If you or someone you love has a conviction in Nevada and is looking for a pardon, this guide is written for you. Nevada has one of the most distinctive pardon statutes in the country. Under NRS 213.090, a full unconditional pardon by the Board restores ALL civil rights, including without limitation the right to bear arms, and relieves the person of ALL disabilities incurred upon conviction. Every pardon the Board grants is presumed to be full and unconditional unless the official pardon document explicitly says otherwise. That makes Nevada's pardon one of the most complete remedies available anywhere. The Board itself is unusual: it includes not just the Governor and Attorney General but all seven justices of the Nevada Supreme Court, making it the largest pardon board in the series by membership and the only one in this series that includes a state supreme court as a body. I have been through the system myself, and most of the fear comes from not knowing how the process works. So let me walk you through it in plain language. None of this is legal advice, and every case is different, so treat this as a map and lean on a lawyer for the turns.
What Nevada offers: the forms of clemency
The Nevada State Board of Pardons Commissioners has authority under Article 5, Section 14 of the Nevada Constitution to grant pardons, commutations, and remissions of fines and forfeitures for offenses against the laws of Nevada. The power to grant a pardon does not extend to crimes committed under federal law or the laws of any other state.
A full unconditional pardon removes all legal disabilities resulting from the conviction and restores all civil rights, including without limitation the right to bear arms. A conditional pardon restores some but not all rights, with the specific limitations stated in the official document; the Board may, for example, grant a pardon that restores most civil rights but excludes firearms. A commutation of sentence reduces or modifies the terms of an active sentence; people on parole who want a commutation must use the separate process under NRS 176.033 and may not apply through the pardon process. Remission of fines or forfeitures waives financial obligations imposed by the conviction.
Who decides: the Board of Pardons Commissioners
Nevada's Board of Pardons Commissioners is unlike any other pardon authority in this series. Under NRS 213.010, the Board consists of the Governor, the Attorney General, and all seven justices of the Nevada Supreme Court. The Governor serves as chairman. A majority of the Board is required to approve a pardon, and that majority does not need to include the Governor. This means the supreme court justices, who collectively outnumber the Governor and Attorney General combined, have the determining influence in any contested pardon decision.
The Board meets semiannually or more often to consider applications; in practice this means only a few meeting dates per year, which limits how many applications can be heard. When a meeting is scheduled, the Board provides at least 15 days of written notice to each registered victim of any crime for which a pardon is being considered. Victims may submit written responses at any time before the meeting and may participate in the hearing itself. Proceedings are subject to the Nevada Administrative Procedure Act, so the public receives advance notice of hearings and the minutes of meetings are public record, including specifically how each member voted. This transparency makes Nevada's pardon proceedings among the most publicly accountable in the series, and also means that a denial by a specific justice or the Attorney General becomes part of the public record.
Who is eligible and how to apply
Only Nevada state court convictions are eligible. The power to pardon does not extend to federal convictions or out-of-state convictions.
All applicants must have completed their sentence, including parole and probation, before applying. People who are currently on parole and seeking a commutation of sentence are not eligible for the pardon process; they must use the separate process under NRS 176.033 for early termination of parole.
The Board applies informal waiting periods based on the seriousness of the offense. For lesser offenses, applicants are generally expected to have at least five years of crime-free conduct after sentence completion before applying. For more serious crimes, the informal expectation extends to up to twelve years. Individuals with multiple felony convictions face greater scrutiny, and the Board evaluates post-conviction conduct, employment history, community service, and educational achievements as part of its assessment. Sex crimes requiring registration are rarely pardoned due to public safety concerns, and even when a pardon is granted for a sex offense, it does not relieve the offender of the requirement to register. Sex offenses also cannot be sealed under Nevada law regardless of whether a pardon has been issued.
Applications are submitted to the Executive Secretary of the Pardons Board. The application can be completed and submitted in one of two ways: printed and filled out by hand or typewriter, or completed on a computer and printed for submission. Both options use the same Application for Pardon form available at pardons.nv.gov. The application must be complete before it proceeds; an incomplete submission is screened out at the initial stage.
The application requires detailed information about the conviction and sentence, the applicant's full criminal history, conduct since completing the sentence, employment history, community service and involvement, educational achievements, and any other factors relevant to demonstrating rehabilitation. The Board considers a wide range of factors including the applicant's character, conduct, criminal record, mental and medical health status, and other significant personal history. Once received, the Executive Secretary conducts a preliminary check for eligibility and completeness. Applications that pass this initial screening are assigned to the Division of Parole and Probation for investigation. The Division conducts an objective evaluation of the applicant and delivers a written report to the Board. The Board then considers the application, with the P&P investigation report and all submitted materials, at a scheduled meeting. Because meetings occur only a few times a year, timing an application to align with the Board's calendar is a practical planning consideration.
