Title 21

NRS 266.016 Definitions. As used in NRS 266.016 to 266.0445, inclusive, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. “Qualified elector” means a person who is registered to vote in this State and is a resident of the area to be included in the proposed city, as shown by the last off…

NRS 266.017 Area suitable for incorporation. The area to be included in a city proposed to be incorporated pursuant to NRS 266.016 to 266.0445, inclusive, must: 1. Be currently used or suitable for residential, commercial, industrial or governmental purposes. 2. Be contiguous and…

NRS 266.018 Notice to incorporate: Filing; contents. 1. If a committee of five qualified electors wishes to organize an incorporated city, it may file a notice to incorporate with the county clerk of the county in which the city proposed to be incorporated is located. 2. The noti…

NRS 266.019 Petition for incorporation: Contents; form. 1. The petition for incorporation must include the following information concerning the area proposed to be incorporated: (a) A description of the area prepared by a professional land surveyor licensed pursuant to chapter 62…

NRS 266.021 Petition for incorporation: Information; affidavits. 1. The petition may consist of more than one document. Each document must: (a) Be uniform in size and form; (b) Have affixed to it when filed, an affidavit signed by the person who circulated the petition which atte…

NRS 266.022 Petition for incorporation: Invalidation of signatures; number of signatures; filing. 1. The county clerk shall invalidate the signature of any qualified elector if the signature is not signed in ink and dated or if the signature is executed before the notice to incor…

NRS 266.023 Verification of signatures; request to remove name from petition. 1. Within 30 days after the petition is filed pursuant to NRS 266.022, the county clerk shall verify the signatures and issue a certificate as to the sufficiency of the petition and send a copy of the c…

NRS 266.024 Amendment of petition; verification of additional signatures. 1. A petition which lacks the required number of signatures may be amended once if the committee files a notice to amend with the county clerk within 2 days after it receives written notice from the county …

NRS 266.026 Determination of sufficiency of petition; review by board of county commissioners. 1. The county clerk shall promptly file with the board of county commissioners the certificate for: (a) A petition or amended petition which the county clerk determines is sufficient; a…

NRS 266.0261 Request for report from Committee on Local Government Finance; submission of copies of petition to planning agencies, local governments and Department of Taxation. Upon receipt of a petition that has been certified as sufficient by the county clerk, the board of coun…

NRS 266.0262 Review of petition by planning agencies and local governments. A commission, agency or district that receives a petition pursuant to subsection 3 of NRS 266.0261 may: 1. Review the petition for the proposed incorporation considering: (a) The operating charter or enab…

NRS 266.0263 Estimated fiscal effect of incorporation: Statement by Department of Taxation; review of statement by Committee on Local Government Finance. 1. The Department of Taxation shall prepare a concise statement concerning the estimated fiscal effect of the incorporation on…

NRS 266.0264 Determination by Committee on Local Government Finance that proposed area is unsuitable for incorporation. 1. If the Committee on Local Government Finance determines that a petition for incorporation does not satisfy the requirements set forth in NRS 266.017, it shal…

NRS 266.0265 Judicial review of determination that proposed area is unsuitable for incorporation. A qualified elector or any other person who has an ownership interest in real property within the area proposed to be incorporated, and who is aggrieved by the determination of the C…

NRS 266.027 Public hearing on petition and report of Committee on Local Government Finance. 1. The board of county commissioners shall, within 14 days after it receives the report requested pursuant to NRS 266.0261, designate a date, time and place for a public hearing on the pet…

NRS 266.028 Record of public hearing; testimony at hearing; additional hearings. 1. The board of county commissioners shall keep a record of the hearing and include as part of the record the report requested pursuant to NRS 266.0261 and any report submitted by a commission, agenc…

NRS 266.0285 Factors for consideration in determining advisability of incorporation and feasibility of proposed city. 1. To determine the advisability of incorporation and the feasibility of the proposed city, the board of county commissioners shall consider the following factors…

NRS 266.029 Opinion of board of county commissioners on advisability of incorporation and feasibility of proposed city; election required. 1. Upon conclusion of the final hearing, the board of county commissioners may take the matter under consideration and shall, within 30 days …

NRS 266.031 Withdrawal of petition. A petition for incorporation may be withdrawn at any time before the 30th day preceding the day of the election held pursuant to NRS 266.029 if a notice of withdrawal signed by at least four members of the committee is filed with the county cle…

NRS 266.032 Form and contents of ballot. The ballots used for the election held pursuant to NRS 266.029 must: 1. Be in substantially the following form: Shall the area described as .........................(describe area) be incorporated as the City of ................. (name of …

NRS 266.0325 Sample ballot: Distribution; form and contents; notice concerning availability of ballots in large type. 1. Before the applicable deadline for distributing mail ballots for an election held pursuant to NRS 266.029, the county clerk or registrar of voters shall distri…

NRS 266.033 Canvass of votes; notice of results. 1. The board of county commissioners shall canvass the votes in the same manner as votes are canvassed in a general election. Upon the completion of the canvass, the board shall immediately notify the county clerk of the result. 2.…

NRS 266.0335 Preparation of legal description of incorporated city. Upon approval of the incorporation by the voters, the board of county commissioners shall authorize a professional land surveyor licensed pursuant to chapter 625 of NRS to prepare a legal description of the area …

