How to Find Nevada Court Records (2026)

In person. Nevada has no statewide process; go to the clerk of the specific court that heard the case. In most counties that is the county clerk's office, acting as clerk of the district court; in Clark and Washoe Counties it is a separate Clerk of the Court office. Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate filing year. Public terminals for the case index are common but not universal.

By mail. Every clerk accepts mailed requests. Include:

• the case number, or full party names and the year filed;
• exactly which document you need (for example, "the divorce decree" or "the judgment");
• whether you need a plain or certified copy; and
• payment, or a request for a fee quote, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the copy mailed back.

Statewide, district-court copy fees are set by NRS 19.013: $0.50 per page for a plain copy and $3.00 per certificate for a certified copy. Justice and municipal courts are not bound by that statute and may set their own local fee schedule, so confirm the amount with the specific court before sending payment.

Online. Only some counties publish case information or documents online, and coverage varies widely. Clark County's Eighth Judicial District Court and Washoe County's Second Judicial District Court have the most complete online case search in the state. Smaller counties, such as Lyon, often have no online case search at all — call or visit the clerk's office instead.

Records older than the online index. Most counties' searchable online index starts around 1990. Older files are on paper or microfilm at the clerk's office, and the clerk may charge a per-name or per-year search fee to locate them.

Nevada court records are presumed open, but the following are removed from public search:

• Sealed records after conviction. Under NRS 179.245, a person may petition the court where they were convicted to seal the record once a waiting period tied to the offense category has passed — for example, 7 years after a gross misdemeanor, or up to 15 years after a category A or B felony. NRS 179.255 describes the legal effect of a sealing order.
• Records sealed after an arrest without conviction. A separate, generally faster process under NRS Chapter 179 applies when charges were dismissed, resulted in acquittal, or were never filed.
• Juvenile records. Records of juvenile court proceedings are confidential under Nevada law, with narrow statutory exceptions.
• Protective-order and certain family-law records. Access to protective orders and some sensitive family-court filings is restricted by statute and by court rule.

Nevada's judicial branch has taken the position that the Nevada Public Records Act (NRS Chapter 239) does not apply to the courts as a "governmental entity," because the judiciary is a separate branch of government. Access to case records is instead governed by court rules, the common-law right of access, and the specific sealing statutes above — requests go to the clerk of the court that has the file, not through a public-records request to an executive-branch agency.