If you find a pet in your Nevada rental that you did not approve, check the lease first. Then ask the tenant about it. They may need the animal because of a disability. Review that need before you demand a fee or tell them to remove it. If a pet breaks a valid lease rule, use the state’s notice and court process. Do not change the locks.
Updated October 8, 2026.
This guide covers rented homes under Nevada’s Chapter 118A. It is general information, not legal advice. Some homes have special funding or fair-housing rules. If you face a dispute over a tenant’s needs or an eviction, ask a Nevada lawyer to review the case.
Start with the pet clause you actually signed
Read the signed lease. Does it allow pets, and how should the tenant register them? NRS 118A.200 says written leases must cover pets, required fees and their purpose, and deposits and refund terms. With no written lease, the law starts from the view that there are no pet limits. You can dispute that view.
A pet addendum is a signed part of the lease. Name each pet you approve. Set rules for noise, waste, damage and control in shared areas. Make number or size limits clear. Include a way to ask for a change due to a disability. Consent for one dog does not approve the next pet.
Did the tenant fail to register a pet your lease allows? You may be able to agree on a signed addendum and lawful charges. If the pet itself breaks a rule, name it. Keep requests based on disability separate from the pet process. A reasonable accommodation is a reasonable change to a rule that the person needs because of a disability.
Pet deposits share Nevada’s three-month ceiling
Count all the money you hold before you ask for a pet deposit. NRS 118A.240 and 118A.242 set one cap: three months’ periodic rent. The security deposit, any surety bond’s value and last month’s rent all count toward it. So does money held for pet damage or cleaning. Each pet does not get a separate cap.
Example: suppose the periodic rent is $2,000. The cap is $6,000. You hold a $4,000 deposit and $2,000 for last month’s rent. You have reached the cap, so you cannot add a $500 pet deposit. Without the last-month payment, that pet deposit would bring the total to $4,500. These are sample sums, not suggested prices.
A pet fee still falls under the deposit rules if you hold it for damage or cleaning. NRS 118A.242 allows a reasonable cleaning charge that the lease says will not be refunded. That narrow rule does not let you keep every damage deposit with no refund.
When the tenancy ends, keep only what is reasonably needed for unpaid rent, damage the tenant caused beyond normal wear, or reasonable cleaning costs. NRS 118A.242 requires a written account of each charge. Give that account and return the rest within 30 days after the tenancy ends. Keep dated photos, notes and repair bills. A pet’s presence alone is not proof of damage.
Recurring pet rent must fit the disclosed total
Pet rent pays for the right to keep a pet. A deposit is money held against future damage or other allowed costs. Keep those uses clear in the lease and rent ledger.
Assembly Bill 121 changed how you must show rent from October 1, 2025. NRS 118A.200 now requires one figure for the maximum total periodic rent. It must include all required fees. Use that figure wherever you list rent due and wherever the written lease refers to rent. You cannot charge more periodic rent than the lease’s stated maximum. Some utility charges have special rules; there is no general pet-fee exception.
For example, a tenant must pay $1,900 in base rent and $40 in pet rent each month. Show the total as $1,940, not just the $1,900 base rent. If they add a pet later, agree on the lease change before adding a charge.
Check funding rules before enforcing a no-pet policy
Check whether state funds helped pay for the housing. Under Senate Bill 166, a grant from Nevada’s supportive-housing program comes with a pet rule. It took effect October 1, 2025. NRS 319.600 says grant recipients must agree in writing to let tenants keep at least one pet. Laws on public health, animal control and cruelty still apply.
NRS 319.530 covers homes acquired, built or rehabilitated with money from the state’s Account for Affordable Housing. Tenants there must be allowed one or more pets, subject to applicable laws. Rules for pet registration, noise, clean homes and shared areas, restraint in shared areas, waste removal and vaccines are still allowed. Check the funding records; a low rent alone does not show which program applies.
SB 166 does not force every private landlord to accept pets. Outside these programs, check the lease and any request based on disability.
Dog-breed insurance rules are a separate question
Breed alone does not make a dog dangerous or vicious under NRS 202.500. Cities and counties cannot make or enforce that kind of breed-only rule either. This law does not itself tell a private landlord to accept every pet.
SB 166 changed NRS 687B.383 to cover multifamily homes too. It removed solely from the ban on breed-based insurance decisions. The rule covers specified homeowners, renters, manufactured/mobile-home, multifamily and umbrella policies. An exception remains for a particular dog known or declared to be dangerous or vicious. It requires sound underwriting and actuarial principles. Check your policy before blaming a breed limit on state law.
Review assistance animals before treating them as pets
A service dog does trained work for a person with a disability. An emotional support animal may help through its presence alone. The DOJ’s ADA guide says comfort alone is not a trained task. But rules for public places do not answer every question about a rented home.
For homes covered by Nevada’s fair-housing law, NRS 118.105 protects a person with a disability who needs an animal. You cannot refuse to rent solely because it assists, supports or provides service to that person. You may ask for proof of that help. This can include a health-care provider’s statement about how the animal reduces the effects of the disability. NRS 118.101 also requires reasonable changes to rules when the person needs them to use and enjoy the home. State law does not require every support animal to be trained.
The DOJ/HUD joint statement says you need no further facts when both the disability and need are clear. If either needs proof, focus on that question. You usually do not need full medical records. Keep a tenant’s full health history out of routine pet forms.