Contact information for the Board of Pardons Commissioners: 1677 Old Hot Springs Road, Suite A, Carson City, Nevada 89706; telephone (775) 687-6568.
What a full pardon does in Nevada
The pardon statute at NRS 213.090 is one of the strongest in the country. A person granted a full unconditional pardon by the Board is restored to all civil rights, including without limitation the right to bear arms, and is relieved of all disabilities incurred upon conviction. Every pardon the Board grants is presumed to be full and unconditional unless the official pardon document explicitly states limitations.
The official pardon document must explicitly state that firearms rights have been restored if that is part of the grant, and the person may use the official pardon document as proof that they have been restored to their civil rights. The Ninth Circuit has recognized that a full unconditional Nevada pardon releases the offender from all penalties and impairments such that the pardoned conviction does not qualify as a predicate felony for federal weapons prosecution. This is a meaningful federal law distinction: in many states, a state pardon's effect on federal firearms disabilities is uncertain, but Nevada's full unconditional pardon and the federal case law interpreting it provide stronger clarity for pardon holders who receive the explicit firearms restoration statement in their official documents.
Jury service is subject to time restrictions after a pardon: a pardoned person may serve on a civil jury immediately upon receiving the pardon, but must wait six years before serving on a criminal jury and four years before holding public office. These staggered timelines apply even when the full pardon is unconditional.
Licensing boards in Nevada retain some authority to consider the underlying conduct even after a pardon. Under Nevada law and the 2003 Attorney General opinion, a pardon removes all legal disabilities but does not attest to rehabilitation and does not override a licensing board's authority to condition licensure on a finding of good moral character. This means a pardon may help with employment in general, but regulated professions with character requirements may still evaluate the underlying conduct independently of the pardon.
A pardon does not erase or expunge the conviction from the criminal record. The conviction will still appear on background checks even after the pardon is granted. Nevada has a separate record sealing process for eligible convictions, and applicants can pursue a record seal regardless of whether they have been pardoned. In general, a record seal is easier to obtain than a pardon and removes the conviction from public view, which may be the more practical goal for many people. The two processes serve different purposes: a pardon restores civil rights and relieves legal disabilities; a record seal limits public access to the record.
Sexual offenses under Nevada law cannot be sealed even after a pardon, as confirmed by the Nevada Supreme Court in In re Sang Man Shin (2009). This double limitation, where sex offenses are rarely pardoned and cannot be sealed even when pardoned, means that people with sex offense convictions in Nevada have very limited avenues for record relief. And a pardon does not relieve a sex offender of the requirement to register.
A note on voting rights in Nevada
Voting rights in Nevada were significantly liberalized in 2019. Under Nevada Assembly Bill 431, effective July 1, 2019, people released from prison, parole, or probation have the right to vote immediately upon release. A pardon is not required to restore voting rights in Nevada for most people. Anyone who has completed their Nevada sentence is generally eligible to vote without waiting for or obtaining a pardon.
A note on federal convictions
If the conviction is a federal conviction, the Nevada Board of Pardons Commissioners cannot help you. Federal clemency is granted by the President of the United States, and applications go through the Office of the Pardon Attorney within the United States Department of Justice. The federal and state processes are entirely separate.
Where this leaves you
Nevada's pardon is one of the most complete forms of relief in the series because of the NRS 213.090 presumption: every pardon is full and unconditional unless explicitly limited, and a full pardon restores everything. The combination of the statute's comprehensive language and the federal case law confirming the removal of federal firearms disabilities makes a Nevada pardon particularly powerful for people whose primary goals include firearms rights restoration. For most other purposes, including voting, Nevada law now provides automatic restoration upon sentence completion. The practical focus of the pardon process in Nevada is therefore firearms restoration, occupational licensing relief, jury service timing, and the broader recognition that comes with having the Board's formal grant of forgiveness. The Board meets only a few times a year, so timing submissions to align with upcoming hearing cycles is a practical consideration that an attorney familiar with the Board's schedule can help with. Prepare a thorough application, document post-sentence conduct carefully, and be specific about why the pardon is needed. The waiting periods of five to twelve years depending on offense seriousness are what drive the timeline more than any other single factor; counting back carefully from the date of discharge from supervision is the first step in assessing eligibility.