Certain peace officers, law enforcement officers, investigators and other personnel authorized to remove or cause removal of vehicle abandoned on public property other than public lands; removal of vehicles abandoned on private property; duties of person authorizing removal.
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 487.230
in effect1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 487.235 , any sheriff or designee of a sheriff, constable, member of the Nevada Highway Patrol, officer of the Legislative Police, investigator of the Division of Compliance Enforcement of the Department, personnel of the Capitol Police Division of the Department of Public Safety, designated employees of the Housing Division of the Department of Business and Industry, special investigator employed by the office of a district attorney, marshal or police officer of a city or town or his or her designee, a marshal or park ranger who is part of a unit of specialized law enforcement established pursuant to NRS 280.125 , or any other person charged with the enforcement of county or city ordinances who has reason to believe that a vehicle has been abandoned on public property in his or her jurisdiction may remove the vehicle from that property or cause the vehicle to be removed from that property. At the request of the owner or person in possession or control of private property who has reason to believe that a vehicle has been abandoned on his or her property, the vehicle may be removed by the operator of a tow car or an automobile wrecker from that private property.
2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 487.260 , a person who authorizes the removal of an abandoned vehicle pursuant to subsection 1 shall:
(a) Have the vehicle taken to the nearest garage or other place designated for storage by:
(1) The state agency or political subdivision making the request if the vehicle is removed from public property.
(2) The owner or person in possession or control of the property if the vehicle is removed from private property.
(b) Make all practical inquiries to ascertain if the vehicle is stolen by checking the license plate number, vehicle identification number and other available information which will aid in identifying the registered and legal owner of the vehicle and supply the information to the person who is storing the vehicle.
3. If:
(a) The vehicle appears likely to be appraised as a junk vehicle;
(b) The vehicle is not registered with the Department and it is not readily ascertainable whether the vehicle is registered in any other state; and
(c) The identity of the owner of the vehicle is not known or readily ascertainable,
Ê an operator of a tow car, an automobile wrecker or, in the case of a vehicle abandoned on public property, a state agency or political subdivision, may, before the removal of a vehicle pursuant to this section, affix a notice to the vehicle stating that the vehicle, if not removed from the property within 7 days, is subject to being junked, dismantled or otherwise disposed of without further notice. The notice must state the date and time that the notice was affixed to the vehicle and that the owner of the vehicle may, at any time before the vehicle is removed from the property, request an expedited hearing in the justice court of the township where the property on which the vehicle was purportedly abandoned is located to contest the classification of the vehicle as an abandoned junk vehicle.
4. As used in this section, junk vehicle has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 487.260 .
Source: NV Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-487.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026