Nevada Disorderly Conduct and Trespass Laws: Breach of Peace (2026)

Nevada has no state crime called disorderly conduct. Its general public-order offense is breach of peace under NRS 203.010, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in the county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for maliciously and willfully disturbing the peace or quiet of a neighborhood, person or family by loud or unusual noises, tumultuous and offensive conduct, threats, quarreling, challenging to fight or fighting.

Trespass is one misdemeanor statute with no degrees, NRS 207.200. It covers entering land or a building with intent to vex or annoy the owner or occupant or to commit an unlawful act, and going or remaining there after a warning given within the previous 36 months. Nevada's felony forms sit in other sections: invasion of the home, repeat housebreaking or unlawful occupancy (squatting), jumping by parachute from another's fixed structure, entering another's property to peer into a dwelling while armed (NRS 200.603), and school-grounds trespass graded by loss under NRS 193.155 (a category C felony at $5,000 or more). For other states, see our guide to disorderly conduct and trespass laws by state.

Information last verified on 2026-10-18. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Jurisdiction scope: This article covers Nevada's state criminal statutes on breach of peace and related public-order offenses (NRS chapter 203, with the false-report and threat statutes in chapters 202, 207 and 392), trespass (NRS 207.200 to 207.210 and related sections), school-ground trespass, the squatting offenses in NRS chapter 205 and the 2025 acts that changed these laws. It does not cover county or city disorderly conduct ordinances, local noise rules and quiet hours (see Nevada noise laws), the civil procedure for removing squatters (see Nevada squatters' rights), use of force against an intruder (see Nevada self-defense laws), civil trespass suits, or federal property rules.

Is there a disorderly conduct law in Nevada?

Not at the state level. The Nevada Revised Statutes have no offense named disorderly conduct. The only state statute that uses the term is a grant of local power: "the town board or board of county commissioners shall have the power to prevent, punish and restrain any disorderly conduct" (NRS 269.215). A separate section lets town boards and county commissioners "enact and enforce loitering and prowling ordinances" (NRS 269.217). A charge labeled disorderly conduct in Nevada comes from local law rather than the NRS, and its elements and penalty come from that local law.

The state offenses that cover the same ground are in NRS chapter 203, crimes against the public peace.

Breach of peace: NRS 203.010

The core statute reads:

"Every person who shall maliciously and willfully disturb the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person or family by loud or unusual noises, or by tumultuous and offensive conduct, threatening, traducing, quarreling, challenging to fight, or fighting, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor." (NRS 203.010)

The mental state is "maliciously and willfully," and the conduct must disturb the peace or quiet of a neighborhood, person or family. The listed means are:

• Loud or unusual noises. This is the clause behind most loud-party and neighbor complaints. Quiet hours and decibel limits come from local codes; see our Nevada noise laws page.
• Tumultuous and offensive conduct.
• Threatening, traducing (defaming) or quarreling.
• Challenging to fight, or fighting. Where a fight also involves assault or battery, see Nevada assault and battery laws.

Provoking a breach of peace (NRS 203.030)

A separate misdemeanor covers words: "Every person who shall by word, sign or gesture willfully provoke, or attempt to provoke, another person to commit a breach of the peace shall be guilty of a misdemeanor." Swearing or insults fall under Nevada's state statutes only if they meet the elements of 203.010 (malicious and willful disturbance of a neighborhood, person or family) or 203.030 (willfully provoking or attempting to provoke a breach of the peace).

The penalty

Breach of peace and the other chapter 203 offenses below are misdemeanors. Under NRS 193.150(1), a misdemeanor is punishable "by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 6 months, or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or by both fine and imprisonment," unless the statute sets a different penalty. NRS 203.010 has no repeat-offender ladder and no felony form; its last amendment was in 1971.

