Shoplifting: Merchant may request person on premises to keep merchandise in full view; detention of suspect; immunity of merchant from liability; display of notice.
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 597.850
in effect1. As used in this section and in NRS 597.860 and 597.870 :
(a) Merchandise means any personal property, capable of manual delivery, displayed, held or offered for sale by a merchant.
(b) Merchant means an owner or operator, and the agent, consignee, employee, lessee, or officer of an owner or operator, of any merchants premises.
(c) Premises means any establishment or part thereof wherein merchandise is displayed, held or offered for sale.
2. Any merchant may request any person on the merchants premises to place or keep in full view any merchandise the person may have removed, or which the merchant has reason to believe the person may have removed, from its place of display or elsewhere, whether for examination, purchase or for any other purpose. No merchant is criminally or civilly liable on account of having made such a request.
3. Any merchant who has reason to believe that merchandise has been wrongfully taken by a person and that the merchant can recover the merchandise by taking the person into custody and detaining the person may, for the purpose of attempting to effect such recovery or for the purpose of informing a peace officer of the circumstances of such detention, take the person into custody and detain the person, on the premises, in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable length of time. A merchant is presumed to have reason to believe that merchandise has been wrongfully taken by a person and that the merchant can recover the merchandise by taking the person into custody and detaining the person if the merchant observed the person concealing merchandise while on the premises. Such taking into custody and detention by a merchant does not render the merchant criminally or civilly liable for false arrest, false imprisonment, slander or unlawful detention unless the taking into custody and detention are unreasonable under all the circumstances.
4. No merchant is entitled to the immunity from liability provided for in this section unless there is displayed in a conspicuous place on the merchants premises a notice in boldface type clearly legible and in substantially the following form:
Any merchant or his or her agent who has reason to believe that merchandise has been wrongfully taken by a person may detain such person on the premises of the merchant for the purpose of recovering the property or notifying a peace officer. An adult or the parents or legal guardian of a minor, who steals merchandise is civilly liable for its value and additional damages. NRS 597.850 , 597.860 and 597.870 .
Source: NV Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-597.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026