Fees for Nevada public records are flashpoint for government, transparency advocates
Summary
The Nevada Independent examined public-records fees across 17 Southern Nevada municipalities and found wide variation in what governments charge to fulfil requests. State law says agencies cannot charge more than the cost to maintain, print or provide records, but it doesn’t clearly address charging for staff time. Many local authorities label staff labour as “research hours” and bill requesters accordingly.
Key findings: some cities set explicit hourly research rates (North Las Vegas tops the list at $40/hour; Las Vegas charges $32/hour after the first 10 free hours). The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department now charges $80/hour for the time spent researching, redacting and preparing body-camera footage — down from a previously criticised $280/hour. Only around 2% of requests incur fees, but when fees apply they can be large; MuckRock reports Nevada requests with fees average about $3,573.
Key Points
Context and relevance
The story sits at the intersection of open-government law, media access and municipal budgeting. As government records become central to accountability — especially police body-cam footage — how agencies price access shapes who can afford scrutiny. The piece is particularly relevant to journalists, transparency advocates, researchers and Nevada residents who rely on public records to monitor government conduct.
The article also traces recent legislative shifts: SB287 tightened timelines and accountability for delays, while AB128 in 2025 dropped an ombudsman but formed a task force to reconcile differing views on what counts as a public record and what fees are reasonable.
Why should I read this?
Because if you care about seeing what your government is actually doing — and who gets priced out of looking — this cuts straight to the mechanics. It shows where fees hide (they call it “research hours”) and why that matters: expensive hourly rates and vague rules let agencies slow-walk or make requests prohibitively costly. Short version: it affects journalists, activists and citizens trying to hold officials to account — and it might affect you next time you ask for records.