Detention, concealment or removal of child from person having lawful custody or from jurisdiction of court and relocation of child by parent without written consent of other parent or court permission: Penalties; limitation on issuance of arrest warrant; restitution; exceptions.
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 200.359
in effect1. A person having a limited right of custody to a child by operation of law or pursuant to an order, judgment or decree of any court, including a judgment or decree which grants another person rights to custody or visitation of the child, or any parent having no right of custody to the child, who:
(a) In violation of an order, judgment or decree of any court willfully detains, conceals or removes the child from a parent, guardian or other person having lawful custody or a right of visitation of the child; or
(b) In the case of an order, judgment or decree of any court that does not specify when the right to physical custody or visitation is to be exercised, removes the child from the jurisdiction of the court without the consent of either the court or all persons who have the right to custody or visitation,
Ê is guilty of a category D felony and shall be punished as provided in NRS 193.130 .
2. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a parent who has joint legal and physical custody of a child pursuant to NRS 125C.0015 shall not willfully conceal or remove the child from the custody of the other parent with the specific intent to frustrate the efforts of the other parent to establish or maintain a meaningful relationship with the child. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished as provided in subsection 1 unless the person demonstrates to the satisfaction of the court that he or she violated this subsection to protect the child or himself or herself from an act that constitutes domestic violence pursuant to NRS 33.018 .
3. If the mother of a child has primary physical custody pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 125C.003 , the father of the child shall not willfully conceal or remove the child from the physical custody of the mother. If the father of a child has primary physical custody pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 125C.003 , the mother of the child shall not willfully conceal or remove the child from the physical custody of the father. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished as provided in subsection 1.
4. A parent who has joint physical custody of a child pursuant to an order, judgment or decree of a court shall not relocate with the child pursuant to NRS 125C.0065 without the written consent of the non-relocating parent or before the court enters an order granting the parent primary physical custody of the child and permission to relocate with the child, as applicable. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished as provided in subsection 1.
5. A parent who has primary physical custody of a child pursuant to an order, judgment or decree of a court shall not relocate with the child pursuant to NRS 125C.006 without the written consent of the non-relocating parent or the permission of the court. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished as provided in subsection 1.
6. Before an arrest warrant may be issued for a violation of this section, the court must find that:
(a) This is the home state of the child, as defined in NRS 125A.085 ; and
(b) There is cause to believe that the entry of a court order in a civil proceeding brought pursuant to chapter 125 , 125A or 125C of NRS will not be effective to enforce the rights of the parties and would not be in the best interests of the child.
7. Upon conviction for a violation of this section, the court shall order the defendant to pay restitution for any expenses incurred in locating or recovering the child.
8. The prosecuting attorney may recommend to the judge that the defendant be sentenced as for a misdemeanor and the judge may impose such a sentence if the judge finds that:
(a) The defendant has no prior conviction for this offense and the child has suffered no substantial harm as a result of the offense; or
(b) The interests of justice require that the defendant be punished as for a misdemeanor.
9. A person who aids or abets any other person to violate this section shall be punished as provided in subsection 1.
10. In addition to the exemption set forth in subsection 11, subsections 4 and 5 do not apply to a person who demonstrates a compelling excuse, to the satisfaction of the court, for relocating with a child in violation of NRS 125C.006 or 125C.0065 .
11. This section does not apply to a person who detains, conceals, removes or relocates with a child to protect the child from the imminent danger of abuse or neglect or to protect himself or herself from imminent physical harm, and reported the detention, concealment, removal or relocation to a law enforcement agency or an agency which provides child welfare services within 24 hours after detaining, concealing, removing or relocating with the child, or as soon as the circumstances allowed. As used in this subsection:
(a) Abuse or neglect has the meaning ascribed to it in paragraph (a) of subsection 5 of NRS 200.508 .
(b) Agency which provides child welfare services has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 432B.030 .
Source: NV Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-200.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026