File the Termination of Parental Rights Papers
To terminate a parent's rights, there are certain forms you must fill out and file with the court. You can find instructions and all the forms you need to file a termination of parental rights case in this section.
Before you begin:
- Is this page for me? This page is for people who want to terminate a parent's rights in Clark County Nevada only. If you need to file somewhere else, check with your local court to see if there are forms available.
- What laws apply? Terminating someone's parental rights is a very serious matter. Before you file anything, review the basics of the laws that apply on the TPR Overview page.
Follow these steps to file to terminate a parent's rights:
1. Fill out the forms. You have to fill out 3 forms to start your case.
2. File the forms. Turn in your completed forms by mail, efiling, or in person to the Clerk of Court.
3. Serve the other parent. You must have a 3rd person hand-deliver a copy of the filed forms to the other parent.
Learn more about each step below.
1. Fill out the forms
To file for a termination of parental rights, you will need to file ALL of these forms:
Family Court Cover Sheet
This form is REQUIRED. This form asks for basic information about you, the other parent, and the children. You are the Petitioner and the other parent is the Respondent. The Clerk of Court uses this information to open your case.
Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf) Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf fillable)
Petition to Terminate Parental Rights
This form is REQUIRED. This form tells the judge and the other parent why the parent's rights should be terminated. Fill out this form completely, and be as detailed as possible about the reasons you want the parent's rights terminated. The judge will rely on this information at the hearing.
Petition to Terminate Parental Rights (pdf)
Petition to Terminate Parental Rights (pdf fillable)
Notice of Hearing
This form is REQUIRED. This form sets a court date and tells the other parent they must attend the hearing if they want to oppose the termination. The Clerk of Court will fill in a hearing date when you file this form.
Notice of Hearing (pdf) Notice of Hearing (pdf fillable)
FYI!
Ask the Clerk to set a court date far enough away that will give you enough time to serve the documents. You will need to serve:
- The other parent. If you don't know where the other parent is, you may need to publish a notice in a paper and serve the parent's nearest known relative living in Nevada. This can take 60-90 days.
- If you receive public assistance, you must serve the Child Support Office at least 45 days before the hearing.
2. File the Papers
The court charges $270 to file the papers. You can pay by cash, money order, or most major credit/debit cards. If you cannot afford the fee, please see Filing Fees and Waivers to find out how to ask the court to waive the fee.
You can file your papers one of these ways:
- Online: You can file online through the court's e-filing system, eFileNV. There is a fee of $3.50 to upload your documents, in addition to the regular filing fee. You must register for an account, you must provide a valid email address, and you must be able to scan and upload your documents as separate pdfs. Do not upload one pdf with all of the forms included - this will significantly delay the processing. Each form needs to be filed as its own pdf, but you can upload all of them in one submission. Carefully follow the E-Filing Guide to avoid mistakes.
E-Filing Guide - In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information).
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By Mail: (mail takes about 6-8 weeks to process) Mail your forms and the filing fee (with check or money order made out to Clerk of Court) to:
Family Courts and Services Center
Attn: Clerk of Court
601 North Pecos Road
Las Vegas, NV 89101
3. Serve the other parent
The Court does not serve the papers for you. It is up to YOU to make sure the other parent gets served after you file or your case could get dismissed.
After you complete the steps on this page, you must find a neutral 3rd person to hand-deliver a copy of the petition and the notice of hearing to the Respondent. There are other options if the parent cannot be found. Learn all about how to have the other parent served on the Serving the Termination Papers page.
