How to search Nevada court records

Nevada has no statewide trial-court search at all. Each county runs its own independent case-management system, so finding a record means first identifying the right county, then searching that county's own portal. Cost varies by record type — some searches are free, others require a paid account or a formal records request.

county by county varies criminal data

Open the official Nevada portal →

What's actually there

No statewide trial-court search. Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno) cover most of the population.

Other official lookups for Nevada

How Nevada's courts are organized

Nevada's trial courts are organized into 11 judicial districts that together serve all 17 counties. District courts are the general trial courts: felonies, family cases such as divorce, custody, guardianship and adoption, and civil disputes over $15,000. Justice courts sit at the county or township level and handle misdemeanors, small claims up to $15,000, evictions, protection orders and preliminary hearings in felony cases. Municipal courts handle city ordinance and misdemeanor cases inside city limits; the judiciary counts 17 of them, and some cities rely on the local justice court instead.

Above the trial courts are the Nevada Court of Appeals, a three-judge court that began hearing cases in January 2015 and takes cases assigned to it by the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court of Nevada. The state judiciary runs an online case search only for these two appellate courts. Trial court records are kept and published by each district, justice or municipal court on its own.

Using the official online searches

There is no single statewide search for trial court cases. The appellate courts' public case portal lets you look up Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases and their docket entries. For everything else you have to know which county the case was in and use that court's system.

Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno) have the largest online systems. The Clark County courts portal covers the Eighth Judicial District Court, and the clerk says most records from 1990 to the present can be searched online. Las Vegas Justice Court has its own civil and criminal case search run by Clark County. In Washoe County, the Second Judicial District Court's case information site lets you search by name and view available case information. A few smaller courts use the state's eServices system for case inquiry and online payment of fines.

Sealed civil and criminal cases need a court order before any information is released.
In Clark County, sealed family (domestic) records are open only to attorneys of record and parties with ID; adoption files need a court order.
Clark County records before 1990 must be searched by the clerk, and records before 1909 are held by Lincoln County.
Rural justice and municipal courts often have no online search at all; call the court.

Getting copies and certified copies

Ask the clerk of the court that handled the case. In Clark County, the District Court Clerk's Records Division charges 50 cents per page for copies, $3 more per document to certify, and $6 more to exemplify. If you bring your own copy, certification is $5 and exemplification $9. Copy requests go on the clerk's request form by email or mail to the Clerk of Court, Attn: Records, 200 East Lewis Avenue, Las Vegas, and large or microfilm requests can take up to two weeks. Searches of pre-1990 records cost 50 cents per year per name. You need a case number, or the full party names and the year filed.

In Washoe County, the Second Judicial District Court's Resource Center takes copy requests in person or by mail with a money order or cashier's check, a copy request form and a stamped return envelope. Its posted rate is 50 cents per page and $3 per certified document, with certified divorce decrees at a flat $6. A filing fee waiver does not cover copies. Other courts set their own procedures under state fee law.

Records that are not public

Nevada calls its record clearing process sealing. Under NRS 179.245, a person may petition the court that convicted them once a waiting period has passed after release from custody or discharge from parole or probation: 10 years for a category A felony, a crime of violence or residential burglary; 5 years for category B, C or D felonies; 2 years for a category E felony or a gross misdemeanor; 7 years for a non-felony DUI or domestic battery; 2 years for certain misdemeanor battery, harassment, stalking and protection order violations; and 1 year for other misdemeanors. The petition must include the person's verified record from the state Central Repository. NRS 179.255 covers sealing after a dismissal, a declined prosecution or an acquittal, and NRS 179.2445 creates a presumption in favor of sealing when the statutory requirements are met.

Once a record is sealed, the proceedings are treated as though they never happened, and only limited inspection is allowed by court order. This is a description of the law, not legal advice; talk to a lawyer or use the Nevada courts' self-help site to find forms and help centers.

Nevada tip: find the right court first

Because each court runs its own records, the first job is working out which court had the case. The judiciary's self-help site has a Find My Court tool that sorts by county and case type. A felony usually starts in a justice court for the preliminary hearing and then moves to district court under a new case number, so you may need to search both courts. For state prison records, the Nevada Department of Corrections offender search is a separate system from the courts.

Sources

Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.

Federal cases filed in Nevada

State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.

Search tips

Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free to search Nevada court records online?

It depends on what you're looking for. Some record types on Nevada's portal are free; others require payment or a formal request.

Does this include criminal records?

Yes. Nevada's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.

Does one search cover the whole state?

No single search. Nevada has no statewide index — you need to find the right county first, then search that county's own system.

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