Nevada People Search

About three in four Nevadans live in Clark County, so a Nevada search usually starts with the Clark County courts and recorder, the Secretary of State business search and the state prison, sex offender and vital records offices. For northern Nevada, add the Washoe County offices listed below.

• Nevada Secretary of State business entity searchCorporations and LLCs with officers, agents and filings
• Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark CountyLas Vegas area felony, family, civil and probate case search
• NDOC inmate searchState inmates with NDOC ID, offense and parole eligibility
• Nevada Sex Offender RegistryKept by the Nevada State Police; search by name or area
• Clark County RecorderDeeds, mortgages, liens and other recorded documents
• Nevada Office of Vital RecordsBirth and death certificates from July 1911 on

Nevada is a state of sharp contrasts: ~2.3 million residents of its ~3.1 million live in one county (Clark), which in turn is dominated by Las Vegas. The remaining 16 counties cover vast high-desert and mountain territory with fewer residents, Esmeralda County has roughly 740 people across an area larger than Rhode Island. For researchers, this geography means Nevada people search is overwhelmingly Clark County research, supplemented by Washoe County (Reno metro) and the independent consolidated municipality of Carson City.

Nevada's public records law, NRS Chapter 239, gives a general right to inspect government records. Nevada is also known for business privacy: no personal or corporate income tax, nominee officers allowed in corporate filings and flexible LLC and trust rules. Government records are open, but some ownership details are harder to find than in most states.

• Nevada Secretary of StateElections, notaries, securities, campaign finance and UCC filings
• Nevada Department of TaxationBusiness tax permit verification
• Nevada Department of Motor VehiclesDriver and vehicle records, released only for uses the DPPA allows

Nevada's trial courts include District Courts (general jurisdiction: felonies, civil over $15,000, family, probate, and juvenile), Justice Courts (misdemeanors, civil up to $15,000, small claims, evictions), and Municipal Courts (city ordinance and misdemeanor). The state has 11 judicial districts. The Nevada Supreme Court and Nevada Court of Appeals handle appellate matters.

Why Clark and Washoe dominate

Clark County District Court (Eighth Judicial District) is by far the busiest court in Nevada, handling more filings than all other districts combined. Washoe County (Second Judicial District) serves Reno, Sparks, and northern Nevada. These are the two primary systems for Nevada people search.

• Second Judicial District Court (Washoe County, Reno)Northern Nevada district court records
• Las Vegas Justice CourtLocal misdemeanor and small civil matters not handled by District Court
• Nevada Supreme Court case searchSupreme Court and Court of Appeals dockets
• U.S. District Court for the District of NevadaFederal civil and criminal cases; records on PACER

Each Nevada county splits property records among three offices: the county recorder (deeds, mortgages and liens), the county assessor (values) and the county treasurer (taxes and tax sales). Clark and Washoe counties have full online searches; smaller counties range from basic indexes to in-person only. The Clark County Recorder is linked in Where to Look.

• Clark County AssessorParcel ownership, characteristics and values
• Clark County TreasurerProperty tax status, delinquencies and tax sales
• Washoe County RecorderRecorded documents for Reno, Sparks and Washoe County
• Washoe County AssessorParcel valuation and ownership search for the Reno area

Carson City, the state capital, is a consolidated municipality with one government for the city and the county.

• Carson City Clerk-RecorderRecorded documents for the state capital

• Nevada Gaming Control BoardLicensed casinos, manufacturers, distributors and gaming employees
• Nevada State Board of Medical ExaminersVerifying NV physician credentials
• State Bar of NevadaAttorney directory with bar number and discipline
• Nevada State Contractors BoardContractor and trade license verification
• Nevada Real Estate DivisionVerifying real estate professional credentials

• Clark County Detention Center inmate searchPeople held in the Las Vegas area jail
• Washoe County Sheriff's Office inmate searchPeople held in the Washoe County jail in Reno

Nevada birth and death certificates are maintained by the Nevada Office of Vital Records (births and deaths since July 1911) and are restricted to the person of record, immediate family, and legal representatives. Marriage licenses are issued and indexed by County Recorders/Clerks (Clark County's marriage index is the busiest in the nation). Divorce decrees are part of District Court records.