What changed at HUD in May 2026
HUD changed which cases its fair-housing office, FHEO, will pursue. Its May 22, 2026 memo limits reasonable-cause findings and recommended charges to cases where animals are trained for work or tasks tied to a disability. It confirms that the older animal guidance was withdrawn. The Federal Register notice gives the withdrawal date: September 17, 2025.
People can still bring their own court cases. The memo does not address complaints under Section 504 or the ADA. Under 24 CFR 100.204, reasonable changes needed to use and enjoy a home are still required. Nevada’s support-animal law remains in place too. Do not use the memo to reject every request for an untrained animal.
Charges and safety need individual decisions
The DOJ/HUD statement bars extra fees or deposits as the price of granting a reasonable accommodation. Actual damage is a separate issue. You may charge repair costs in line with your normal practices. Review the need for the animal and any request to waive a fee before setting charges.
Record what the animal did. Under 24 CFR 100.202, a direct threat or substantial physical damage can affect the right to housing. The DOJ/HUD statement calls for reliable, objective proof and review of reasonable changes that could address the threat. Breed alone or a neighbor’s unease is not enough.
Document the problem, then use the right notice
Confirm the facts without surprise entry
Note what you saw, when and what the tenant said. Save the lease clause at issue. Distinguish a pet that is visiting from one that lives there. Review any request based on disability.
If you need to inspect the home, follow NRS 118A.330. In most cases, give at least 24 hours’ notice. Enter at a reasonable time during normal business hours. An emergency is an exception. The tenant may also expressly agree to shorter notice or other hours for that particular entry. Suspecting a pet does not give you the right to harass the tenant.
Distinguish a cure period from an eviction
NRS 118A.430 deals with a breach, meaning a failure to follow the lease or basic tenant duties. The written notice must state what the tenant did or failed to do. It must also state the terms for ending the lease. If the breach can be fixed, the tenant has five days after receipt to fix it adequately or use their best efforts.
If the tenant cannot reasonably fix the breach, they have another route. They can let you enter and fix it to avoid ending the lease. They must pay the reasonable costs or damages from the breach or fixing it. This needs their consent; you cannot seize an animal.
NRS 40.2516 deals with a separate notice: follow the lease term or give up the home within five days after service. Meeting the term in time saves the lease from forfeiture. Ask your lawyer which notice applies and how to count the days. Receipt, service and later court deadlines are distinct.
Service means giving formal notice as the law requires. NRS 40.280 requires a sheriff, constable, licensed process server or a Nevada lawyer’s agent for the relevant notices. Allowed methods other than handing the notice to the tenant also require mailing. A text about the dog does not replace service.
If the breach still gives lawful grounds to end the lease, you may seek a court order under NRS 40.254 or the ordinary unlawful-detainer rules. NRS 118A.480 lets you regain the home through legal proceedings, surrender or abandonment as defined by law. You cannot force the tenant out by changing locks, cutting essential services or removing their belongings.
Keep the outcome in the property file
Keep the signed lease change or your decision on the tenant’s request. Save notices, proof of service and a note of how the issue ended. When the tenancy ends, check for animals and record any damage.
Need help with the lease, home checks or talking to tenants? See Utopia’s homes and condos management service. You can ask our Las Vegas office or Reno office about your Nevada home.
Nevada pet-law questions
Does each pet get a separate deposit limit?
No. There is one cap of three months’ periodic rent. Add the pet deposit, other security deposit, any surety bond’s value and last month’s rent. Check that total before you ask for more money to hold for damage or cleaning.
Can I evict as soon as I find an unauthorized pet?
No. Read the lease and check whether funding rules require pets. Review any request based on a disability. If the pet breaks a valid rule, use the right notice and lawful service. If the breach is not fixed, go through the court process. Finding the pet does not let you lock the tenant out.
Did HUD’s 2026 change end Nevada support-animal protections?
No. The May 22, 2026 memo changes which cases FHEO will pursue. People can still bring their own court cases. NRS 118.105 also protects people who need assistance, support or service animals because of a disability in covered Nevada homes. Review the person’s need; do not reject every animal that lacks training.
Sources
All sources checked 2026-10-08. Nevada citations use the current Legislature publication; the eCFR displayed content current through October 6, 2026. Agency guidance is identified separately from statutes and regulations.
- NRS Chapter 118A: leases, fee disclosure, deposits, entry, breach and possession — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS Chapter 118: Nevada fair-housing scope and animal accommodations — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS Chapter 40: lease-condition notices, court procedures and service — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS 319.530 and 319.600: funded-housing pet provisions — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS 202.500: dangerous and vicious dogs — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS 687B.383: dog-breed insurance restrictions and exceptions — checked 2026-10-08.
- 2025 Statutes, Chapter 227: enacted AB 121 — checked 2026-10-08.
- 2025 Statutes, Chapter 177: enacted SB 166 — checked 2026-10-08.
- NRS 218D.330: default effective date of enacted legislation — checked 2026-10-08.
- 24 CFR Part 100, Subpart D: disability discrimination and reasonable accommodations — checked 2026-10-08.
- DOJ/HUD 2004 joint statement on reasonable accommodations — checked 2026-10-08.
- DOJ ADA service-animal explanation — checked 2026-10-08.
- Federal Register: withdrawal of specified FHEO guidance — checked 2026-10-08.
- HUD May 22, 2026 animal-accommodation enforcement memorandum — checked 2026-10-08.
