Nevada
Nevada Court Records: How to Search by County, Appellate Case Lookup, and How Sealing Works
Nevada has no single website that searches every trial court case in the state. The state's own judicial website, nvcourts.gov, runs a public Case Lookup tool, but it covers only the Nevada Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, the state's two appellate courts. For a trial-court case, meaning a criminal, civil, family, or traffic matter filed in a district or justice court, the search has to go through the county where the case was filed.
That county-by-county reality is the main thing to plan around before starting a Nevada court records search.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.
The Appellate-Only Case Lookup, and Why It Won't Find a Trial Case
Nevada's statewide judicial website offers a tool called Find a Case, searchable by case number, caption or party names, or participant name. Its scope is limited to the Nevada Supreme Court and the Nevada Court of Appeals, meaning it will only return a result for a matter that reached one of those two appellate courts. A trial-level criminal charge, a civil lawsuit filed in district court, or a justice court matter will not show up here at all, no matter how the search is entered. Anyone searching for a case that has not been appealed needs to go to the county where the case was filed instead.
Searching by County: Clark and Washoe
Nevada's trial courts run their own separate online systems rather than reporting into one statewide tool.
Clark County, home to the Eighth Judicial District Court, maintains its own online case search covering district court records. Because Clark County is Nevada's largest county by far, its court system is often the first stop for anyone searching a Las Vegas-area case; contact the Clerk of the Eighth Judicial District Court directly for current search access, fee, and certified-copy details.
Washoe County is a genuine two-system trap worth calling out directly. The Washoe County Justice Court runs its own case search, reached through the county's own washoecounty.gov site, which links out to a separate online services portal and warns that the site may temporarily block an IP address if it detects unusual activity, a standard anti-scraping measure. The Washoe County Second Judicial District Court, a different court level entirely, runs a separate system of its own. Searching one does not search the other, so confirm which court level a case was filed in before assuming a search came up empty.
For any other Nevada county, contact that county's district court clerk directly to find out what online search options, if any, exist locally.
Sealing in Nevada
Nevada does not use the word expungement for adult criminal records. The operative process is called sealing, and it is governed by NRS 179.245. A person petitions the court where the conviction occurred, and if the court grants the petition, the record is sealed from public view.
This article deliberately does not state a specific number of years a person must wait before petitioning to seal a felony conviction. Nevada government sources are not consistent with each other on that figure at the time of writing, and the underlying statute could not be independently confirmed. Rather than repeat a number that might be wrong, this page directs readers to NRS 179.245 itself, available through the Nevada Legislature's website, or to a Nevada-licensed attorney, for the waiting period and eligibility rules that currently apply. Nevada is not part of the multi-state wave of automatic Clean Slate-style record relief; sealing remains something a person has to petition for.
For a broader look at eligibility and the sealing process, see Nevada expungement laws, which this page does not duplicate, and which readers should still confirm against the current statute given the same sourcing caveat noted above.
Certified Copies
A certified copy of a Nevada court document comes from the clerk of the district or justice court where the case was filed, not from a statewide office. Fees and request procedures are set locally by each county, so confirm current details directly with that county's court clerk.
Using Nevada Court Records the Right Way
A county case search is built for checking your own matter or doing general public research, not for compiling a background file on someone else, and Nevada's fragmented county-by-county system makes it easy to search the wrong court and wrongly conclude no record exists. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, most arrests and civil judgments age off a consumer report after seven years, but criminal convictions are carved out of that limit under 15 U.S.C. section 1681c(a)(5) and can be reported indefinitely unless the record has been sealed. Anyone assembling public court records for a hiring or housing decision may be acting as a consumer reporting agency under federal law, and the FTC has enforced this directly: in 2023 it reached a $5.8 million settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following FCRA requirements. A county case search is not a substitute for an FCRA-compliant background check when the decision involves employment or housing.
Related Resources
Court Records by State covers the full 50-state picture. See also How to Look Up Court Records, Are Court Records Public?, Nevada Expungement Laws, Nevada Background Check Laws, Nevada Warrant Search, and Nevada Public Records Laws.
Disclaimer
This article explains how Nevada's court records tools are organized. It is general legal information, not legal advice. Nevada's sealing waiting periods could not be independently confirmed at the time of writing and are deliberately not stated here; consult NRS 179.245 or a Nevada-licensed attorney directly. Portal features and county systems change without notice; verify current details before relying on them.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a statewide Nevada court records search?
No. Nevada's own Case Lookup tool on nvcourts.gov covers only the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Trial court records, including criminal and civil cases, must be searched through the county where the case was filed, such as Clark or Washoe County.
How do I search Clark County court records?
Clark County's Eighth Judicial District Court maintains its own online case search. Contact the Clerk of the Eighth Judicial District Court directly for current access details and fees.
Are Washoe County Justice Court and Second Judicial District Court records searched the same way?
No. They are two separate systems. The Washoe County Justice Court runs its own case search, and the Washoe County Second Judicial District Court runs a different one. Searching one does not search the other.
How long do I have to wait before sealing a felony conviction in Nevada?
This depends on the offense under NRS 179.245, but Nevada government sources are not consistent with each other on the current figures. Confirm the applicable waiting period directly from NRS 179.245 or with a Nevada-licensed attorney rather than relying on a number from a secondary source.
Does Nevada call it sealing or expungement?
Sealing. Nevada does not use the term expungement for adult criminal records; the governing process is sealing under NRS 179.245.
Does Nevada have automatic record sealing like some other states?
No. Nevada is not part of the multi-state Clean Slate wave. Sealing remains a petition a person must file with the court.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Nevada Courts, Find a Case (appellate Case Lookup)(nvcourts.gov).gov
- Nevada Courts, homepage(nvcourts.gov).gov
- Washoe County, Second Judicial District Justice Court Case Search(washoecounty.gov).gov
- Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners, Sealing Records(pardons.nv.gov).gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports(law.cornell.edu)
- Federal Trade Commission, FTC Says TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate Deceived Users About Background Report Accuracy, Violated FCRA(ftc.gov).gov