Looking for Nevada’s rules on marriage, divorce, child custody, and child support? Want to find Nevada’s state court forms and instructions and local court websites? Here’s where to start. For a wide range of other articles on family law in Nevada, see the Resources by State section on this site.
Marriage Rules in Nevada
Requirements: No blood test required. You must be of the age of consent, not be too closely related to your intended spouse, not be married to anyone else, and have sufficient mental capacity, meaning you understand what you are doing when you marry. You can marry immediately after your marriage license is issued, and your license is good for one year. For more details, check your county clerk’s office.
Common law marriage: No.
Community property: Yes.
Same-sex marriage: No. But same-sex couples can register as domestic partners in Nevada and registered partners have all of the rights and responsibilities of marriage under state law.
Nevada Divorce Rules
Grounds for divorce: No-fault, or you can base your divorce on the fact that you’ve been separated from your spouse for one year.
Residency requirement: At least one spouse must be a resident of Nevada for six weeks before filing for divorce.
How property is divided: Community property.
Child Custody Rules in Nevada
Child custody guidelines: Nevada courts begin with a presumption that it’s best for a child to have frequent and continuing contact with both parents after a divorce. If possible, judges want to support joint custody arrangements.
Nevada Child Support Rules
Child support guidelines: Nevada requires all parents to support their children. The amount of child support depends primarily on each parent’s income and other resources and how much time each parent spends with the children.
Child support calculators to determine state guidelines: www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/nevada.
State child support enforcement agency: Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, visit the Child Support Enforcement Program, https://dwss.nv.gov.
Nevada Courts and Other Family Law Resources
Nevada court information and family law forms: www.nevadajudiciary.us.
Family services section of Nevada website: www.dcfs.state.nv.us.
