Nevada Family Law

To file for divorce in Nevada, at least one spouse must generally have lived in the state for six weeks, then file either a joint petition (if both spouses agree on everything) or a complaint for divorce in the district court. Court self-help centers publish free forms for filing without a lawyer.

An uncontested Nevada divorce filed as a joint petition can be granted in a matter of weeks, because Nevada law imposes no waiting period between filing and the decree. A contested divorce typically takes months or longer, depending on how much the spouses dispute.

The cost of a Nevada divorce starts with a court filing fee set by each county's district court, which can be waived for people with low incomes. An uncontested joint petition using free self-help forms may cost little more than the filing fee, while a contested divorce with attorneys costs substantially more.

Yes. Nevada is a pure no-fault divorce state: under NRS 125.010 the only grounds are incompatibility, living separate and apart for one year, or insanity existing for two years. Marital misconduct such as adultery is not a ground for divorce and generally does not change how property is divided.

Under NRS 125.020, a Nevada court generally cannot grant a divorce unless at least one spouse has been a Nevada resident for at least six weeks before the case is filed — one of the shortest residency requirements in the country. Residency is corroborated by a resident witness affidavit signed under penalty of perjury.

Nevada is a community property state. Under NRS 125.150, a divorce court must divide the couple's community property equally 'to the extent practicable,' unless it finds a compelling reason, stated in writing, to divide it unequally — while each spouse's separate property generally stays with that spouse.

Under NRS 125.150, a Nevada divorce court may award alimony to either spouse — as a lump sum or as periodic payments — in whatever amount 'appears just and equitable.' There is no fixed formula; periodic alimony generally ends if the recipient remarries or either party dies, and it can be modified later if circumstances change.

Nevada has no statutory alimony formula or calculator. Instead, NRS 125.150 lists eleven factors a court must weigh — including each spouse's finances, earning capacity, the length of the marriage and the standard of living — and leaves the amount and duration to the judge's discretion, so long as the award is 'just and equitable.'

Nevada calculates child support as a tiered percentage of the paying parent's monthly gross income under NAC 425.140 — for one child, 16% of the first $6,000, 8% of income between $6,000 and $10,000, and 4% above $10,000. These guidelines took effect February 1, 2020 and replaced the old flat percentages in NRS Chapter 125B.

In Nevada, child support ends when the child turns 18 — or, if the child is still in high school at 18, when the child graduates or turns 19, whichever comes first (NRS 125C.0045(9); NAC 425.160). Support can continue longer for a child with a handicap, and unpaid arrears remain owed after support ends.

Nevada courts decide custody using one standard: the best interest of the child (NRS 125C.0035). Custody has two parts — legal custody (decision-making) and physical custody (where the child lives) — and Nevada law presumes joint legal custody and prefers joint physical custody when the statutory conditions are met.

Nevada law gives unmarried parents the same custody rights as married ones — NRS 125C.0015 grants both parents joint custody by default regardless of marital status — but until paternity is legally established, NRS 125C.003(2) allows a court to award primary physical custody to the mother in defined circumstances. Once parentage is established under NRS Chapter 126, the same best-interest standard applies.

An annulment is a district court judgment declaring that a marriage was never valid, and Nevada law allows it only on specific grounds — such as bigamy or close blood relation (NRS 125.290), lack of required consent for a minor, want of understanding, or fraud (NRS 125.320–125.350). Marriages performed in Nevada can be annulled without any residency period; marriages performed elsewhere require six weeks of Nevada residence.

Nevada Rule of Civil Procedure 4 requires the summons and divorce complaint to be served within 120 days after filing, by the sheriff or any person who is at least 18 and not a party to the case. A spouse may instead sign a waiver of service under NRCP 4.1, and if a spouse cannot be found after diligent efforts, a court may allow service by publication under NRCP 4.4.

Yes — as of a 2025 law, Nevada divorce court records are presumptively open to the public. NRS 121.110 makes the pleadings, decree and judgment open to inspection, keeps items like financial disclosure forms and custody evaluations confidential, and allows sealing only when a court finds a compelling interest that outweighs public access. The old statute that let a spouse seal the file on request, NRS 125.110, was repealed in 2025.