Municipal judges: Election; term; oath; qualifications; justice of the peace as ex officio municipal judge.
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 5.020
in effect1. Except as provided in subsection 3 and NRS 266.405 , each municipal judge must be chosen by the electors of the city within which the municipal court is established on a day to be fixed by the governing body of that city. The term of office of a municipal judge is the period fixed by:
(a) An ordinance adopted by the city if the city is organized under general law; or
(b) The charter of the city if the city is organized under a special charter.
Ê Before entering upon his or her duties, a municipal judge shall take the constitutional oath of office.
2. A municipal judge must:
(a) Be a citizen of the State;
(b) Except as otherwise provided in the charter of a city organized under a special charter, have been a bona fide resident of the city for not less than 1 year next preceding his or her election;
(c) Be a qualified elector in the city;
(d) Be registered to vote in the city; and
(e) Not have ever been removed or retired from any judicial office by the Commission on Judicial Discipline.
3. The governing body of a city, with the consent of the board of county commissioners and the justice of the peace, may provide that a justice of the peace of the township in which the city is located is ex officio the municipal judge of the city.
4. For the purposes of this section, a person shall not be ineligible to be a candidate for the office of municipal judge if a decision to remove or retire the person from a judicial office is pending appeal before the Supreme Court or has been overturned by the Supreme Court.
Source: NV Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-005.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026