so that the subject of the record may legally say that the record does not exist. Nevada's sealing statute is codified under Section 179.245 of the Nevada Revised Statutes.

Sealing a record in Nevada is obtained by talking to the court where the criminal issue was originally managed, to handle the sealing of the record. However, the petition may only be submitted after a set time period has passed after releasing custody, ending a sentence suspension, or releasing either parole or probation, whichever date is the latest. The typical statute of limitations is:

• Misdemeanors
  • General misdemeanors: Eligible for sealing 1 year after release or sentence completion. whichever comes later
  • Specific misdemeanors: Stalking, harassment, battery, or the violation against protective orders: within 2 years after release or sentence completion, whichever comes later
  • Misdemeanor, lying on your application for Medicaid or Battery domestic violence, as well as a DUI misdemeanor: 7 years after release or sentence completion, whichever is later of the two
  • Gross Misdemeanors: Eligible for sealing 2 years after release or sentence completion, whichever is later
• Felonies
  • Category E felony charges: Meet sealing eligibility once two years have passed after jail release, or when discharged from either probation or parole. The latest option is applicable legally.
  • Category B to D felonies: Can be legally sealed after five years pass after prison release, or once parole or probation has been finalized. The latest option is applicable here.
  • Category A felonies, crimes of violence, or residential burglary: Eligible for sealing 10 years after release or discharge from parole or probation, whichever is later.

Note that criminal actions are ineligible for sealing in Nevada. Such acts include:

• Sexual offenses
• Felony DUI
• Vehicular homicide while intoxicated
• Home invasion using any deadly weapon
• Crimes against children

Due to the complexities of confirming your eligibility for sealing and successfully petitioning for the sealing order in Nevada, it is recommended that you hire the services of an experienced Nevada sealing attorney before filing a petition for sealing.

How To Seal Court Records in Nevada

Once you verify that you are eligible to seal your record in Nevada, you may follow these steps to complete the sealing petitioning process:

• Get a Copy of Your Criminal History Report: Contact the Central Repository of the Nevada Department of Public Safety to ask for a copy of your criminal history record. Provide the reason for asking the record as "for the purpose of sealing records". The criminal history record may help you in filling the petition form accurately. The Nevada Criminal History Central Repository is located at:

  Department of Public Safety

  Records and Identification Bureau

  333 Nye Lane, Suite 100

  Carson City NV 89706

  Telephone: (775) 684-6262

• Prepare the record sealing petition: Prepare a sealing petition, affidavit, and order. You may contact the clerk of the court to obtain the templates for this documentation. For instance, the Clark County clerk of court provides a sample petition, affidavit, and order for the district court, and another set of samples for the justice court.

  Note that these documents must be typed and not handwritten. In the document, you must provide information on all your arrests, the law enforcement agencies that arrested you, the date of the arrests, the criminal charges, and the final disposition of each arrest (dismissal, acquittal, or conviction).

  If the criminal history report you obtained does not include the final disposition, you must get documentation of the final disposition from either the arresting law enforcement agency or the court where the case was filed. The sealing petition or order must list all the agencies with copies of your criminal record, such as the District Attorney, local police department, and the Nevada Department of Public Safety Records Bureau. Sign and date the sealing petition, affidavit, and order. Also, make copies of each document

• Submit Documentation to the District Attorney's Office: Submit the record (self-deliver or by mail) sealing petition, affidavit, and order to the office of the District Attorney. You should include a self-addressed envelope and a postage fee for the documents to be mailed back to you.
• Submit Documentation to the Court: Once the District Attorney's office mails back a signed sealing order, take all paperwork to the office of the court clerk. Since the prosecutor already signed off on the petition, the judge will likely agree to sign the sealing order. Upon signing the order, the clerk's office will return the forms to you. After, you must distribute the signed copies of the sealing orders to all agencies with copies of your criminal record. Only then are the agencies obligated to remove your record from their databases

How Do You Access State of Nevada Court Records?

The Nevada judiciary does not provide a public portal to search trial court records statewide. However, the judiciary provides an online system to search case information for records of the appellate courts. Other means by which Nevada court records may be accessed include online third-party sites and visits to the offices of the clerks of the state's trial courts.

Online Access to Nevada Court Records

You may access an appellate court case information lookup resource via its Find a Case tool. This case information lookup resource allows users to search case information by party name and case docket. Using the resource, you may perform a:

• Case Search: Enter the five-digit case number in the search field and click the "search" button. Additionally, you may search by caption and provide the last name or company organization name of the appellant or respondents
• Participant Search: Provide the last name organization or company name of the appellant and click on the "search" button. Also, you may enter a first and middle name to refine the search

Note that Nevada district court case information is not generally available online. However, the Eighth Judicial District Court provides a smart search tool to search and view case records. You may visit the website of the smart search tool to perform a search by entering a record number or the name (name, first, or middle) of a party to the case. The advanced search feature of the website allows users to filter search results by citation number, attorney bar number, cross-reference number, attorney name, and judicial officer.

In-Person Access to State of Nevada Court Records

To access actual court records in Nevada, you must visit the courthouse where the case was heard. You must submit a request to the clerk of the court in the courthouse to obtain the record. There may be a fee to obtain the record from the courthouse.

Additionally, many courthouses have public access terminals that visitors may use to inspect or view records of the court in that courthouse. Viewing court records on these terminals is typically free.

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

Judicial administrative records in Nevada may be in the custody of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) or the office of the court clerk where the record was created. Requests for and access to, Nevada judicial administrative records under the custody of the AOC are managed by the AOC's Policy on Public Access to Administrative Records.

To request a judicial administrative record in the control of the AOC, submit a completed Application for Access to Administrative Records to:

Note that the submitted request must come with sufficient information to identify the public record being sought. Once the AOC receives a record request, it has up to five judicial days total to acknowledge the request. However, AOC staff might contact you to gather more information to improve the odds of a successful search. Once the request is acknowledged, more time might be demanded to process a request. All requested records will be given electronically, if at all possible.

Note that before processing the request, an estimate covering any charges may be given and prepayment is required. Typical costs for any research and document preparation are:

• $20 for each hour, separated in quarter-hour intervals ($5 per 15 minutes), for the clerical staff
• $60 for each hour, segmented in quarter-hour intervals ($15 per 15 minute), for the professional staff members to review if it is necessary
• Pass-through charges are given if any outside organization is required to meet your requests.
• Hard copies: come at a cost of $0.50 for each page
• Postage: The actual, or any pass-through, postage and packaging.

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Nevada

If the court record you seek is not available online, you may contact the clerk of the court where the case was filed as clerks manage case files and typically maintain a section for archived records.

Also, older physical court records may be stored in the Nevada State Archives. The Nevada State Archives research room is open Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., excluding state holidays. To contact the State Archives, visit the Ask an Archivist page of the agency's website or call (775) 684-3310.