Clark County Candidate Filing: Fees, Deadlines, and Penalties

Clark County candidate filing for non-judicial offices on the 2026 ballot runs from Monday, March 2 through Friday, March 13, 2026, and takes place in person at the Clark County Government Center at 500 Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas.¹ You bring identification, a specific form of payment, and a willingness to swear to your eligibility under penalty of perjury. The moment you walk out with a receipt, you are a candidate, and campaign finance reporting duties attach whether or not your campaign ever moves.

Who Can File

You must be a “qualified elector,” meaning you are a registered Nevada voter with the legal right to cast a ballot. The Declaration of Candidacy makes you swear to this under penalty of perjury.² For a partisan office, you must be registered with the party whose nomination you seek, and you cannot have changed party registration since December 31 before the filing deadline.

You must have actually lived inside the district, county, or area the office covers for at least 30 days before the close of filing. Nevada law distinguishes “actually” from “constructively” residing somewhere. Owning property in the district while sleeping elsewhere does not qualify. Your real, physical home has to be inside the boundaries.³

Most local offices require age 18. Some positions carry higher constitutional thresholds; governor, for instance, requires 25. Check the qualifications for your specific seat, because clearing the general voter standard does not automatically clear every office.

A past felony conviction is not an automatic bar. The Declaration includes a sworn statement that your civil rights have been restored. Nevada has a process for restoration that depends on the offense and the sentence, so confirm your eligibility with the Secretary of State’s office before filing day rather than at the counter.

Filing Fees by Office

Fees are fixed by state statute:⁴

County office: $100
Justice of the peace: $100
State senator or assembly member: $100
District judge: $150
State office other than governor: $200
District office other than district judge: $30
Constable or township office: $30

School board trustees and other unpaid positions pay no fee. The statute also clarifies that a county school district trustee is not a “county office” for fee purposes, so do not assume the $100 tier applies there.

Payment must be cash, a cashier’s check, or a certified check. Personal checks, campaign account checks, and credit cards are rejected.⁵ Bring the exact amount.

What to Bring and Where to Go

Bring a current driver’s license showing your current residential address. If your license address is out of date, or you do not have one, bring something that does show your current address: a utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck.⁵ The address you give has to match the home that satisfies your 30-day residency.

Clark County accepts filings in the Pueblo Room on the first floor of the Clark County Government Center, 500 Grand Central Parkway in Las Vegas, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is closed weekends and holidays, and closes at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13.¹ Candidates for statewide or multi-county offices file with the Secretary of State instead, either in Carson City or at the Las Vegas legislative building on Amigo Street.⁵

You can fill out the candidate forms in advance through the Secretary of State’s online portal, which generates a personalized packet. If you cannot appear in person, you may print the packet, have the Declaration of Candidacy notarized, and hand-deliver or mail it to the filing officer with your fee and ID. Mail carries risk: late or incomplete materials end your candidacy. In-person filing is the safest route.

What Happens at the Counter

You check in and meet with a deputy registrar. The central step is swearing or affirming the Declaration of Candidacy, a formal oath under penalty of perjury that everything on the form is true: your name, address, residency, voter registration, and eligibility. A false statement is a gross misdemeanor and can trigger a civil action to disqualify you from the office.² Once you sign, pay, and take the oath, the registrar processes everything and gives you a receipt. That receipt is your proof of candidacy.

Judicial Seats Are Not on This Calendar

If you want to run for district court judge, justice of the peace, Nevada Supreme Court, or Court of Appeals, the March window does not apply to you. Judicial filing for 2026 ran January 6 through January 16 and required additional questionnaires. If that window has already passed, you cannot use the non-judicial period to file for a judicial race.

If You Change Your Mind

Withdrawals must be in writing and presented in person within seven business days after the last day of filing. For 2026, that means your withdrawal has to reach the filing officer by the seventh business day after March 13. The withdrawal becomes effective at the end of that period.⁶

Withdrawing does not release you from campaign finance reporting. Pull out the day after you file and you still owe every Contributions and Expenses report for the cycle.⁷

Reporting Obligations That Attach When You File

The moment your filing is processed, NRS Chapter 294A locks you into a reporting schedule. You must file four Contributions and Expenses reports during the election year, due January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15, plus a final report due January 15 of the following year. Each report covers the preceding quarter.⁸

Contributions and expenses over $100 are reported individually; smaller amounts go in as totals. Everything is filed through the Secretary of State’s AURORA electronic system, and paper submissions are not accepted.⁷ The reports are public records.

You owe the reports if you take in nothing, spend nothing, face no opponent, lose the primary, or withdraw. The most common first-time mistake is assuming an inactive campaign has no reporting duty.

Late-Filing Penalties

Miss a deadline and the penalties begin at once:

1 to 7 days late: $25 per day
8 to 15 days late: $50 per day
More than 15 days late: $100 per day, up to $10,000 per violation

One narrow exception: a candidate for or holder of an uncompensated office who received no contributions and made no expenditures during the period is capped at $100 total.⁸ Everyone else is on the full schedule. A report filed three weeks late runs at least $1,225. Put every reporting deadline on your calendar the day you walk out of the Government Center with your receipt.

1
Clark County, Nevada. Candidate Filing Period Begins Monday, March 2
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 293 – Elections
3
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 293.1755 – Residency Requirements for Candidates
4
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 293.193 – Filing Fees
5
Nevada Secretary of State. Filing for Non-Judicial Office
6
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 293.202 – Withdrawal of Candidacy
7
Nevada Secretary of State. Campaign Finance Reporting Requirements
8
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 294A – Campaign Practices