Related public-order offenses in Nevada

Riot, rout, affray and unlawful assembly

Nevada treats group disorder as misdemeanors, not felonies:

• Riot (NRS 203.070(2)). "If two or more persons shall actually do an unlawful act of violence, either with or without a common cause of quarrel or even do a lawful act, in a violent, tumultuous and illegal manner, they commit a riot, and are guilty of a misdemeanor." The same section makes rout (two or more meeting to do an unlawful act and making advances toward it) a misdemeanor.
• Affray (NRS 203.050). Two or more people who, "by agreement, fight in a public place, to the terror of the citizens of this state" commit an affray, a misdemeanor.
• Assembling to disturb the peace and refusing to disperse (NRS 203.020). Two or more people who assemble to disturb the public peace or commit an unlawful act, and "do not disperse" when commanded by a judge, justice of the peace, sheriff, coroner, constable or other public officer, commit a misdemeanor.
• Unlawful assembly (NRS 203.060). Two or more who assemble to do an unlawful act "and separate without doing or advancing toward it" commit an unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor.

Chapter 203 contains no felony form of riot.

Disturbing meetings, schools and public buildings

• Meetings (NRS 203.090). Willfully disturbing "any assembly or meeting not unlawful in its character," without authority of law, is a misdemeanor.
• Public buildings (NRS 203.119). Conduct that interferes with the peaceful conduct of activities in a public building or on its grounds becomes a misdemeanor when the person "refuses to leave the building or grounds upon request by the proper official." A public building here means one owned by the Nevada System of Higher Education, the state, a county, a city or a school district and used for a public purpose.
• Public schools (NRS 392.910(2)). Maliciously interfering with or disturbing people peaceably assembled in a public school building for school district purposes is a misdemeanor. NRS 394.180 covers the same conduct in a private schoolhouse, as a public offense of at least a misdemeanor.
• Public conveyances (NRS 203.100). Willfully using profane, offensive or indecent language or quarreling in a public conveyance, interfering with or annoying a passenger, or refusing to leave after refusing to pay the fare is a misdemeanor.

Loitering near children

Loitering "about any school or public place at or near which children attend or normally congregate," without a legitimate reason to supervise the children or another legitimate reason to be there, is a misdemeanor under NRS 207.270. NRS 393.410(1)(c) and 394.180(1)(c) also make it unlawful "to loiter on or near the school grounds" of a public or private school (at least a misdemeanor, and a gross misdemeanor under 393.410 while carrying a dangerous weapon), and NRS 207.030(1)(f) makes it a misdemeanor to loiter about a public toilet to engage in or solicit a lewd or unlawful act. NRS 202.030 separately fines anyone under 21 who loiters or remains on the premises of a saloon up to $500 (it does not apply to establishments serving liquor only with regular meals at separate tables, or to grocery or drug stores not selling by the drink), and NRS 269.217 lets town boards and county commissioners enact their own loitering and prowling ordinances.

Public intoxication

Being drunk in public is not a state crime. NRS 458.260(1) provides that, except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, "the use of alcohol, the status of drunkard and the fact of being found in an intoxicated condition are not: (a) Public offenses and shall not be so treated in any ordinance or resolution of a county, city or town. (b) Elements of an offense giving rise to a criminal penalty or civil sanction."

Funerals

Nevada's public-peace and miscellaneous-crimes chapters (NRS chapters 201, 202, 203 and 207) contain no funeral-picketing or funeral buffer-zone offense. Damaging property is a separate matter: NRS 206.125 makes knowingly vandalizing, defacing or damaging a place of worship, a cemetery or mortuary, or their grounds a gross misdemeanor, with restitution, a fine of $400 to $1,000 and 100 to 200 hours of community service.

False reports, false 911 calls and threats

• False report of a crime (NRS 207.280). Deliberately reporting to police that a felony or misdemeanor was committed, knowing the report is false, when it causes a criminal or internal investigation: a misdemeanor.
• False 911 or emergency calls (NRS 207.245). Knowingly or willfully calling 911, or a government non-emergency line to report an emergency, when no actual or perceived emergency exists: a gross misdemeanor, and a category E felony if the caller meant to trigger an emergency response and the response results in the death or serious bodily injury of another.
• Bomb threats (NRS 202.840). Willfully making a threat, or maliciously conveying false information, about an attempt to kill, injure or intimidate a person or damage property with an explosive or bomb: a category B felony, 1 to 6 years and a fine of up to $5,000.
• Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (NRS 202.448). Knowingly making a threat or conveying false information about terrorism or a weapon of mass destruction with intent to injure, intimidate or alarm, cause panic, extort or interfere with government operations: a category B felony, 2 to 20 years and a fine of up to $5,000.
• Threats against pupils or school employees (NRS 392.915). Knowingly threatening bodily harm or death to a pupil or school employee with intent to intimidate, cause panic or interfere with a public school: a misdemeanor, or a gross misdemeanor if the threat causes that intimidation, panic or interference.

