Nevada
Weird Laws in Nevada: Which Are Still on the Books?
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 21, 2026). · 3 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
We checked four claims from lists of weird Nevada laws against the Nevada Revised Statutes, Nevada's old session laws and, for the two that name a city, the Reno and Elko city codes, as of October 21, 2026. The results cover the whole range: one current statute, one city ordinance, one law repealed in the nineteenth century and one claim no law was found for. For other states, see our weird laws by state guide.
Weird laws in Nevada: the verdicts
Each claim below was checked against the Nevada code and, where it names a town, the local code. 4 claims checked.
The claim: Taking a camel on a public highway is illegal.
What the law says: An 1875 Nevada act made it unlawful for owners to let camels or dromedaries run at large on or about public roads or highways, a misdemeanor. It was repealed in 1899. It never banned taking a camel on a highway as such, and no current NRS provision mentions camels.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: In Reno it is illegal to lie down on the sidewalk.
What the law says: Reno (city) code, not state law. Since January 2025 Reno Municipal Code 8.12.011 makes it a misdemeanor to sit, lie, sleep or camp on a public place including sidewalks, but only after a city employee has given notice, with exceptions (medical emergency, disability devices, permitted events, public benches, bus stops). Before that, 8.12.015 barred sitting or lying on sidewalks only in the Downtown Reno Regional Center, and was repealed.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: In Elko, everyone walking the street must wear a mask.
What the law says: No Nevada state statute requires people to wear masks on the street, and Elko's current city code chapter on offenses against the public peace contains no such rule.
No state law found in the Nevada code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We searched the full text of the Nevada Revised Statutes for any rule requiring masks or face coverings on the street, and read the public decency, public peace, and county and city powers chapters.
Parts of the code read
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 201 (crimes against public decency and good morals)
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 203 (crimes against the public peace)
- Nevada Revised Statutes Chapters 244, 266 and 268 (powers of counties and cities)
The local code named in the claim was checked too.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Shoe-fitting X-ray machines are banned.
What the law says: NRS 202.245 makes it a misdemeanor to operate or maintain a shoe-fitting device or machine that uses fluoroscopic, X-ray or radiation principles.
“A person shall not operate or maintain any shoe-fitting device or shoe-fitting machine which uses fluoroscopic, X-ray or radiation principles.”
Penalty: Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.
Camels at large, 1875 to 1899
Nevada did once have a camel law, though it never banned taking a camel on a highway. An act approved on February 9, 1875 (1875 Nev. Stat. ch. 12) made it unlawful for owners to let camels or dromedaries run at large on or about public roads or highways. A violation was a misdemeanor.
The legislature repealed that act in 1899, in chapter 105 of that year's statutes, an act approved March 20, 1899. No current NRS provision mentions camels. The list version keeps the camel and the highway but drops the part that mattered, which was owners letting the animals roam loose.
A shoe store rule that is still on the books
This is the one claim on Nevada's list that holds up as a current state law. NRS 202.245 reads:
A person shall not operate or maintain any shoe-fitting device or shoe-fitting machine which uses fluoroscopic, X-ray or radiation principles.
Anyone who violates the section is guilty of a misdemeanor. It covers maintaining such a machine as well as operating one.
Sitting and lying on Reno sidewalks
The Reno claim is about city law, not state law, and the city's rule changed recently. Since January 2025, Reno Municipal Code 8.12.011, added by Ordinance No. 6694, makes it a misdemeanor to sit, lie, sleep or camp in a public place, sidewalks included.
The ordinance applies only after a city employee has given notice. It has exceptions for a medical emergency, disability devices, permitted events, public benches and bus stops. Before it, a narrower section, 8.12.015, barred sitting or lying on sidewalks only in the Downtown Reno Regional Center; that section was repealed.
Masks on the street in Elko
No Nevada statute was found that requires people to wear masks on the street. We searched the full text of the Nevada Revised Statutes for any mask or face-covering rule and read the chapters on public decency (201), public peace (203), and county and city powers (244, 266 and 268). Elko's current city code chapter on offenses against the public peace contains no such rule either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to lie down on the sidewalk in Reno?
Reno Municipal Code 8.12.011, in force since January 2025, makes it a misdemeanor to sit, lie, sleep or camp in a public place including sidewalks, but only after a city employee has given notice. It has exceptions for a medical emergency, disability devices, permitted events, public benches and bus stops. It is a city ordinance, not a Nevada state law.
Is it illegal to take a camel on a Nevada highway?
An 1875 Nevada act made it a misdemeanor for owners to let camels or dromedaries run at large on or about public roads or highways. The legislature repealed it in 1899, and no current NRS provision mentions camels.
Are shoe-fitting X-ray machines illegal in Nevada?
NRS 202.245 makes it a misdemeanor to operate or maintain any shoe-fitting device or machine that uses fluoroscopic, X-ray or radiation principles.
Does Elko require people to wear masks on the street?
No Nevada statute requiring masks on the street was found, and Elko’s current city code chapter on offenses against the public peace contains no such rule, as of October 21, 2026.
What are some weird laws in Nevada?
The one still on the state books is NRS 202.245, which bans shoe-fitting machines that use X-ray or radiation principles. Reno has a sit-and-lie ordinance for public places, and an 1875 law against letting camels run loose on public roads was repealed in 1899.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- NRS 202.245, shoe-fitting devices using X-ray or radiation (Nevada Legislature)(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Statutes of Nevada 1899, ch. 105, An Act to repeal certain Acts, p. 126 (Nevada Legislature)(leg.state.nv.us).gov
- Reno Municipal Code, Chapter 8.12, including 8.12.011 (City of Reno, via Municode)(library.municode.com)
- NRS Chapter 201, crimes against public decency and good morals (Nevada Legislature)(leg.state.nv.us).gov