Emancipation of a Minor in Nevada

The forms and information on this page only applies to minors who live in Clark County, Nevada.  If you live somewhere else, check with your local court to see if they have forms and information.

Emancipation is the process where a minor child under the age of 18 is legally declared an adult by a judge.  A Nevada minor can petition the court to be emancipated if:

• The minor is at least 16 years old;
• The minor is married or living separate and apart from his or her parents; and
• The minor is a resident of this county in Nevada.

The judge will want to know about the following things through your paperwork and also at your hearing:

• Whether the parents / legal guardians consent;
• Whether the minor is able to support him/herself without financial assistance;
• Whether the minor is mature and knowledgeable enough to manage his or her own affairs; and
• Whether emancipation is in the minor's best interest.

If emancipation is granted, the minor is treated as an adult for most purposes. 

Petitioning for Emancipation

The Nevada minor seeking emancipation must follow these steps to ask the court to be emancipated:

1. Complete the Paperwork
2. File the Paperwork
3. Serve the Parents and Required Agencies (the most important and often forgotten step!)
4. Go to the Hearing
5. Serve the Final Order

Step 1: Complete the Paperwork

A minor living in Clark County, Nevada who wants to be emancipated will need to complete the forms below to open a case. If a parent or legal guardian will consent to the emancipation, that person should also complete a Consent to Emancipation.

Family Court Cover Sheet - REQUIRED

This form asks for basic information about you.  You are the "petitioner."  The Clerk of Court uses this information to open your case with the court.

Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf)  Family Court Cover Sheet (pdf fillable)

Petition for Emancipation - REQUIRED

This is the legal form asking to be emancipated.  You must include information about your parents, legal guardians, schooling, and employment.

Petition for Emancipation (pdf)

Notice of Hearing - REQUIRED

All emancipation requests require a hearing in front of a judge.  The Notice of Hearing sets a court date for your request.  Include the names of the parents / legal guardians, or, if there are none, include the name of the closest relative living in Nevada.  You must also include your probation officer if applicable.  

Notice of Hearing (pdf)

Consent to Emancipation

If either parent or legal guardian will agree to the emancipation, they must complete this form.  Each parent / guardian must complete a separate form, indicating their agreement to the emancipation. 

Consent to Emancipation (pdf)

Step 2: File the Paperwork

After you fill out the papers above, you will need to file all of the documents with the family court to open up a case. The fee to file these papers is $270. The fee is payable 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 three ways:

1. By Mail: You can mail your forms and the filing fee to (mail takes 4-6 weeks to process):

   Family Courts and Services Center
   Attn: Clerk of Court
   601 North Pecos Road
   Las Vegas, NV 89101

2. 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.
    
3. In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information).

Step 3: Serve the Parents/Guardians and Agencies

Who to Serve:

There are a number of people who must be "served" with copies of your legal papers.  The Petition for Emancipation and the Notice of Hearing must be served on all of the following people:

• Both parents and/or legal guardians.  If the parents/guardians cannot be found, then you must serve your closest relative who lives in Nevada.
• Your legal custodian (this is usually your parents/guardian).
• The Clark County District Attorney (their office is in the Family Court Complex).
• Your probation officer, if you have one.

How to Serve the Papers:

• For people who will sign for the papers: Anyone who will willingly sign for the papers can accept the papers from you and then fill out an Acceptance of Service form.  The District Attorney and your probation officer will usually sign this form to accept service of the documents.  Print out a copy of the Acceptance of Service form for each person who will willingly sign for the papers, and have them sign the form when they accept the documents:
  
  Acceptance of Service (pdf)
   
• For people who will not sign for the papers: The documents must be hand-delivered to anyone who will not sign for the papers.  Someone over the age of 18 who is not part of this case must serve the papers - you cannot serve them.  The person who serves the documents will have to fill out an Affidavit of Service for each person served.  Print out a copy of the Affidavit of Service form for each person you think will need to be "served."
  
  Affidavit of Service (pdf)

You must file an Acceptance of Service or an Affidavit of Service for all of the people required to be served.  Make sure all of the papers proving service are filed before your hearing. 

Step 4: Go to the Hearing

Most hearings take place by video.  You should receive instructions on participating in the hearing a few days before. 

At the hearing, the judge will ask you some questions and decide whether to grant the emancipation.  If the judge grants your request, you will need to provide a Recommendation and Decree of Emancipation to the judge to sign.  

Recommendation and Decree of Emancipation (pdf)

Step 5: Serve the Final Order

After the judge signs the Recommendation and Decree of Emancipation, you must mail a copy of the order to all of the same people that you served in step 3.  You must file a Notice of Entry of Order to notify everyone of the order and as proof that you served everyone. 

When you get your signed copy of the Decree, fill out the Notice of Entry of Order and attach a copy of the filed Recommendation and Decree of Emancipation.  File this form with the court and mail a copy of the Notice of Entry of Order (with the Decree attached) to all of the same people you served with the initial paperwork.  These people should all be listed in the "certificate of mailing" portion of the form.

Notice of Entry of Order (pdf)