Nevada Concealed Firearm Permit: NRS 202.350 Rules and Training

A Nevada concealed firearm permit is issued by the sheriff of your county on a shall-issue basis under NRS 202.3657: if you are at least 21, legally allowed to possess a firearm, and complete an approved handgun safety course, the sheriff must issue the permit.¹ The permit costs $99 in most counties, covers every handgun you own or later buy, and lasts five years.

Who Qualifies

Nevada residents apply to the sheriff of the county where they live. Non-residents can apply to the sheriff of any Nevada county.¹ Three core requirements apply:

You must be 21 or older. Applicants between 18 and 20 qualify only if they are active members of the Armed Forces, a reserve component, or the National Guard, or were honorably discharged from one of those branches.¹
You must not be prohibited from possessing a firearm under NRS 202.360 or federal law.
You must complete an approved firearm safety course and give the sheriff your certificate of completion.

One point that surprises many applicants: the permit is not tied to a specific handgun. A single application produces a single permit that covers every handgun you own or later acquire, and you do not list individual firearms on the form.¹

What Disqualifies You

NRS 202.360 lists the people who cannot possess a firearm in Nevada, let alone carry one concealed. A felony conviction in any jurisdiction is a permanent bar unless a pardon specifically restores your gun rights. A conviction for battery constituting domestic violence under NRS 200.485, or a substantially similar offense in another state, disqualifies you; that reaches convictions involving a spouse, former spouse, dating partner, co-parent, parent, or child. A stalking conviction under NRS 200.575 disqualifies you if the court entered a specific finding restricting your firearm rights. Other disqualifiers include being subject to an extended domestic violence protective order that includes a firearms prohibition, having an outstanding warrant, unlawful use of or addiction to a controlled substance, an adjudication of mental illness or a related finding, and being illegally or unlawfully in the United States.²

The permit statute layers on its own denial triggers. The sheriff must deny an application or revoke an existing permit if you have an outstanding arrest warrant, have been judicially declared incompetent, were admitted to a mental health facility within the last five years, or habitually use alcohol or controlled substances to the point of impairment.¹ The five-year mental health rule catches people who don’t have a permanent adjudication but were admitted, voluntarily or otherwise, in the recent past.

Marijuana and the Federal Conflict

This is where Nevada applicants get caught. Nevada has legalized recreational marijuana, but marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and federal law bars any unlawful user of a controlled substance from possessing a firearm.³ In January 2026, the ATF revised its definition of “unlawful user” to require regular, ongoing use rather than a single failed drug test or a single possession arrest; the federal standard now looks at use “with sufficient regularity and recency to indicate that the individual is actively engaged in such conduct.”⁴ Even after that change, regular marijuana users face a real conflict: a Nevada permit does not protect you from a federal firearms violation.

The Training Course

Every applicant must complete an approved firearm safety course. The statute accepts two categories:

A course approved by any Nevada sheriff that meets the standards set by the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association.
A course offered by a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, a community college or university, or a national organization that certifies firearm safety instructors.¹

Either way, the course must cover handgun use and Nevada’s laws on the use of a firearm. The Association’s standards were last revised in 2023. In practice, most approved courses run about eight hours and include a live-fire qualification on a range, though those specifics come from the Association’s standards rather than the statute itself. Before you pay for a course, confirm the instructor’s program is currently approved by a Nevada sheriff so the certificate is one the sheriff’s office will actually accept.

Applying and Paying the Fee

The application form is prescribed by the Department of Public Safety and available through each county sheriff’s office. You will provide personal identifying information, residential history, and answers to questions about your criminal and mental health background. Bring the following to your appointment:

The completed application form.
Your firearm safety course completion certificate.
A valid government-issued photo ID.
Payment for the application fee.

Staff will take your fingerprints and submit them to the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History and to the FBI for a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.⁵ The new-application fee is $99 in most Nevada counties and covers the background check and permit card.⁶ Confirm accepted payment methods ahead of time; many offices do not take personal checks.

Processing Time and Denials

The sheriff has up to 120 days to process your application. If nothing disqualifying turns up, the permit is mailed to you. That window covers running your criminal history and mental health records through state and federal databases, so there isn’t much you can do to speed it up beyond turning in a clean, complete application.

A denial must be in writing. You can challenge it by filing a petition for judicial review in the district court of the county where you applied. The court’s review is limited to whether the denial was arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion, following the procedural rules used to review agency decisions under Nevada’s Administrative Procedure Act.⁷ This isn’t a fresh trial on the facts; the court is checking whether the sheriff followed the law and had a reasonable basis for the outcome.

