Nevada CCW Class: Curriculum, Range Test, and Renewal

Nevada CCW class requirements are set by the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association and approved by each county sheriff: first-time applicants complete at least eight hours of classroom instruction, pass a live-fire qualification with a minimum score of 70 percent, and receive a Certificate of Completion and Firearm Proficiency that is good for one year. Renewal students sit through a shorter four-hour version of the same course and shoot the same qualification.¹²

Who Can Use the Certificate

Anyone can sit in a gun safety class. Only people who meet Nevada’s permit eligibility can use the completion certificate to apply. Under NRS 202.3657, you must be at least 21, or 18 if you are active-duty military, a reservist, a National Guard member, or a veteran with an honorable discharge.³ You also have to be legally allowed to possess a handgun under state and federal law.

Federal law bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison, anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and anyone subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order.⁴ Nevada layers on more disqualifiers: an outstanding arrest warrant, a judicial finding of incompetence, admission to a mental health facility within the past five years, habitual abuse of alcohol or controlled substances, a violent misdemeanor conviction in the past three years, current parole or probation, or certain protective orders.⁵

If any of those apply to you, the background check will catch it after you apply, and your training fees and application fees are non-refundable. Confirm you are eligible before you book the class.

Classroom Hours and Curriculum

Initial applicants complete a minimum of eight hours of classroom instruction. The eight hours can be split into two four-hour sessions held no more than 15 days apart, which some instructors offer for people who cannot block out a full day.²

A large portion of the lecture covers Nevada’s self-defense laws. Instructors work through NRS 200.120, which defines justifiable homicide as the use of deadly force in necessary self-defense or defense of an occupied home or vehicle against someone committing or attempting a violent crime. Nevada imposes no duty to retreat so long as you are not the original aggressor, you have a right to be where you are, and you are not engaged in criminal activity at the time.⁶

The rest of the classroom day moves through the civil and criminal exposure that follows a self-defense shooting (a prosecutor’s decision not to charge you does not block the other party or their family from suing), the restricted locations where permit holders cannot carry, safe firearm storage to keep guns away from children and prohibited persons, and the mechanics of how handguns operate. You need to absorb this material. The live-fire test is only half the course.

Range Qualification Standards

After the classroom portion you prove you can actually shoot. The standard course of fire uses 30 live rounds for firearms holding six or more rounds, or 25 rounds for five-shot revolvers.² The 30-round course is fired at three distances:

Three yards: 6 rounds.
Five yards: 12 rounds.
Seven yards: 12 rounds.

The target must be a humanoid-style silhouette such as the B-27, B-21, or FBI Q. Passing requires a minimum score of 70 percent, which works out to at least 21 of 30 shots landing inside the scoring area.² There is no time limit at any distance, which keeps the emphasis on accuracy. Instructors watch muzzle discipline and trigger control throughout the exercise, and unsafe gun handling can fail you regardless of your score.

You qualify only with the type of firearm you actually shoot during the test. If you plan to carry both a revolver and a semi-automatic, you need to qualify with each one. The firearm types you passed with are listed on your completion certificate.

The Certificate and Your Instructor

When you pass both portions, the instructor issues a Certificate of Completion and Firearm Proficiency. It must show your full legal name, the instructor’s printed name and signature, and the date you finished the course. The certificate is valid for one year.² If it expires before you submit your application to the sheriff, you have to retake the entire course. Most people move quickly to the sheriff’s office once the course is done for exactly this reason.

Your instructor must be certified by a local law enforcement agency. In Clark County that is the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; in Washoe County it is the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. If you take the class from someone who is not on the approved list for the county where you plan to apply, the sheriff’s office will reject the certificate. Verify your instructor’s certification before you pay.

Out-of-state applicants have to complete the course inside Nevada with a Nevada-certified instructor. No out-of-state course certifications are accepted.¹

Renewal Class Requirements

A Nevada concealed carry permit is good for five years. To renew, you take a four-hour refresher that still includes live-fire qualification on the same course of fire described above, and you receive a new certificate to attach to your renewal application.¹⁵

Nevada allows a late renewal for up to 364 days past the expiration date with a $15 late fee on top of the standard renewal fee. If more than 364 days lapse, the four-hour refresher is no longer enough: you start over as a new applicant and take the full eight-hour course.⁵

What the Class Does Not Authorize

A completed course and an issued permit do not let you carry everywhere, and they do not override federal firearm prohibitions. These are worth knowing before you walk out of the classroom thinking the permit solves every scenario.

NRS 202.3673 lists off-limits locations even for permit holders: public buildings on the property of a public airport; public buildings on the property of a public school, child care facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education campus (unless you have written permission under NRS 202.265); and any public building with metal detectors at every public entrance or signs posted at every entrance stating that firearms are not allowed.⁵ Federal buildings, post offices, and areas beyond TSA checkpoints at airports are off-limits under 18 U.S.C. § 930 regardless of your state permit.

Marijuana is the other trap people miss in Nevada. Recreational use is legal under state law, but federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) prohibits anyone who is an unlawful user of a controlled substance from possessing a firearm or ammunition, and marijuana remains a controlled substance federally.⁷ Holding a medical marijuana card creates a presumption of current use for federal firearms purposes, and current use also triggers Nevada’s habitual-use-of-a-controlled-substance disqualifier at the sheriff’s office.⁵ No amount of class time changes that.

1
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Carry Firearm Permits
2
Churchill County Nevada. Nevada Concealed Handgun Training Standards
3
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3657 – Application for Permit; Eligibility; Denial or Revocation of Permit
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
5
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 202 – Crimes Against Public Health and Safety
6
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 200.120 – Justifiable Homicide Defined; No Duty to Retreat Under Certain Circumstances
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts