Are Autopsy Reports Public in Nevada? (2026 Guide)

Nevada autopsy and toxicology reports are public records under Nevada law and state Supreme Court rulings, but the coroner or medical examiner redacts private medical and health information unrelated to the cause and manner of death. Reports are not released until the case is closed, and only the legal next of kin or a court order unlocks an unredacted copy.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Nevada?

Yes. Autopsy and examination reports in Nevada are classified as public records under state law and decisions of the Nevada Supreme Court. That means a member of the public can request a copy, not just the family.

The access is not unlimited, though. The Nevada Supreme Court found a non-trivial privacy interest in private medical and health-related information contained in autopsy reports. So coroner and medical examiner offices redact private contact, medical, and health details that are unrelated to the cause and manner of death before releasing a report to the general public.

Because Nevada handles death investigation at the county level, the exact process depends on which county the death occurred in. The two largest offices are the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner and the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office.

For a national overview of how this works in other states, see Are Autopsies Public Records?

Who Performs Autopsies in Nevada?

Nevada does not have one statewide medical examiner. Under NRS Chapter 259, every county is its own coroner district unless the county appoints a coroner or operates a medical examiner office. Larger counties such as Clark and Washoe run regional medical examiner offices staffed by forensic pathologists, while smaller counties rely on a coroner system.

The coroner or medical examiner investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, unexplained, or unattended. This includes homicides, suicides, traffic fatalities, deaths by criminal means or violence, and any unattended death regardless of the apparent cause.

Not every death gets an autopsy. The office decides whether a full autopsy, an external examination, or toxicology testing is needed based on the circumstances. When testing is ordered, the office produces an investigation report, an examination or autopsy report, and a separate toxicology report.

Who Can Request a Nevada Autopsy Report?

Anyone can request a redacted public copy of a Nevada autopsy report, because these are public records. The version released to the general public will have private medical and health information unrelated to the cause and manner of death removed.

The legal next of kin has broader rights. To obtain an unredacted report, you generally need either written authorization from the legal next of kin or a court order. This is how families, attorneys, and insurers access the complete file.

The death certificate and the autopsy report are handled separately, and the coroner or medical examiner is not the office that issues certified death certificates for most purposes.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Nevada

You request a report directly from the county coroner or medical examiner office that handled the death, using that office's public records request form.

In Clark County, complete the Coroner/Medical Examiner public records request form and submit it by email to Coroner@ClarkCountyNV.gov, by fax to (702) 455-0416, or by mail to 1704 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89106. The office handles three documents: the Coroner Investigation Report, the Coroner Medical Examination Report, and the Toxicology Report. The service is taxpayer-funded, so there is no cost to the family.

In Washoe County, submit the online request through the Regional Medical Examiner's Office website. Records are delivered by secure email once available. Examination reports generally take 10 to 12 weeks to complete.

The pending-case hold applies everywhere. Reports are not released until the case is complete and closed, and an office will not release a report while the matter is part of an ongoing investigation or legal proceeding. If your county is outside Clark or Washoe, contact that county's coroner directly, because fees and forms vary locally.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Nevada

An autopsy report and a death certificate are two different documents. The death certificate is a vital record that includes the cause-of-death line and is the document banks, courts, and agencies usually require to settle an estate.

The autopsy report is the detailed forensic file from the coroner or medical examiner: the examination findings, toxicology results, and the basis for the cause and manner of death. It contains far more medical detail than the single cause-of-death line on a certificate.

You request certified death certificates through Nevada vital records and the local county, not from the coroner for most purposes. You request the autopsy and toxicology reports from the coroner or medical examiner. See Nevada Death Records for how to order the certificate itself.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Autopsy report access, fees, and request procedures vary by Nevada county and can change. Confirm the current process with the coroner or medical examiner office that handled the death.

Sources

This guide relies on the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office, and Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 259.