The Nevada Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate that employers are legally obligated to pay employees. The federal minimum wage is a wage baseline, but different states, cities, and regions can adopt their own rates. 

State minimum wage: $12.00 for most employees (as of 2024)

Cities that have higher minimum wage:
In Nevada, the minimum wage is set at the state level, therefore the amount is the same across all cities.

→ Learn more about Deputy's labor law compliance software

Tipped minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally obligated to pay employees who earn a significant portion of their income through tips. 

Effective July 1, 2024, there is a uniform minimum wage of $12.00 per hour for all employees.

In Nevada, non-exempt employees who work over 8 hours in a rolling workday are entitled to overtime pay. Most employees receive overtime pay at 1.5 times their regular pay for all hours over 40 in a workweek.

Nevada wage and hour laws generally require employers to provide nonexempt employees with at least a 30-minute meal break every 8 hours of continuous work. In addition, employees must be provided with at least a 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked or a major portion thereof.

→ Find out how Deputy can help you simplify meal and rest break compliance

Vacation leave
Nevada is one of the few U.S. states requiring paid time off (PTO) to be mandatory for private employers. As of 2024, Nevada PTO law, Senate Bill (SB) No. 312, requires every employer with 50 or more employees to provide 0.01923 hours of paid leave for every hour an employee works, which is at least one hour for every 52 hours worked.

Paid Sick Leave
Nevada employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide their employees with paid sick leave. If an employer has less than 50 employees, they are not required to offer paid sick leave. 

However, federal law (FMLA) mandates that Nevada employers with 50 employees or more provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave. 

Holidays
Nevada isn’t required to provide employees with paid or unpaid holiday leave. However, private employers can require employees to work on holidays. The state observes the following 12 holidays:

1. New Year’s Day

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

3. President's Day

4. Memorial Day

5. Juneteenth

6. Independence Day

7. Labor Day

8. Nevada Day

9. Veterans Day

10. Thanksgiving Day

11. Family day

12. Christmas Day

→ Learn more about Deputy's leave management software

In the state of Nevada, minors between the ages of 14 and 15 are required to have written permission from a district court judge to work. They are prohibited from working between 7 PM and 7 AM. Their guardian must reserve 15-50% of the minor’s earnings. 

Minors between 14 and 15 cannot work during school hours. The only exception is if they are performing in a motion picture. They cannot work more than 3 hours per day on school days. However, they can work a maximum of 8 hours on non-school days. 

Minors 16 years or older can work in most jobs, except for those that are particularly dangerous, such as manufacturing and mining.

Hiring
In Nevada, federal and state laws provide legal protections against discrimination and harassment. Employment Practices NRS 613.330 under the Nevada Equal Rights Commission (NERC) states that it’s illegal for employers to discriminate or harass employees based on the following characteristics:

• Race/color

• National origin

• Religion

• Age (40 years or older)

• Disability 

• Sex/gender

• Pregnancy

• Sexual orientation

• Gender identity or expression 

Firing
Nevada supports “at-will” employment laws. All Nevada employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason and no reason at all. The only exception is if there is a case of wrongful termination retaliation.