What are Nevada's adoption laws?

Nevada adoption is handled by the District Court in your county and governed by Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 127, with no minimum residency period before you can file. Here are the main points for stepparents and for adults considering adult adoption.

Where you file: Nevada has 17 counties, and adoption cases go through the District Court. For an adult adoption, you file in the county where either the adopter or the adoptee lives. The clerk in your county can tell you the current filing fee and local procedures.

Residency: Nevada sets no minimum residency period for stepparent adoption (NRS 127D.120(1)). You don't have to wait before filing.

Child's consent: A child who is 14 or older must consent to the adoption (NRS 127D.110(1)(c)).

Abandonment: If the other legal parent has had no contact for 6 months, that can be relevant to the case (NRS § 128.012). Whether it applies depends on your family's facts, so ask the District Court clerk or an attorney about your situation.

Ending the other parent's rights: Termination of parental rights is handled through a separate petition. If the other parent is unknown, unreachable, or opposes the adoption, speak with an attorney or the court clerk about that issue.

Home study: Home studies are waived in stepparent adoptions (NRS chapter 127D).

Timeline: Stepparent adoptions of a minor typically take 3-6 months. Adult adoptions typically take 4-8 weeks.

Adult adoption: Nevada allows it. The main points:

• The adopter must be at least 10 years older than the adult being adopted, and cannot adopt their own spouse (NRS 127C.700).
• You and the adoptee sign a written agreement stating you assume the parent-child relationship, and the court approves it by order (NRS 127C.710).
• A spouse of the adopter or the adoptee must agree if they are not lawfully separated and are capable of agreeing.
• The adoptee's parents are not required to agree, nor is anyone else.
• The adoptee may request a name change in the petition.
• The court sets a hearing unless it waives the hearing at the petitioners' request. Both parties appear, and remote appearance is allowed (NRS 127C.720).

Adopter age: Nevada requires an adult adopter. For minors, the age-gap rule has details and a possible exception, so ask the clerk about your situation (NRS 127C.210(1)(b), (2)).

How we help: StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county. You then file it yourself without an attorney. Court-ready documents are delivered within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, backed by our 100% court acceptance guarantee. The price is $349 for the first child or one adult adoptee, plus $99 for each additional child. We've helped 518 Nevada families, and more than 34,000 families nationwide since 2001.