Trespass in Nevada: NRS 207.200

Nevada has one general trespass statute with no degrees. NRS 207.200(1) provides that, unless a greater penalty is provided under NRS 200.603, a person who, "under circumstances not amounting to a burglary":

"(a) Goes upon the land or into any building of another with intent to vex or annoy the owner or occupant thereof, or to commit any unlawful act; or (b) Willfully goes or remains upon any land or in any building after having been warned during the previous 36 months by the owner or occupant thereof not to trespass, is guilty of a misdemeanor."

NRS 207.200 yields to NRS 200.603, which covers knowingly entering another's property with intent to hide and peer, peep or spy through a window, door or other opening of a dwelling: a misdemeanor, a gross misdemeanor if the person carries a camera or other recording device, and a category B felony (1 to 6 years, and a fine of up to $5,000) if the person carries a deadly weapon.

Under 207.200 itself there are two routes. The first turns on intent (to vex or annoy, or to commit an unlawful act) and needs no prior warning. The second turns on a warning: going or remaining on the land or in the building after the owner or occupant warned the person not to trespass within the previous 36 months. The penalty for either is the misdemeanor range in NRS 193.150: up to 6 months, up to $1,000, or both.

What counts as a warning, and is there a purple paint law?

NRS 207.200(2) lists the methods that give "a sufficient warning against trespassing":

• Fluorescent orange paint on "not less than 50 square inches of a structure or natural object or the top 12 inches of a post," placed so that at least one mark is within the direct line of sight of a person standing next to another, "but at intervals of not more than 1,000 feet," at each corner of the land, and on each side of all gates, cattle guards and openings designed to allow people in.
• Fencing the area. The statute's definition of "fence" is "a barrier sufficient to indicate an intent to restrict the area to human ingress, including, but not limited to, a wall, hedge or chain link or wire mesh fence," and "does not include a barrier made of barbed wire."
• "No trespassing" signs or notice of like meaning, placed within the direct line of sight of one another "but at intervals of not more than 500 feet," and at each corner of the land.
• Using the area as cultivated land.
• An oral or written demand by the owner or occupant "to any guest to vacate the land or building."

Nevada's paint rule uses fluorescent orange. NRS 207.200, the posting sections that follow it (207.205 and 207.210) and the wildlife posting section (NRS 503.240) contain no purple paint provision.

Under NRS 207.200(3), "It is prima facie evidence of trespass for any person to be found on private or public property which is posted or fenced as provided in subsection 2 without lawful business with the owner or occupant of the property."

Posting has its own rules. A person may not post land under 207.200(2) unless they are the owner or occupant or have the owner's or occupant's written authorization, and each sign must carry the owner's or occupant's name and address; a violation is a misdemeanor (NRS 207.205). Maliciously tearing down, mutilating or destroying a sign forbidding trespass within an enclosure is also a misdemeanor (NRS 207.210).

When a store or owner tells you to leave

The warning route in 207.200(1)(b) applies after the owner or occupant warns a person not to trespass: willfully going or remaining on the land or in the building after that warning, within the previous 36 months, is a misdemeanor. The list of sufficient warnings includes "an oral or written demand to any guest to vacate the land or building." Before Senate Bill 371 (2025), the window was 24 months.

