Nevada Employment Discrimination Law: The NRS 613 Guide
Nevada's fair employment law (NRS 613.310 et seq.) prohibits workplace discrimination because of race, national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age (40+), and disability at employers with 15 or more employees. You have 300 days to file with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, which accepts complaints online only.
Reviewed by Erika Smolyar, admitted in Nevada · Bar No. 16450
Nevada at a glance
- Statute
- Nevada's fair employment practices law (Equal Opportunities for Employment) — NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive
- Harassment covered at
- 15 or more employees (same threshold)
- Discrimination covered at
- 15 or more employees (NRS 613.310(2) — 15+ employees for each working day in each of 20+ calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year; includes the State of Nevada and political subdivisions)
- State agency deadline
- 300 days from the alleged violation to file with NERC (NRS 233.160(1)(b))
- Federal EEOC deadline
- 300 days (Nevada is a deferral state — NERC is an EEOC-listed FEPA)
- Civil suit
- Per NRS 613.430: no action under NRS 613.420 or Title VII more than 180 days after the act OR more than 90 days after the NERC/EEOC right-to-sue notice, whichever is later; limitation tolled during pendency of a NERC or EEOC complaint
- After right-to-sue
- 90 days from receipt of right-to-sue notice (NRS 613.412 — available on request after complaint pending 180+ days; NRS 613.420 — issued if NERC finds no violation)
- Damages
- Federal Title VII caps apply to combined compensatory + punitive: $50,000 (15-100 employees); $100,000 (101-200); $200,000 (201-500); $300,000 (more than 500)
- State agency
- Nevada Equal Rights Commission (NERC)
Verified against primary sources 2026-06-10. Statute: NRS 613.310 to 613.4383, inclusive
What you can recover under Nevada's fair employment practices law
- Nevada law expressly incorporates the Title VII remedy scheme (NRS 613.432, added 2019/amended 2021)
- Back pay and reinstatement
- Injunctive relief
- Compensatory and punitive damages subject to federal caps
Special provisions worth knowing
- Hair texture + protective hairstyles expressly protected (NRS 613.310(6)-(7))
- Sexual orientation + gender identity/expression expressly protected — broader on its face than Title VII's enumerated list
- Age-discrimination appeals get expedited briefing (NRS 613.435)
- Nevada Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act (NRS 613.4353-613.4383)
Discrimination by protected ground in Nevada
Coverage thresholds and deadlines differ by ground. Each one below is a separate claim — and an employer can violate more than one at once.
Race & national origin
15+ · 300 days · NERC
Nevada's NRS 613 prohibits race and national-origin discrimination at employers with 15 or more employees, and expressly protects hair texture and protective hairstyles. You have 300 days to file with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission, which accepts complaints online only. Remedies mirror federal Title VII, with damages subject to federal caps.
Disability
15+ · 300 days · NERC
NRS 613 and the federal ADA require Nevada employers with 15 or more employees to reasonably accommodate disabilities and bar disability harassment. File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days (online only). After a right-to-sue notice you have 90 days to sue; remedies follow the federal Title VII scheme.
Age (40+)
15+ · 300 days · NERC
The federal ADEA and Nevada's NRS 613 protect workers 40 and older from age discrimination at employers with 15 or more employees. File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days online. Nevada gives age-discrimination appeals expedited briefing. After a right-to-sue notice, you have 90 days to file suit.
Religion
15+ · 300 days · NERC
Title VII and Nevada's NRS 613 require employers with 15 or more employees to reasonably accommodate sincerely held religious practices and bar religious harassment. File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days (online only). Remedies mirror federal Title VII; after a right-to-sue notice, you have 90 days to sue.
Sexual orientation & gender identity
15+ · 300 days · NERC
Nevada's NRS 613 expressly protects sexual orientation and gender identity or expression — broader on its face than federal law. Discrimination and harassment are unlawful at employers with 15 or more employees. File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days online; remedies follow the federal Title VII scheme.
Retaliation
15+ · 300 days · NERC
NRS 613.340 makes it unlawful to retaliate against an employee for opposing discrimination or filing a charge, testifying, or participating in an investigation. File with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission within 300 days (online only). After a right-to-sue notice you have 90 days to sue; remedies mirror federal Title VII.
Where to file in Nevada
NERC
Las Vegas Office
7220 Bermuda Road, Suite 100Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 486-7161
NERC
Northern Nevada Office (Reno)
1325 Corporate Blvd., Room 115Reno, NV 89502
(775) 823-6690
Online-only filing — NERC no longer accepts complaints by mail, fax, or in person. Callers needing accommodation may phone either office.
File with NERC →Employment Discrimination guides by city in Nevada
Was it also sexual harassment?
The same treatment can be both. If what happened to you in Nevada was tied to your race, age, disability, sex, pregnancy, religion, or national origin, a second set of protections may apply, with its own deadlines.
Common questions
How do I file a discrimination complaint in Nevada?
The Nevada Equal Rights Commission accepts complaints online only — no mail, fax, or in-person filing. You have 300 days from the discriminatory act. After NERC issues a right-to-sue notice, you have just 90 days to file a lawsuit, so don't wait once you receive it.
Does Nevada protect natural hair and hairstyles?
Yes. NRS 613 expressly protects hair texture and protective hairstyles (such as braids, locs, and twists) as part of race discrimination — Nevada's version of a CROWN Act. Grooming policies that target these hairstyles can be unlawful race discrimination.