Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 253 - Public Administration of Estates and Public Guardians
NRS 253.0405 - Circumstances under which public administrator or certain other person may secure and administer assets of estate; access by other persons to property of estate.


1. Subject to the provisions of subsections 2 and 3, before the issuance of the letters of administration for an estate, before filing an affidavit to administer an estate pursuant to NRS 253.0403, before petitioning to have an estate set aside pursuant to NRS 253.0425, and without giving notice to the next of kin, the public administrator or a person employed or contracted with pursuant to NRS 253.125, as applicable, may act on behalf of the estate of a deceased person to identify and secure all tangible and intangible assets of the estate if the administrator or person finds that:
(a) There are no relatives of the deceased who are able to protect the property; or
(b) Failure to do so could endanger the property.
2. A public administrator or a person employed or contracted with pursuant to NRS 253.125, as applicable, shall not distribute, liquidate or otherwise administer any assets of an estate which are identified and secured pursuant to subsection 1 unless:
(a) A court has issued letters of administration for the estate; or
(b) A court order authorizing the public administrator or person to act as administrator of the estate has been issued.
3. A public administrator or a person employed or contracted with pursuant to NRS 253.125, as applicable, may, for the purpose of protecting the assets of an estate which are identified and secured pursuant to subsection 1, authorize any of the following persons to access the real and personal property of the estate:
(a) A relative of the deceased;
(b) A named executor or named trustee of the estate; or
(c) An attorney or any other natural person designated by the next of kin of the deceased.
(Added to NRS by 1983, 1597; A 1991, 197; 1999, 918; 2009, 2269; 2015, 1912; 2019, 1538)

Structure Nevada Revised Statutes

Nevada Revised Statutes

Chapter 253 - Public Administration of Estates and Public Guardians

NRS 253.010 - Election; term of office; qualifications; certain county officers ex officio public administrators; exceptions.

NRS 253.020 - Oath and bond.

NRS 253.025 - Deputies: Appointment; oath; recording of appointment; liability of public administrator; qualifications; exception.

NRS 253.040 - Authority to administer estates; application for letters of administration; bond.

NRS 253.0403 - Administration of estate in which gross value of decedent’s property does not exceed $25,000.

NRS 253.0405 - Circumstances under which public administrator or certain other person may secure and administer assets of estate; access by other persons to property of estate.

NRS 253.0407 - Authority and procedure for donation or destruction of certain property of estate.

NRS 253.0415 - Duties in administering estate; estates that administrator or certain other persons are not to administer; transporting property of decedent in smaller counties.

NRS 253.042 - Investigatory powers.

NRS 253.0425 - Administration of or petition to set aside estate after investigation of gross value.

NRS 253.0435 - General powers; exception.

NRS 253.0447 - Payment for expenses incurred in performance of duties; exception.

NRS 253.050 - Compensation.

NRS 253.060 - Applicability of rules and laws governing other administrators and executors.

NRS 253.070 - Officers and other persons to furnish information.

NRS 253.080 - Institution and maintenance of actions.

NRS 253.091 - Reports to and investigations by board of county commissioners; independent audit reports in smaller counties.

NRS 253.110 - Prohibition against interest in expenditures.

NRS 253.120 - Expiration of term, employment or contract: Surrender of books and papers; successor administrator or other person.

NRS 253.125 - Abolishment of office of public administrator in county whose population is less than 100,000.

NRS 253.150 - Establishment of office by county commissioners; appointment, designation or contract; compensation.

NRS 253.160 - Bond; oath.

NRS 253.170 - Vacancy.

NRS 253.175 - Deputies: Appointment; oath; recording of appointment; liability of public guardian; compensation.

NRS 253.180 - Subordinates, consultants and assistants.

NRS 253.190 - Records.

NRS 253.200 - Qualifications of person for whom public guardian may be appointed; petition for appointment; accounting and report to be filed by temporary guardian in certain circumstances.

NRS 253.210 - Powers, duties, rights and responsibilities.

NRS 253.215 - Legal assistance.

NRS 253.220 - Investigation of financial status, assets and personal and family history of protected person for whom public guardian has been appointed or upon referral of potential protected person by certain agencies.

NRS 253.230 - Allocation of costs incurred in appointment proceedings and administrative costs.

NRS 253.240 - Value of guardian’s services allowable as claim against estate of protected person; deposit of money received by public guardian.

NRS 253.243 - Request for advance of money to pay expenses of guardianship; payment of advances; reimbursement of advances from assets of estate of protected person.

NRS 253.245 - Reports and budgets to and investigations by board of county commissioners.

NRS 253.250 - Termination of appointment.