Special trespass offenses

• Gaming establishments (NRS 207.203). A person who trespasses under 207.200 on the premises of a licensed gaming establishment, after three convictions under NRS 201.353 or 201.354 (prostitution and solicitation offenses) within the preceding 5 years, commits a misdemeanor punished by "(a) A fine of $1,000; (b) Imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 6 months; or (c) Both fine and imprisonment."
• Jumping from a fixed structure (NRS 207.204). Jumping or removing oneself by parachute or other airborne means from a fixed structure owned by another, or knowingly and intentionally delivering or retrieving a person who does, is deemed trespass for purposes of NRS 41.515 and is a category E felony (1 to 4 years, with the sentence generally suspended and probation granted under NRS 193.130). Section 207.204(3) provides that it does not apply to an emergency involving public safety, property damage, loss of life or injury, or to an act under a lawfully issued permit.
• Public school grounds (NRS 393.410). Purposely and maliciously committing "any trespass upon the grounds attached to a public schoolhouse, or any fixtures placed thereon, or any enclosure or sidewalk about the same" is a public offense graded by the value of property damaged or destroyed under NRS 193.155, "and in no event less than a misdemeanor." Under 193.155 that means a misdemeanor for a loss under $250, a gross misdemeanor from $250 to under $5,000, and a category C felony at $5,000 or more or where the damage impairs public communication, transportation or police and fire protection. Committing it while in possession of a dangerous weapon is a gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days, up to $2,000, or both, under NRS 193.140).
• Private school grounds (NRS 394.180). The same trespass rule applies to the grounds of a private schoolhouse, graded the same way and "in no event less than a misdemeanor."
• Hunting, fishing and trapping (NRS 503.240). It is unlawful to hunt, fish in nonnavigable waters or trap on private land where the owner or occupant has warned the person not to trespass "in the manner prescribed in NRS 207.200," or where signs forbid hunting, trapping or fishing without permission. Misdemeanors under the wildlife title carry a fine of $50 to $500, up to 6 months in the county jail, or both (NRS 501.385(2)). Wildlife convictions also count toward the Department of Wildlife's demerit-point system, which can lead to suspension or revocation of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses and privileges (NRS 501.1812 to 501.1816).

Critical infrastructure

Chapter 207 contains no critical-infrastructure trespass offense. The 2025 statute on critical infrastructure, NRS 202.584 (Assembly Bill 503), punishes anyone who "willfully tampers with or willfully removes, damages or destroys any critical infrastructure"; it has no entry element. The grade depends on value: a misdemeanor under $1,200, a gross misdemeanor from $1,200 to under $5,000, and a category D felony at $5,000 or more, with repair or replacement cost counted in the value. If the tampering, removal, damage or destruction causes an interruption in service, the offense is a category C felony (1 to 5 years, and a fine of up to $10,000).

Squatting, forcible entry and reentry

Nevada has three squatting offenses in chapter 205, and they are graded more heavily than trespass:

• Housebreaking (NRS 205.0813), forcibly entering an uninhabited or vacant dwelling, knowing or having reason to believe it is without the owner's permission, with intent to take up residence or provide residence to another: a gross misdemeanor for a first offense and "a category D felony" for a second or later offense.
• Unlawful occupancy (NRS 205.0817), taking up residence in an uninhabited or vacant dwelling, knowing or having reason to believe it is without the owner's permission: a gross misdemeanor, and a category D felony for a person "who has been convicted three or more times of unlawful occupancy."
• Unlawful reentry (NRS 205.082), reentering property without court authority or the owner's permission after the owner recovered possession under NRS 40.412 or 40.414: a gross misdemeanor.

Two older sections overlap. NRS 203.110 makes it a misdemeanor, except as provided in 205.0813 and 205.0817, to use force or violence in entering or detaining another's land, or to return to settle on or take possession of land after being removed by order of a court, tribunal or officer. NRS 207.030(1)(g) makes it a misdemeanor to lodge in any building, structure or place, public or private, without the permission of the owner or person in control. A category D felony carries 1 to 4 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 (NRS 193.130). For the owner's removal procedure, see Nevada squatters' rights.

Invasion of the home and burglary

Forcible entry into a dwelling is a separate felony. Under NRS 205.067, a person who "forcibly enters a dwelling without permission of the owner, resident or lawful occupant, whether or not a person is present at the time of the entry, is guilty of invasion of the home," a category B felony punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, or 2 to 15 years if the person has or gains a firearm or deadly weapon during the crime. "Forcibly enters" means an entry involving physical force that damages the structure, and a person with a prior burglary or home-invasion conviction may not receive probation.

Trespass under 207.200 applies only "under circumstances not amounting to a burglary." Unlawfully entering or remaining in a dwelling with intent to commit grand or petit larceny, assault or battery, any felony, or to obtain money or property by false pretenses is residential burglary under NRS 205.060. For the rules on force against an intruder, see Nevada self-defense laws.

