Except as otherwise provided in NRS 574.201 to 574.204, inclusive:

1. Any peace officer or animal control officer shall, upon discovering any animal which is being treated cruelly, take possession of it and provide it with shelter and care or, upon obtaining written permission from the owner of the animal, may destroy it in a humane manner.

2. If an officer takes possession of an animal, the officer shall give to the owner, if the owner can be found, a notice containing a written statement of the reasons for the taking, the location where the animal will be cared for and sheltered, the fact that there is a limited lien on the animal for the cost of shelter and care and notice of the right of the owner to request a hearing pursuant to NRS 574.203 within 5 days after receipt of the notice. If the owner is not present at the taking and the officer cannot find the owner after a reasonable search, the officer shall post the notice on the property from which the officer takes the animal. If the identity and address of the owner are later determined, the notice must be mailed to the owner immediately after the determination is made.

3. An officer who takes possession of an animal pursuant to this section has a lien on the animal for the reasonable cost of care and shelter furnished to the animal and, if applicable, for its humane destruction. The lien does not extend to the cost of care and shelter for more than 2 weeks.

4. Upon proof that the owner has been notified in accordance with the provisions of subsection 2 or, if the owner has not been found or identified, that the required notice has been posted on the property where the animal was found, a court of competent jurisdiction may, after providing an opportunity for a hearing, order the animal sold at auction, humanely destroyed or continued in the care of the officer for such disposition as the officer sees fit.

5. An officer who seizes an animal pursuant to this section is not liable for any action arising out of the taking or humane destruction of the animal.

6. The provisions of this section do not apply to any animal which is located on land being employed for an agricultural use as defined in NRS 361A.030 unless the owner of the animal or the person charged with the care of the animal is in violation of paragraph (c) of subsection 1 of NRS 574.100 and the impoundment is accomplished with the concurrence and supervision of the sheriff or the sheriff’s designee, a licensed veterinarian and the district brand inspector or the district brand inspector’s designee. In such a case, the sheriff shall direct that the impoundment occur not later than 48 hours after the veterinarian determines that a violation of paragraph (c) of subsection 1 of NRS 574.100 exists.

7. The owner of an animal impounded in accordance with the provisions of subsection 6 must, before the animal is released to the owner’s custody, pay the charges approved by the sheriff as reasonably related to the impoundment, including the charges for the animal’s food and water. If the owner is unable or refuses to pay the charges, the State Department of Agriculture shall sell the animal. The Department shall pay to the owner the proceeds of the sale remaining after deducting the charges reasonably related to the impoundment.

(Added to NRS by 1981, 671; A 1989, 272; 1991, 10; 1993, 1758; 1999, 2517, 3698; 2001, 186; 2011, 1604; 2017, 2253; 2019, 1777)