A Nevada trespass warning card is a written notice a property owner or manager hands to someone they want kept off the premises, documenting the demand to leave that NRS 207.200 requires before a return visit becomes a crime. Nevada law does not actually mandate the card. A spoken order to leave is legally sufficient on its own. The card exists because paper trails win cases: when someone comes back, prosecutors can point to a dated, signed document proving the person knew they were banned.
What NRS 207.200 Requires
The statute lists five ways to give “sufficient warning against trespassing.” Four of them apply to land itself: fluorescent orange paint at intervals no greater than 1,000 feet, a fence or wall or hedge (barbed wire alone does not count), “no trespassing” signs at intervals no greater than 500 feet, or active cultivation of cropland. The fifth is the one behind the card: “an oral or written demand to any guest to vacate the land or building.”1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 207.200 – Unlawful Trespass Upon Land; Warning Against Trespassing
Spoken commands work in theory. In practice they are hard to prove weeks later in a courtroom, which is why casinos, shopping centers, and apartment managers hand over a physical card. The card converts a he-said-she-said dispute into documented evidence.
The statute uses the word “guest,” and the definition is broad: any person entertained or to whom hospitality is extended, including overnight visitors. A tenant under Nevada’s landlord-tenant laws is not a guest.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 207.200 – Unlawful Trespass Upon Land; Warning Against Trespassing You cannot use a trespass card to remove someone who holds a valid lease. That takes a formal eviction through the courts.
What to Put on the Card
The statute prescribes no format, so property owners have flexibility. The whole point of the card is to make prosecution easy if the person comes back, so more detail is better. Cards used by Las Vegas casinos, hotel properties, and retail chains typically include:
- Full name and date of birth of the banned person, to prevent claims of mistaken identity.
- Physical description — height, weight, hair color, distinguishing features — so security staff can recognize the person on return.
- Property address or name, defining exactly where the person is prohibited from entering, including common areas and parking structures.
- Date and time of issuance, which starts the clock for criminal liability under NRS 207.200.
- A brief reason for the warning, such as disorderly conduct, shoplifting, or harassment.
- Name and signature of the person issuing the card, authenticating the document and identifying who can later testify.
- A signature line for the recipient. If the person signs acknowledging receipt, that removes almost any defense about lack of notice. Many people refuse. The card still works without a signature.
Pre-printed forms are available from local law enforcement agencies and security industry suppliers. If you draft your own, aim for a card an officer responding to a future call can look at and immediately confirm the person was warned.
How to Deliver the Warning
Hand the card directly to the person. Start with a clear verbal statement that they are no longer welcome and must leave, then present the card. Spoken and written notice together is the strongest possible evidence under NRS 207.200.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 207.200 – Unlawful Trespass Upon Land; Warning Against Trespassing
Not everyone cooperates. If the person refuses to take the card, describe its contents aloud in their presence. The statute requires a demand to vacate, not physical acceptance of a piece of paper. Setting the card on the nearest surface, or dropping it at their feet, while explaining what it says accomplishes the same thing.
These encounters can get tense. Bring a second staff member or security officer as a witness who can testify later. A recording from a security camera or phone is stronger still. Once the warning is delivered, the person needs to leave promptly. If they refuse, that itself may be a trespass violation, and calling police at that point is appropriate.
How Long a Warning Lasts
NRS 207.200 creates criminal liability for anyone who “willfully goes or remains upon any land or in any building after having been warned” within a specific lookback period.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 207 – Miscellaneous Crimes A warning does not last forever for criminal purposes. If the lookback period expires without any return visit, a fresh warning would be needed to support a new charge.
Nothing stops a property owner from issuing a new card when the original period runs out, and many commercial properties do exactly that for people they want permanently banned. Some owners write a specific expiration date on the card itself.
Penalties for Returning After a Warning
Violating a valid trespass warning is a misdemeanor. A person who willfully returns faces up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code NRS 193 – Punishment of Misdemeanors A judge may substitute community service for part or all of that punishment.
Stiffer penalties apply in certain settings. NRS 207.200 notes that “a greater penalty is provided pursuant to NRS 200.603,” which covers trespass on the premises of a licensed establishment. Anyone entering property with the intent to vex or annoy the owner, or to commit an unlawful act, can also be charged under NRS 207.200 without any prior warning. The warning requirement only attaches to the “willfully goes or remains” prong of the offense.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 207.200 – Unlawful Trespass Upon Land; Warning Against Trespassing
Who You Cannot Trespass
The right to exclude has real limits, and ignoring them can turn a routine trespass warning into a discrimination lawsuit.
If you run a place of public accommodation, such as a hotel, restaurant, theater, gas station, or entertainment venue, federal civil rights law requires equal access regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin. A trespass warning used as a pretext to exclude someone based on a protected characteristic violates Title II of the Civil Rights Act.4United States Department of Justice. Title II Of The Civil Rights Act (Public Accommodations)
Housing properties carry additional restrictions under the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.5U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act An apartment manager who issues trespass warnings to guests of certain tenants based on race risks a federal fair housing complaint.
The Americans with Disabilities Act also constrains trespass authority. Businesses open to the public must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all public areas. Allergies, fear of dogs, and local health codes are not valid grounds for exclusion. A service animal can only be removed if it is out of control and the handler does not take effective action, or if the animal is not housebroken. Even then, the business must still offer the person an opportunity to receive goods or services without the animal present.
Filing With Police and Keeping Records
The card only works as evidence if you can produce it when it matters. After issuing a warning, keep a copy in a trespass log with notes about the behavior that prompted the ban, the names of any witnesses, and any photos or video. Store both digital and physical copies.
Filing a copy with your local police department is what makes enforcement practical. Once officers enter the warning into their records system, a responding officer who gets a call at your property can verify through dispatch that a prior warning exists. That verification is often the difference between officers telling the person to leave and officers making an arrest. Without a filed record, police usually have to treat the encounter as a first contact and issue a new verbal warning instead of taking enforcement action.
Trespass records contain personal identifying information: names, dates of birth, physical descriptions. Limit access to authorized personnel, keep the records secure, and retain them only as long as the warning remains relevant. Once a ban has expired and the person is no longer a concern, keeping their personal data serves no purpose and creates unnecessary liability.