How Long the Permit Lasts

Your permit is valid for five years from the date of issuance unless the sheriff suspends or revokes it sooner.⁸ Renewal costs $64 in most counties. If you let the permit lapse, expect a late renewal fee of around $15 on top of the standard renewal cost, and don’t wait more than 364 days past expiration or you may have to start over as a new applicant.

While your permit is active, you must carry it along with valid photo ID whenever you have a concealed firearm on your person, and produce both if a peace officer asks. Failing to carry the permit while armed is a civil penalty of $25, not a criminal offense, but it’s an avoidable interaction with police.⁹ If you move or change your name, notify the issuing sheriff in writing within 30 days.¹⁰ Some counties charge a $25 civil penalty for missing that deadline.

Where the Permit Doesn’t Let You Carry

The permit gives you broad carry rights, but NRS 202.3673 identifies places where concealed carry is prohibited even with a valid permit:

Public buildings on the grounds of a public or private school, child care facility, or any campus of the Nevada System of Higher Education.¹¹
Public buildings with a metal detector at every public entrance, or signs at every public entrance stating firearms are not allowed.¹¹
Public buildings on the property of a public airport.

The rest of NRS 202.3673 works in the other direction: permit holders are generally allowed to carry concealed in public buildings that don’t fit those categories. Many people assume all government buildings are off-limits; the statute defaults to allowing carry and then lists the specific places where it isn’t.

Schools are covered separately. NRS 202.265 makes it a gross misdemeanor to possess a firearm on the property of any public or private school, child care facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education campus, with narrow exceptions for peace officers, school security guards, and individuals who have written permission from the principal or university president.¹² Written permission is rarely granted, so treat school grounds as entirely off-limits.

Federal Property and Airports

Your Nevada permit has no authority on federal property. Federal law prohibits firearms in any building or portion of a building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work, which covers federal courthouses, Social Security offices, and VA buildings.¹³ Post offices have a separate rule: federal regulations bar carrying a firearm on postal property, openly or concealed, with violations punishable by a fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both.¹⁴

National parks follow a different rule. You may possess a firearm in a National Park Service area if you comply with the firearm laws of the state where the park is located, so a valid Nevada permit lets you carry concealed in the Nevada portions of parks like Great Basin or Lake Mead. You still cannot bring a firearm into any federal facility within the park, including visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee collection buildings.¹⁵

For air travel, TSA rules require firearms to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container, and transported only in checked baggage. You must declare the firearm at the airline ticket counter at check-in. Ammunition also goes in checked baggage and must be securely packaged. No firearms or ammunition of any kind are permitted in carry-on.¹⁶ TSA treats a firearm as “loaded” if both weapon and ammunition are accessible to you, even in separate bags, so keep them separated and secured.

Carrying in Other States

Nevada recognizes concealed carry permits from certain other states, and some states recognize Nevada’s permit in return. The Nevada Department of Public Safety publishes the current recognition list through the Records, Communications and Compliance Division and updates it periodically. Reciprocity changes more often than most people expect, so check the current list before traveling with a firearm.

Even in a state that recognizes your Nevada permit, that state’s carry laws govern you, not Nevada’s. Prohibited locations, duty-to-inform rules, magazine capacity limits, and other restrictions vary widely. The permit gets you through the door; the host state’s rules control everything once you’re inside.

Penalty for Carrying Concealed Without a Permit

Carrying a concealed firearm without a permit is a category C felony under NRS 202.350, even on a first offense.¹⁷ A category C felony in Nevada carries one to five years in prison. A conviction also strips your firearm rights entirely under NRS 202.360.² The permit process costs $99 and some time. Skipping it can cost years and a permanent felony record.

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3657 – Application for Permit; Eligibility; Denial or Revocation of Permit
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.360 – Ownership or Possession of Firearm by Certain Persons Prohibited
3
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
4
Federal Register. Revising Definition of Unlawful User of or Addicted to Controlled Substance
5
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS)
6
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Firearm Permits
7
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 202 – Crimes Against Public Health and Safety – Section: NRS 202.3663
8
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 202 – Crimes Against Public Health and Safety – Section: NRS 202.366
9
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3667 – Permittee to Carry Permit and Proper Identification
10
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 202 – Concealed Firearms
11
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3673 – Permittee Authorized to Carry Concealed Firearm While on Premises of Public Building; Exceptions; Penalty
12
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.265 – Possession of Dangerous Weapon on Property or in Vehicle of School or Child Care Facility
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
14
eCFR. 39 CFR 232.1 – Conduct on Postal Property
15
National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
16
Transportation Security Administration. Firearms and Ammunition
17
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.350 – Manufacture, Importation, Possession or Use of Dangerous Weapon or Silencer; Carrying Concealed Weapon Without Permit; Penalties; Issuance of Permit to Carry Concealed Weapon; Exceptions