Custody

The steps you will need to take when filing for custody and the forms you will need to fill out may be different for each county.  To find out exactly how to file for custody in your county, you can contact your local courthouse.  Please see our NV Courthouse Locations.

Some pieces of information that Nevada law requires you to give when filing for custody are:

• the child’s present address or whereabouts if known, the places where the child has lived during the last 5 years, and the names and present addresses of the persons with whom the child has lived during that period;
• the names and addresses of any other person(s) that you know of who has physical custody of the child or claims rights of legal/physical custody or visitation;
• the court name, case number and date of the custody decision related to any other court case involving custody and/or visitation of your child in the past in which you participated; and
• the court name, case number and other relevant information regarding any court case that you know of (such as an order for protection case, termination of parental rights case, or adoption case) that could affect your custody case.¹

If your or your child’s health/ safety would be in danger if the abuser (or another party) saw this information, you can request that it be kept confidential.  In that case, the information would be sealed and it can only be released if, after holding a hearing, the judge decides that it is “in the interest of justice” to release the information even after considering any health/safety concerns.²

As with all custody issues, we recommend that you talk to a lawyer.  To find a lawyer or legal aid program in your area, please visit the NV Finding a Lawyer page.

¹ N.R.S. § 125A.385(1)
² N.R.S. § 125A.385(5)