Nevada Mental Health Crisis Hold: 72 Hours, Petition Deadline, and Your Rights

In Nevada, a person placed on a mental health crisis hold can be detained for up to 72 hours, weekends and holidays included, and must be released at the end of that time unless a court petition has been filed or the person has agreed to stay voluntarily. If a petition is filed, the court hearing must happen within six judicial days after the clerk receives it. If someone you care about has just been placed on a hold, the most useful first step is to ask the facility for the exact date and time the hold was placed. This guide is part of our series on involuntary psychiatric hold rules by state.

The Nevada hold at a glance

A Nevada mental health crisis hold, which people often still call a “Legal 2000,” lets a person be detained for assessment, evaluation, intervention, and treatment for no more than 72 hours, counting weekends and holidays, and the facility must release the person when that time ends unless a petition for court-ordered admission has been filed with the district court clerk or the person has become a voluntary patient. The rules sit in Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 433A, and the 72-hour limit is in NRS 433A.150. The 72 hours is the number that controls everything else, so it is worth writing down the start time on day one.

The short version of the mechanics:

Detention limit: The hold may last no more than 72 hours, including weekends and holidays.

Release trigger: The person must be released at 72 hours unless a petition is filed or the person’s status changes to voluntary.

Hearing deadline: After a petition reaches the clerk, a hearing must be held within six judicial days unless the person’s attorney and the district attorney agree to a different date.

Court-ordered stay limit: An involuntary admission order expires after six months unless it is renewed.

Who can place a hold in Nevada

Under NRS 433A.160, a hold can be placed by an officer authorized to make arrests or by a physician, physician assistant, psychologist, marriage and family therapist, clinical professional counselor, social worker, or registered nurse. The person placing the hold needs probable cause to believe the person is in a mental health crisis, based on personal observation or a court order. The hold is made by taking the person into custody without a warrant and completing the state’s prescribed form. A hold is a crisis-stabilization step, not a finding by a judge, and it does not by itself decide anything about the person’s long-term care.

What happens during the first 72 hours

The steps below follow NRS 433A.162, 433A.165, and 433A.170. A facility generally cannot admit a person for emergency admission until all of them are done.

Medical exam: A physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse examines the person to check for a medical condition that needs immediate treatment.

Certificate: A qualified provider completes a certificate stating that the person was examined and is in a mental health crisis, and the examination behind it must be no more than 72 hours old.

Admission evaluation: A psychiatrist or psychologist evaluates the person at admission, and a psychiatrist approves the emergency admission.

Family notice: For adults, the facility must ask the person for permission to notify family within 24 hours of emergency admission. For minors, notice of the hold must be attempted within 8 hours.

If the medical condition needs more than 72 hours of treatment, the examiner must file a petition for involuntary admission with the district court clerk on the first business day after determining that treatment is needed, with updates filed every 7 days afterward.

How the 72 hours runs on a real calendar

Here is the part most families do not expect. Because the 72 hours counts weekends and holidays, a hold placed on a Friday at 6 p.m. reaches its limit on Monday at 6 p.m. The statute says the person can stay beyond that only if a petition is filed with the district court clerk before the close of the business day on which the 72 hours expires. If the clerk’s office is closed when the period expires, the petition is due by the close of the next business day. This worked example comes from reading NRS 433A.150, and the exact timing in any case depends on when the hold was actually placed.

Then the hearing clock starts. Judicial days leave out weekends and court holidays, so six judicial days usually runs more than a week on the calendar. A person held on a Friday could therefore be in a facility for well over a week before a judge hears the case. That is why the written start time matters: it lets a family and an attorney check whether every later deadline was counted from the right moment.

The petition and the court hearing

A petition for involuntary court-ordered admission under NRS 433A.200 can be filed by a physician, physician assistant, psychologist, social worker, registered nurse, or an officer authorized to make arrests. It must include either a certificate from a qualified examiner or a sworn statement based on personal observation. Once the clerk receives it, the petition goes to a district judge right away.

Under NRS 433A.220, notice goes to the person, the person’s attorney, any legal guardian, the petitioner, the district attorney, the designated advocacy agency, and the facility. Examiners must submit written findings at least 24 hours before the hearing. If the court does not find clear and convincing evidence of a mental health crisis, it must order release within 24 hours. If it orders involuntary admission, that order expires after six months unless renewed.

Five questions to ask the facility today

Each question below has a specific answer the facility can give you, and writing the answers down creates a record you can hand to an attorney.

Start time: Ask, “What date and time was the hold placed, and what date and time does the 72 hours end?”

Paperwork: Ask for a copy of the hold form and the rights notice given to the person.

Petition status: Ask, “Has a petition been filed with the district court, and if so, on what date?”

Hearing date: Ask for the hearing date and the name of the attorney assigned to the person.

Discharge plan: Ask who will set the follow-up appointment before discharge, and for the date in writing.

If the facility cannot answer the first question, ask to speak with the charge nurse or the social worker on duty. A person who has been placed on a hold, or a family member, can also ask an attorney or the designated advocacy agency named in the notice about the person’s rights.

Who pays for the medical exam

For the medical exam that comes before emergency admission, NRS 433A.165 says the county generally pays the cost unless the person, an insurer, or a state or federal program pays. The statute does not promise that the whole stay is free, and charges for the psychiatric portion of a stay vary. Ask the facility’s billing office for an itemized statement and ask what insurance has been billed.

When a hold involves a minor

If the person is under 18, the person placing the hold must try to get consent from a parent or guardian when that is practicable, and records of those attempts must be kept until the person turns 23. For a petition involving an unemancipated minor, a petitioner who is not a parent or guardian must include a signed statement from a parent or guardian who does not object. Parents who were not reached should call the facility and ask to be listed as contacts.

When to call 988 or 911

A hold is not an emergency service, and this site is not one either. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. If a person is thinking about suicide or is in emotional distress, call or text 988, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is available at any hour. The National Institute of Mental Health’s help page also lists ways to find a provider and crisis resources.

Planning for care after the hold ends

A Nevada hold can end with release, voluntary treatment, or a court order, and a person is more likely to follow through on care when the next appointment is already on the calendar before discharge. The same practical question runs through every state in our series. For comparison, read how Pennsylvania handles the first hours in our guide to the PA 302 timeline and rights, how Virginia splits the process in our guide to the ECO and TDO timeline, and how Colorado counts its window in our guide to the 72-hour emergency hold. Questions about firearms after a hold are covered in our guide to psychiatric holds and gun rights under federal law, and work questions in our guide to FMLA leave and ADA rights after a hold.

A professional assessment can help decide whether outpatient care, residential treatment, or another level of care fits. To talk through options for a person you care about, call 866-644-7911. For free, confidential treatment referrals at any hour, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357. If you want to talk with someone about next steps after a hold, you can reach us at 866-644-7911.

Statute provisions described here were checked against the text published on the Nevada Legislature website on October 17, 2026, and may be amended. Confirm current text and ask an attorney about a specific case. The state-by-state differences are collected on the involuntary psychiatric hold rules by state hub page.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal or medical advice. It does not replace guidance from a licensed attorney or a qualified healthcare professional. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.