NRS 266.034 Liability for costs of incorporation. 1. The costs incurred by the board of county commissioners in carrying out the provisions relating to the incorporation, including the costs incurred in certifying the petition, publishing the notices, requesting the report pursua…

NRS 266.036 Election of officers of city; notice. 1. Upon approval of the incorporation by the voters, the board of county commissioners shall designate a date on which an election to elect the officers of the incorporated city will be held. The election must be held not less tha…

NRS 266.037 Limitations on circulation of petition for incorporation. A petition for incorporation must not be circulated for signatures or considered by the board of county commissioners for 1 year after the date on which: 1. A final determination of its insufficiency is made; 2…

NRS 266.038 Candidate for elective office of newly created city. A person who wishes to become a candidate for an elective office of a newly created city must: 1. Reside within the boundaries of the newly created city; and 2. File a declaration of candidacy, as defined in NRS 293…

NRS 266.039 Articles of incorporation. 1. The mayor of the city shall file three copies of the articles of incorporation of the city with the Secretary of State. 2. The articles of incorporation must be signed and verified by the mayor and include the name of the city, a descript…

NRS 266.041 Powers of elected officers before incorporation becomes effective. Before the incorporation of the city becomes effective, the elected officers of the city may: 1. Prepare and adopt a budget; 2. Adopt ordinances, including an ordinance fixing the salaries of the offic…

NRS 266.042 Effective date of incorporation; presumption of incorporation. 1. The incorporation of a city becomes effective: (a) If the election held pursuant to NRS 266.036 is held on or before the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday of November, on July 1 of the year next followin…

NRS 266.043 County entitled to receive taxes from city between notice of results of election and effective date of incorporation; special districts within city continue to exist. 1. During the period from the filing of the notice of the results of the election by the county clerk…

NRS 266.044 Apportionment of county’s fixed assets located within city. 1. The governing body of the incorporated city and the board of county commissioners of the county in which the incorporated city is located shall, before the date the incorporation becomes effective or withi…

NRS 266.0445 Assessment and taxation of certain property to pay for indebtedness of county. Any property located within an incorporated city which was assessed and taxed by the county before incorporation must continue to be assessed and taxed to pay for the indebtedness incurred…

NRS 266.045 Bonds of first elected officers. Whenever the inhabitants of any territory become incorporated under this chapter, the officers required by NRS 266.420 to give bonds shall do so in the penal sum of not less than $500, such bonds to remain in force until the passage of…

NRS 266.050 Specially chartered city may surrender charter and become organized under this chapter: Procedure. Any city now or hereafter organized pursuant to a special charter may surrender that charter and become organized pursuant to this chapter in the following manner: 1. Wh…

NRS 266.055 Categorization of cities by population. Municipal corporations organized pursuant to the provisions of this chapter must be divided into three population categories: 1. Those cities having 50,000 or more inhabitants are cities of population category one. 2. Those citi…

NRS 266.060 Attainment of higher population category; proclamation of Governor. 1. Whenever any city of population category two attains the population of 50,000 or more, or any city of population category three attains the population of 5,000 or more, and that fact is ascertained…

NRS 266.066 Judicial proceedings: Judicial notice of change in population category and organization of city and ordinances, rules, resolutions and regulations of city council; pleading and proof. 1. All courts of this state shall take judicial notice in all civil or criminal acti…

NRS 266.070 Vested rights on incorporation or change in population category; remedies. 1. All rights and property of every kind which were vested in any municipal corporation under its former organization shall be deemed to be vested in the same municipal corporation upon its bec…

NRS 266.075 Existing ordinances and resolutions remain effective on organization or change in population category; no alteration in legal identity. 1. All ordinances and resolutions in force in any city when the city becomes organized or changes its population category pursuant t…

NRS 266.080 Officers continue in office on organization or change in population category; terms of officers elected on organization. 1. When any city now existing under a special charter is organized under the provisions of this chapter, or by proclamation of the Governor changes…

NRS 266.085 City is municipal corporation; name; general powers. 1. Cities incorporated pursuant to this chapter: (a) Are municipal corporations. (b) Shall be known and designated by the name and style adopted. 2. Under such name, cities may: (a) Sue and be sued. (b) Contract and…

NRS 266.095 Number; population and form; division of city by county commissioners during incorporation; change of boundaries. 1. In a city incorporated pursuant to this chapter, the city may be divided into wards by ordinance as follows: (a) A city of population category one, int…

NRS 266.105 Power of city council to pass ordinances, resolutions and orders and provide fines or penalties for enforcement of ordinances. 1. The city council may make and pass all ordinances, resolutions and orders, not repugnant to the Constitutions of the United States or of t…

NRS 266.110 Enactment of ordinance: Subject; title. 1. No ordinance shall be passed except by bill, and when any ordinance is amended, the section or sections thereof shall be reenacted as amended. 2. Every ordinance, except those revising the city ordinances, shall embrace but o…

NRS 266.115 Enactment of ordinance: Style; introduction and notice; final action; publication. 1. The style of ordinances must be as follows: “The City Council of the City of ......................... do ordain.” All proposed ordinances, when first proposed, must be read by title…