Nevada prostitution laws

Nevada has many laws and guidelines regarding the prohibition and allowance of prostitution and related activities. Some counties and municipalities have their own sets of statutes that define the laws governing prostitution. Other counties rely on the state statutes set forth by Nevada legislators. This article deals strictly with Nevada's laws about prostitution and related activities. Some counties and municipalities within Nevada have their own prostitution laws and regulations:

Prostitution in Nevada: definitions

In Nevada, a prostitute is defined as any male or female who, for a fee or other items of value, engages in sexual intercourse, oral-genital contact or any touching of the sexual organs or other intimate body parts in order to gratify the sexual desires of either person. The act of prostitution is illegal throughout Nevada, except for in licensed houses of prostitution or for licensed prostitutes residing in specific locations.

Anyone who is a customer of a prostitute is also breaking Nevada law.

Both prostitution and patronization are considered misdemeanors and may be punished with sentences of jail time for up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $1,000 per offense.

In addition, any person arrested for prostitution or patronization is required to submit to testing for HIV. If the test is positive and the offender is arrested again, he or she may be convicted of a category B felony and face a sentence of 1 to 10 years and a fine up to $10,000.

Pandering

Pandering is a group of crimes that is quite varied and includes many activities, but it generally refers to one's efforts and actions aiding the promotion and advancement of illegal prostitution in one of many ways.

The first way is through direct persuasion of another to engage in acts of prostitution. Various activities that result in this end are included in the statutes. Some are:

  1. Receiving/giving money or other items of value for procuring or attempting to procure a person to become a prostitute.
  2. Inducing, persuading, encouraging, compelling a person to become a prostitute or to engage in acts of prostitution.
  3. Taking, detaining or keeping a person with the intent to compel him or her by force or threats of violence to marry him or another person for the purpose of prostitution.
  4. Causing, enticing or persuading a person through threats, violence or schemes to become an inmate in a house of prostitution or any place where prostitution is regularly present.
  5. Enticing or persuading a person of chaste character by threats, fraud or duress to enter any place within the state in which prostitution is practiced for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
  6. Through threats, duress, abuse, causing someone whom the perpetrator has legal charge of to enter any place of prostitution.

If the person influenced is an adult, the offense may be charged as a category D felony, if no force is used. A conviction for this level of crime results in a sentence of 1 to 4 years in prison and/or a fine up to $5,000. If force or physical compulsion is a part of the crime, the offense is a category C felony with a more serious sentence.

If the person influenced is a minor under the age of 18 years old, the offense becomes a category B felony. If no force is used, sentences will include 1 to 10 years in prison and/or a fine up to $10,000. If force is a part of the crime, convicted criminals may face 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $20,000.

Another form of pandering specified by Nevada law is placement of one's spouse in a brothel or house of prostitution. Whether it's by force, intimidation, fraud or threats, placing one's spouse in a house of prostitution or compelling one's spouse to enter into a life of prostitution is illegal and considered a category D felony. If physical force is utilized, the crime is a category C felony.

Pandering also includes making a living or deriving support from a prostitute's earnings. Any person who attempts to detain a person in a disorderly house or a house of prostitution as a result of any debt may be convicted of pandering. If the victim is an adult, and no force was used, the charge is a category D felony. If force is used, the charge is rated as a category C felony. If the victim of the crime is a minor, the charges is a category B felony. If force was used to commit the crime, offenders face sentences of 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $20,000.

The final form of pandering specified by Nevada laws is transportation in relationship to prostitution. Any individual who transports or aids in the transportation of a person into, through or across the state of Nevada with the intention of causing the person to engage in prostitution is guilty of a category D felony, at the least. More serious convictions result from using force or involving minors.

House of prostitution location

The laws in Nevada indicate that churches and schools should be free of the impact of houses of prostitution. No house of prostitution or house of ill fame shall be located within 400 yards of a school (or related building) or a church (or related facility). Furthermore, houses of prostitution are prohibited from locating on principal business streets in all cities in Nevada. Fines up to $500 for each offense are possible for convictions.

Unlawful advertising of prostitution

Because some communities and counties in Nevada allow prostitution, there are laws governing the advertisement of these businesses and enterprises. No advertising of a house of prostitution is allowed in a public theater, on city streets or on public highways. Advertising is prohibited in communities where prostitution is unlawful. Additionally, content with address, location and phone numbers is not allowed to be printed in any display posts or handbills.

First-time offenses (within a 3-year period) may receive jail time up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $1,000. Subsequent offenses result in more severe penalties.

The following Nevada counties have their own laws and regulations on prostitution:

Prostitution laws in US cities:

Prostitution laws in Canada