Administrative Law

Administrative law consists of regulations that are produced by state governmental agencies and departments (both referred to here as “agencies”), as well as agency decisions interpreting the regulations they generate and deciding whether those regulations have been violated. In Nevada, most administrative agencies operate under the power of the executive branch of government, which is overseen by the Governor of Nevada. The Governor typically appoints the heads of the various Nevada agencies.

The statutes governing how administrative agencies propose regulations and adjudicated contested cases are located in Chapter 233B of the Nevada Revised Statutes, titled Nevada Administrative Procedure Act.

As noted above, agencies promulgate regulations and decide disputes relating to those regulations. Thus, administrative law consists of two components: regulations and agency decisions. Nevada Regulations can be found in the Nevada Administrative Code, or “NAC” as it is commonly known, and in the Nevada Register.

Nevada Agency Decisions

• All Nevada agencies are required to preserve their decisions, but there is no central repository for those decisions. Thus, the best way to obtain an agency decision is to visit their website. If you cannot locate a decision there, please contact the agency directly. This link connects to a list of all Nevada agencies.

Nevada Administrative Code

• The Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) is the place to locate Nevada regulations that have been adopted and are currently in force. The NAC is a set of large red loose-leaf binders. As new regulations are promulgated, pages are inserted into the loose-leaf binders. The NAC is divided by chapter and section number. To locate regulations, use the Table of Chapters located in the first volume, or the Index located in the last volume of the set. The Chapter numbers correspond to Chapter numbers in the Nevada Revised Statutes. Thus, the set begins with Chapter 38, and frequently skips numbers. Because this can be somewhat confusing, please consult a Reference Librarian if you have questions. To locate regulations in the NAC online, review the Table of Contents or Index. You can also locate regulations using a basic keyword search or advanced search. 

Nevada Register

• The Nevada Register contains proposed, adopted, temporary and emergency regulations. It is organized chronologically, and is issued on a monthly basis. It is a turquoise blue paperback book. To locate regulations in the Nevada Register, consult the keyword index or the numerical index. Both are located at the beginning of each volume. Note that a volume may have more than one part—in other words, it may be comprised of more than one book. The online version of the Nevada Register contains regulations from 1998 to present. To locate proposed, adopted, and temporary regulations in the Nevada Register online, perform a keyword search, an advanced search, or use the Table of Contents, which lists regulations for specific years by subject and number.

The State Bar of Nevada has created a guide to help users understand Nevada Administrative Law.

The Nevada Supreme Court Law Library has compiled a guide on Nevada's Administrative Regulations.