Nevada school drill law

What drills does Nevada require, and how often?

Nevada requires each school district board and each charter school governing body to provide drills for students at least once each month during the school year. The drills teach students what to do in a lockdown, a fire or another emergency. At least half of the monthly drills must include lockdown procedures. No more than three of them may cover chemical explosions, related emergencies and other natural disasters. Private schools have their own section: they must also provide drills at least once each month during the school year, with at least half covering lockdown and no more than two covering chemical explosions, related emergencies and other natural disasters.

Nevada law defines a lockdown as keeping those on school property inside a school building, isolated from threats.

Are there timing rules?

The person in charge of each school building must make sure drills happen at different times during normal school hours.

Do fire and emergency officials take part?

Where a city or town has a paid or volunteer fire department, its fire chief must approve public school drills, and the drills must follow any applicable fire code and any direction from the State Fire Marshal. Public school drills are supervised by the county's designated emergency manager in counties of 100,000 or more, and by someone the district board or charter school governing body designates in smaller counties. For private schools, the fire chief must likewise approve drills, and the State Fire Marshal writes general rules for the drills and, with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, arranges their supervision. District and charter school emergency plans must include a plan to work with local law enforcement or public safety organizations on active assailant training for every school employee.

What does the fire code add?

The State Fire Marshal's regulations, in NAC 477.281, adopt the 2018 International Fire Code by reference, with Nevada's changes listed in NAC 477.283. Under the 2018 International Fire Code, which Nevada adopts in NAC 477.281, school buildings (Group E, the fire code's term for schools) must hold emergency evacuation drills monthly, with all occupants taking part. In severe climates, the fire code official may change that monthly drill frequency. Clark County's fire code, Clark County Code 13.04.020, adopts the 2024 edition of the International Fire Code, which also calls for monthly emergency evacuation drills for all occupants of school buildings.

What must be posted in classrooms?

Every public school classroom must keep posted a diagram of the approved escape route and other drill information approved by the fire chief, or by the State Fire Marshal where there is no fire department. Every private school classroom must keep a copy of the private school drill law posted. Under a State Fire Marshal rule, a portable building used as a classroom must keep fire drill and evacuation plans posted as the drill statutes require. A private school applying for a license must describe its fire drill procedures and provide sample information to be posted in rooms.

What staff training and plans are required?

At least once a year, school districts and charter schools must train each employee in responding to a crisis or emergency, including drills for evacuating and securing schools. Private schools must also give employees training that covers drills for evacuating and securing the school. The Department of Education's model emergency plan must include a procedure for providing crisis and emergency drills each year, held in cooperation with other state agencies. By August 15 each year, district boards and charter school governing bodies must submit their updated emergency operations plan (the plan, not drill records) to the Office of Emergency Management.

What about students' wellbeing?

Emergency plans must support students who have been through an actual crisis or emergency with trauma-informed, age-appropriate resources. This covers real events, not drills.

What happens if a school doesn't comply?

Violating the public school drill statute is a misdemeanor (a minor criminal offense).

What has changed recently?

NRS 392.450, the public school drill section, was last amended in 2019. NRS 394.170, the private school drill section, was last amended in 2017; its source note lists no 2025 or 2026 amendment. AB 553 (2025) moved the Division of Emergency Management from the Office of the Military to the Office of the Governor. As of October 27, 2026, the Nevada Legislature's next regular session, the 84th, begins February 1, 2027. A bill draft request for that session, BDR 34-447, asks only for changes to the membership of the Committee on Responses to Power-Based Violence in Schools; it does not address drills.