Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 281A - Ethics in Government
NRS 281A.430 - Contracts in which public officer or employee has interest prohibited; exceptions; request for relief from strict application of certain provisions.


1. Except as otherwise provided in this section and NRS 218A.970 and 332.800, a public officer or employee shall not bid on or enter into a contract between an agency and any business entity in which the public officer or employee has a significant pecuniary interest.
2. A member of any board, commission or similar body who is engaged in the profession, occupation or business regulated by such board, commission or body may, in the ordinary course of his or her business, bid on or enter into a contract with an agency, except the board, commission or body on which he or she is a member, if the member has not taken part in developing the contract plans or specifications and the member will not be personally involved in opening, considering or accepting offers.
3. A full- or part-time faculty member or employee of the Nevada System of Higher Education may bid on or enter into a contract with an agency, or may benefit financially or otherwise from a contract between an agency and a private entity, if the contract complies with the policies established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada pursuant to NRS 396.255.
4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, 3 or 5, a public officer or employee may bid on or enter into a contract with an agency if:
(a) The contracting process is controlled by the rules of open competitive bidding or the rules of open competitive bidding or for a solicitation are not employed as a result of the applicability of NRS 332.112 or 332.148;
(b) The sources of supply are limited;
(c) The public officer or employee has not taken part in developing the contract plans or specifications; and
(d) The public officer or employee will not be personally involved in opening, considering or accepting offers.
If a public officer who is authorized to bid on or enter into a contract with an agency pursuant to this subsection is a member of the governing body of the agency, the public officer, pursuant to the requirements of NRS 281A.420, shall disclose the public officer’s interest in the contract and shall not vote on or advocate the approval of the contract.
5. A member of a local legislative body shall not, either individually or through any business entity in which the member has a significant pecuniary interest, sell goods or services to the local agency governed by his or her local legislative body unless:
(a) The member, or the business entity in which the member has a significant pecuniary interest, offers the sole source of supply of the goods or services within the territorial jurisdiction of the local agency governed by his or her local legislative body;
(b) The local legislative body includes in the public notice and agenda for the meeting at which it will consider the purchase of such goods or services a clear and conspicuous statement that it is considering purchasing such goods or services from one of its members, or from a business entity in which the member has a significant pecuniary interest;
(c) At the meeting, the member discloses his or her significant pecuniary interest in the purchase of such goods or services and does not vote upon or advocate the approval of the matter pursuant to the requirements of NRS 281A.420; and
(d) The local legislative body approves the purchase of such goods or services in accordance with all other applicable provisions of law.
6. The Commission may relieve a public officer or employee from the strict application of the provisions of this section if:
(a) The public officer or employee files a request for an advisory opinion from the Commission pursuant to NRS 281A.675; and
(b) The Commission determines that such relief is not contrary to:
(1) The best interests of the public;
(2) The continued ethical integrity of each agency affected by the matter; and
(3) The provisions of this chapter.
7. For the purposes of subsection 6, the request for an advisory opinion, the advisory opinion and all meetings, hearings and proceedings of the Commission in such a matter are governed by the provisions of NRS 281A.670 to 281A.690, inclusive.
(Added to NRS by 1993, 2241; A 1995, 689; 2001, 1629; 2003, 892; 2009, 1060; 2013, 3776; 2017, 2498; 2019, 786)

Structure Nevada Revised Statutes

Nevada Revised Statutes

Chapter 281A - Ethics in Government

NRS 281A.010 - Short title.

NRS 281A.020 - Legislative findings and declarations.

NRS 281A.030 - Definitions.

NRS 281A.032 - "Adjudicatory hearing" defined.

NRS 281A.033 - "Advisory opinion" defined.

NRS 281A.035 - "Agency" defined.

NRS 281A.040 - "Business entity" defined.

NRS 281A.050 - "Candidate" defined.

NRS 281A.060 - "Commission" defined.

NRS 281A.065 - "Commitment in a private capacity" defined.

NRS 281A.070 - "Compensation" defined.

NRS 281A.080 - "Decision" defined.

NRS 281A.081 - "Declaration of candidacy" defined.

NRS 281A.082 - "Deferral agreement" defined.

NRS 281A.085 - "Domestic partner" defined.

NRS 281A.086 - "Domestic partnership" defined.

NRS 281A.088 - "Ethics complaint" defined.

NRS 281A.090 - "Executive Director" defined.

NRS 281A.100 - "Household" defined.

NRS 281A.105 - "Intentionally" defined.

NRS 281A.115 - "Knowingly" defined.

NRS 281A.119 - "Local agency" defined.

NRS 281A.125 - "Member of a local legislative body" defined.

NRS 281A.135 - "Opinion" defined.

NRS 281A.139 - "Pecuniary interest" defined.

NRS 281A.145 - "Political subdivision" defined.

NRS 281A.150 - "Public employee" defined.

NRS 281A.160 - "Public officer" defined.

NRS 281A.161 - "Request for an advisory opinion" defined.

NRS 281A.162 - "Review panel" defined.

NRS 281A.163 - "State agency" defined.

NRS 281A.165 - "State Legislator" or "Legislator" defined.

NRS 281A.170 - "Willful violation" defined.

NRS 281A.180 - Terms "public officer" and "public employee" include former public officer or employee; exceptions.

NRS 281A.182 - Persons serving in certain positions designated as public officers or employees; applicability.

NRS 281A.185 - Abrogation of common-law privileges and immunities; exceptions.

NRS 281A.190 - Computation of time.

NRS 281A.200 - Creation; appointment, terms and qualifications of members; prohibited activities by members; vacancies.

NRS 281A.210 - Chair; meetings; compensation; facilities.

NRS 281A.220 - Review panels: Appointment; composition; functions; disqualification of members from participation in further proceedings in matter.