Penalties at a glance

Misdemeanor penalties come from NRS 193.150 and gross misdemeanor penalties from NRS 193.140 (up to 364 days, up to $2,000, or both). Felony categories and their prison ranges are set by NRS 193.130: category C is 1 to 5 years with a fine of up to $10,000, and category D is 1 to 4 years with a fine of up to $5,000. Under NRS 193.151, an act that a statute prohibits without stating a penalty is a misdemeanor. For the full category table, see Nevada felony categories and misdemeanor penalties.

Recent changes to these statutes

• 2025 Statutes of Nevada ch. 204 (Senate Bill 371), approved May 31, 2025 and effective October 1, 2025 (the act sets no other date; NRS 218D.330), extended the warning window in NRS 207.200(1)(b) from 24 months to 36 months. The current NRS text reads "during the previous 36 months."
• 2025 Statutes of Nevada ch. 332 (Assembly Bill 503), approved June 5, 2025, created NRS 202.584, the critical infrastructure tampering offense, along with offenses on possessing and buying used utility wire. It is a tampering and damage law, not a trespass law.
• NRS 203.010 (breach of peace) was last amended in 1971.

Related Nevada and state-by-state guides

• Disorderly conduct and trespass laws by state
• Nevada noise laws
• Nevada felony categories and misdemeanor penalties
• Nevada squatters' rights
• Nevada self-defense laws
• Nevada expungement laws
• California disorderly conduct and trespass laws
• Utah disorderly conduct and trespass laws
• How to charge someone with trespassing

Federal law separately governs conduct on federal property and at the U.S. Capitol; our state-by-state hub covers that layer.

This article provides general legal information about Nevada's breach of peace, public-order and trespass statutes as of 2026-10-18. It is not legal advice. For advice about a specific situation, contact a lawyer licensed in Nevada.

Last updated: 2026-10-18.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is disorderly conduct a crime in Nevada?

Nevada has no state offense named disorderly conduct. NRS 269.215 lets county commissioners and town boards punish disorderly conduct by ordinance, and the state offense covering similar conduct is breach of peace under NRS 203.010, a misdemeanor.

What is the penalty for breach of peace in Nevada?

Breach of peace is a misdemeanor. Under NRS 193.150, that means up to 6 months in the county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Can you get breach of peace for swearing or yelling in Nevada?

NRS 203.010 reaches maliciously and willfully disturbing the peace or quiet of a neighborhood, person or family by loud or unusual noises, offensive conduct, threats or quarreling. NRS 203.030 separately covers willfully provoking or attempting to provoke a breach of the peace by word, sign or gesture. Both are misdemeanors.

Is public intoxication illegal in Nevada?

No. NRS 458.260 provides that the use of alcohol, the status of drunkard and being found intoxicated are not public offenses and may not be treated as offenses by any county, city or town ordinance, except as subsection 2 of that section provides.

Is trespassing a felony in Nevada?

Trespass under NRS 207.200 is a misdemeanor. Felonies cover narrower conduct: invasion of the home (forcible entry into a dwelling, category B), a second or later housebreaking or unlawful occupancy after three prior convictions (category D), parachuting from another's fixed structure (category E), entering another's property to peer into a dwelling while carrying a deadly weapon (category B, NRS 200.603), and trespass on school grounds causing $5,000 or more in loss or impairing public services (category C, NRS 193.155).

How long does a trespass warning last in Nevada?

Under NRS 207.200(1)(b), going or remaining on land or in a building is a misdemeanor if the owner or occupant warned the person not to trespass during the previous 36 months. Senate Bill 371 (2025) lengthened the window from 24 months.

Does Nevada have a purple paint law?

No. Nevada's paint rule uses fluorescent orange: at least 50 square inches of a structure or object, or the top 12 inches of a post, no more than 1,000 feet apart, at each corner and on each side of gates and openings (NRS 207.200(2)(a)).

What happens if a store tells you to leave in Nevada?

An oral or written demand by the owner or occupant to a guest to vacate is a sufficient warning under NRS 207.200(2)(e). Willfully going or remaining after a warning given within the previous 36 months is a misdemeanor trespass under 207.200(1)(b).

Is squatting a crime in Nevada?

Yes. Taking up residence in a vacant dwelling without the owner's permission is unlawful occupancy, a gross misdemeanor (NRS 205.0817); forcibly entering one to live there is housebreaking (NRS 205.0813). A second housebreaking offense, or unlawful occupancy after three prior convictions, is a category D felony.