• Clark County Clerk marriage record searchMarriages in Clark County by name

• Nevada Voter Registration SearchCheck your own registration and polling place

• Nevada State Library, Archives and Public RecordsState archives, territorial records, maps and genealogy holdings
• Chronicling America, Nevada newspapersDigitized historic Nevada newspapers from the Library of Congress

Clark County (Las Vegas)

~73% of Nevada's population (~2.3M residents). Contains Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Paradise, Summerlin, Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, and Whitney. The Eighth Judicial District Court is the busiest in Nevada. Clark County's Clerk, Recorder, Assessor, and Treasurer all maintain extensive online resources.

Washoe County (Reno)

Second largest county (~500,000 residents). Contains Reno, Sparks, Incline Village, and much of the Lake Tahoe north shore. Second Judicial District Court serves the county.

Carson City (Independent Consolidated Municipality)

State capital; operates as a combined city-county. Its own District Court (First Judicial District, which also covers Storey County).

Douglas County (Minden / Gardnerville)

Covers much of Lake Tahoe's south shore (Stateline), Gardnerville, and Minden. Ninth Judicial District Court serves Douglas.

Lyon County (Yerington / Fernley)

Fast-growing county east of Reno. Third Judicial District Court.

Elko County (Elko)

Largest northern Nevada county by area; home to significant mining activity. Fourth Judicial District Court.

Nye County (Pahrump / Tonopah)

Third largest county by area; includes parts of the Nevada National Security Site (formerly Nevada Test Site). Fifth Judicial District Court.

Other counties

Churchill (Fallon, Naval Air Station Fallon), Humboldt (Winnemucca), Pershing (Lovelock), Lander (Battle Mountain and Austin), Eureka, White Pine (Ely), Esmeralda (Goldfield, the smallest population), Mineral (Hawthorne), Storey (Virginia City and the historic Comstock Lode) and Lincoln (Pioche). Many rural counties need an in-person visit for older records.

Researcher Tip: for people in the gaming industry, such as casino employees, operators or investors, the Nevada Gaming Control Board keeps public licensee lists and some investigative records.

Start with Clark County. Nearly three-quarters of Nevadans live there. For most people search queries involving Nevada, Clark County systems are the first stop.

Use SilverFlume for business research. The single state business portal handles entity search, annual lists, and state business licensing in one place.

Check the Gaming Control Board if your subject has any casino or hospitality-industry affiliation.

Marriage records are kept by the county clerks, not by Vital Records. For a Las Vegas wedding, search the Clark County Clerk's marriage records, linked under Vital Records.

Remember that Nevada has no state income tax. This affects which records exist; state-level income records that researchers rely on in other states do not exist here.

Federal PACER matters. Nevada's federal district court handles substantial securities, tax, and organized-crime cases with Nevada nexus.

Common Mistake: Assuming Nominee Officers Are Real Owners. Nevada allows the use of nominee officers and directors, meaning the officers listed in SOS filings may not be the actual beneficial owners of a company. For genuine ownership verification, court records, UCC filings, litigation documents, and real estate records often provide more reliable signals.

Nevada's public records law (Nevada Public Records Act, NRS 239) establishes a presumption of openness for state and local government records. Exceptions exist for law enforcement investigative records, confidential personnel files, and records specifically protected by statute.

Nevada's business rules are flexible: no personal or corporate income tax (only the Commerce Tax and Modified Business Tax), nominee officers allowed in corporate filings and strong protection for irrevocable trusts. NRS 603A, from Senate Bill 220 of 2019, gives consumers a limited privacy right: website operators must honor requests to opt out of the sale of personal information. It is not a general privacy law like the CCPA.

Nevada's criminal record sealing options (NRS 179.245) allow sealing of many records after statutory waiting periods. Driver and motor vehicle records are governed by DPPA.

Privacy Note: the Division of Child and Family Services has run the Confidential Address Program since 2017. It gives survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and stalking a substitute mailing address for state and local records and keeps their voter records confidential.

• Confidential Address Program, DCFSHow the program works and who can apply