NRS 281A.230 - Executive Director: Appointment; qualifications; classification; prohibited activities and other employment.

NRS 281A.240 - Executive Director: Duties; employment of staff; designation of qualified person to perform duties when Executive Director unable to act on matter.

NRS 281A.250 - Commission Counsel: Appointment; qualifications; classification; prohibited activities and other employment.

NRS 281A.260 - Commission Counsel: Duties; legal advice; appointment or employment of other counsel by Commission under certain circumstances.

NRS 281A.265 - Discretionary-function immunity for members and employees of Commission.

NRS 281A.270 - Assessment for administrative costs: Determination; payment by certain cities and counties; use of proceeds; collection.

NRS 281A.275 - Authority to apply for and accept grants, contributions, services and money.

NRS 281A.280 - Jurisdiction; statute of limitations.

NRS 281A.290 - Duties of Commission; inclusion of annotations of opinions of Commission in Nevada Revised Statutes.

NRS 281A.300 - Oaths; written requests and subpoenas for participation, attendance and production of books and papers; enforcement by court for noncompliance.

NRS 281A.350 - Establishment; functions; limitations on powers; confidentiality.

NRS 281A.400 - General requirements; exceptions.

NRS 281A.410 - Limitations on representing or counseling private persons before public agencies; request for relief from strict application of certain provisions.

NRS 281A.420 - Requirements regarding disclosure of conflicts of interest and abstention from voting because of certain types of conflicts; effect of abstention on quorum and voting requirements; exceptions.

NRS 281A.430 - Contracts in which public officer or employee has interest prohibited; exceptions; request for relief from strict application of certain provisions.

NRS 281A.500 - Notice and acknowledgment of statutory ethical standards: Distribution of information regarding standards; duty to file acknowledgment; contents; form; retention; penalty for willful refusal to file.

NRS 281A.510 - Public officer or employee prohibited from accepting or receiving honorarium; penalty.

NRS 281A.520 - Public officer or employee prohibited from requesting or otherwise causing governmental entity to incur expense or make expenditure to support or oppose ballot question or candidate in certain circumstances.

NRS 281A.540 - Governmental grant, contract or lease and certain actions taken in violation of chapter are voidable; prohibited contract is void; recovery of benefit received as result of violation.

NRS 281A.550 - Employment of certain former public officers and employees by regulated businesses prohibited; certain former public officers and employees prohibited from soliciting or accepting employment from certain persons contracting with State...

NRS 281A.665 - Opinions of Commission may include guidance to public officer or employee.

NRS 281A.670 - Applicability.

NRS 281A.675 - Initiation of request for advisory opinion; purpose of request; form and contents; Commission may decline to render advisory opinion under certain circumstances.

NRS 281A.680 - Rendering of advisory opinion by Commission; deadline and waiver; certain advisory opinions binding upon requester; judicial review; confidentiality and waiver.

NRS 281A.685 - Confidentiality of certain materials; no duty on Commission or staff to protect confidentiality of materials not in their possession; exceptions.

NRS 281A.690 - Inapplicability of Open Meeting Law to proceedings concerning request for advisory opinion; exceptions.

NRS 281A.700 - Applicability.

NRS 281A.705 - Legal defense of state officer or employee subject to ethics complaint.

NRS 281A.710 - Initiation of ethics complaint; form and contents; Commission may decline to render opinion under certain circumstances.

NRS 281A.715 - Determination of jurisdiction and whether evidence warrants investigation; deadline and waiver; dismissal for lack of jurisdiction or insufficient evidence; initiation of investigation.

NRS 281A.720 - Investigation by Executive Director; notice of investigation; opportunity to submit response; deadline and extension; purpose of response; preservation of objections and defenses.

NRS 281A.725 - Completion of investigation by Executive Director; presentation of written recommendation to review panel; deadline and waiver; contents of recommendation.

NRS 281A.730 - Consideration of recommendation by review panel; determination of just and sufficient cause; deadline and waiver; record of proceedings; dismissal; approval of deferral agreement; referral to Commission for further proceedings.

NRS 281A.735 - Inapplicability of Open Meeting Law to proceedings of review panel.

NRS 281A.740 - Deferral agreements: Development; approval; enforcement; contents; terms and conditions; monitoring and documenting compliance; proceedings for noncompliance; dismissal of matter after satisfactory compliance.

NRS 281A.745 - Adjudicatory hearings: Powers and duties of Commission; deadline and waiver; procedural rights; evidence; use of telephone or video conference.

NRS 281A.750 - Confidentiality of certain materials; exceptions; confidentiality of identity of certain requesters; disclosure of identity under certain circumstances.

NRS 281A.755 - Confidentiality of investigative file; exceptions; discovery request for list of proposed witnesses and certain portions of investigative file; contents of investigative file.

NRS 281A.760 - Inapplicability of Open Meeting Law to certain proceedings of Commission.

NRS 281A.765 - Opinions must include findings of fact and conclusions of law; dismissal of matter if violation not proven; authorized actions if violation proven.

NRS 281A.770 - General standards for resolving ethics complaints by stipulations, agreed settlements or consent orders and for approving deferral agreements.

NRS 281A.775 - Additional standards for determining whether violation is willful violation and type of penalty imposed and for approving deferral agreements.

NRS 281A.780 - Letters of caution or instruction: Contents; confidentiality; effect on subsequent ethics complaints.

NRS 281A.785 - Types of remedies and penalties; judicial review of certain actions of Commission; limitations on judicial review of actions of review panel.

NRS 281A.790 - Additional types of remedies and penalties; duties of Commission upon finding willful violation; circumstances in which violation not deemed willful; effect of chapter upon criminal law; judicial review of certain actions of Commission...