1. Any person or any agent or employee thereof, who violates any provision of this chapter, any lawful regulation of the Authority or any lawful tariff on file with the Authority or who fails, neglects or refuses to obey any lawful order of the Authority or any court order for whose violation a civil penalty is not otherwise prescribed is liable to a penalty of not more than $10,000 for any violation. The penalty may be recovered in a civil action upon the complaint of the Authority in any court of competent jurisdiction.

2. If the Authority does not bring an action to recover the penalty prescribed by subsection 1, the Authority may impose an administrative fine of not more than $10,000 for any violation of a provision of this chapter or any rule, regulation or order adopted or issued by the Authority or Department pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 706.1519, a fine imposed by the Authority may be recovered by the Authority only after notice is given and a hearing is held pursuant to the provisions of chapter 233B of NRS.

3. All administrative fines imposed and collected by the Authority pursuant to subsection 2 are payable to the State Treasurer and must be credited to a separate account to be used by the Authority to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

4. A penalty or fine recovered pursuant to this section is not a cost of service for purposes of rate making.

(Added to NRS by 1971, 717; A 1975, 1162; 1989, 443; 1995, 2620; 1997, 1953, 2682; 1999, 492; 2015, 2599)