Nevada Recording, Tracking & Surveillance Laws

At a glance

Adult subject — e.g., a spouse

Your own minor child

As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”

General (any subject)

Recording & consent

Nevada splits the rule by medium. For in-person conversations Nevada is one-party consent (NRS 200.650) — you may record a conversation you take part in. But for telephone calls, the Nevada Supreme Court reads NRS 200.620 to require all-party consent (extended to cell calls and texts). Recording a phone call without everyone's consent is a Category D felony.

So recording your own face-to-face conversation is generally fine, but recording a phone call needs everyone's consent. The federal overlay still applies.

Recording law enforcement

Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — Nevada sits in the Ninth Circuit — as long as you don't physically interfere. Recording a public encounter you're part of isn't a private conversation under the wiretap statutes.

GPS & vehicle tracking

Nevada has no statute written only for GPS trackers, but secretly tracking someone can be charged under the stalking law (NRS 200.575). Tracking a vehicle you own is generally fine; secretly tracking someone else can be criminal. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.

Private-investigator licensing

Nevada requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under NRS Chapter 648, through the Private Investigators Licensing Board (PILB). No one may work or advertise as a PI without a PILB license; applicants need substantial investigative experience and must pass an exam.

Out-of-state investigator reciprocity

Nevada's PILB doesn't publish a general reciprocity license we could confirm — an investigator licensed elsewhere normally needs Nevada licensure to work here. Confirm current terms with the PILB before working a Nevada case.

Hidden cameras in private areas

Nevada bars peering or peeping into a dwelling (NRS 200.603) and capturing the image of another person's private area without consent where they reasonably expect privacy (NRS 200.604). Hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, and changing areas are off-limits, and a camera that also records audio can trigger the all-party phone rule.

Cameras in your own home / nanny cams

You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks NRS 200.604 — and remember a phone call captured in the home needs all-party consent (NRS 200.620), even though in-person audio is one-party.

Doorbell & outdoor cameras

A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine for video — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or if the mic captures a phone call (all-party). Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.

Workplace & employee recording

Nevada's in-person one-party rule applies to workplace conversations, but recording a phone call still needs all-party consent (NRS 200.620). Secretly recording conversations you're not part of runs into the wiretap statutes. Employers who monitor email or work systems should give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.

Drone surveillance

Nevada has a drone statute: NRS 493.103 makes it a civil offense to fly a drone over another person's property below 250 feet (after notice), and NRS 200.604 criminally covers using a drone to capture images of someone's private area. So low-altitude drone flights over private property create civil liability, and drone voyeurism is a crime. General flight and filming from public vantage points remain legal; FAA rules govern the airspace.

See an error or an out-of-date citation? Please let us know.

General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Nevada Codes and consult a licensed Nevada attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.