A Nevada public official bond is the official bond a public officer must give before entering the duties of office. Under NRS 282.010, members of the Legislature and all executive, judicial, and ministerial officers must provide the official bond required by law before entering upon the duties of their offices. There is no single statewide dollar amount. NRS 282.040 requires each official bond to be made payable to the State of Nevada and set “in such penal sum and with such conditions as may be required by law,” which means the amount is fixed office by office, either by an office-specific statute or by the governing body that oversees the office. The bond guarantees the officer’s faithful discharge of duty and, for officers who handle public money, the honest handling and accounting of those funds.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who requires it | The State of Nevada under NRS Chapter 282 (Official Bonds and Oaths), plus the office-specific NRS chapter that governs the particular office |
| Who must give it | Members of the Legislature and executive, judicial, and ministerial officers, before entering upon the duties of office (NRS 282.010). Many county, township, and city offices carry a bond requirement in their own NRS chapters. |
| Governing law | NRS Chapter 282 (form, conditions, filing, sureties), plus the office-specific statute that fixes the amount (for example NRS 249.030 for the county treasurer) |
| Official form | [VERIFY against NRS 282.040 and the approving authority (Governor, board of county commissioners, or district court, depending on the office): Nevada prescribes the bond by statute rather than a single numbered statewide form. Confirm the exact bond form or format the approving authority accepts and where it is filed.] |
| Bond amount | Set per office, not one statewide figure. Fixed by the office-specific statute or by the governing body (for example, the board of county commissioners prescribes the county treasurer’s amount under NRS 249.030). A blanket bond for elected county officers must be at least $10,000 (NRS 282.163). |
| Premium basis | [CLIENT FLAG: insert All n One premium structure for official bonds. Note that under NRS 282.170 the premium is generally paid by the government entity, not the officer personally.] |
| Coverage term | The officer’s term of office; the bond stays in force during the time the officer continues to hold or discharge the duties of the office (NRS 282.050) |
| Obligee | The State of Nevada (NRS 282.040) |
How much is the bond, and how is the amount set?
Nevada does not set one dollar amount for all public official bonds. NRS 282.040 says each official bond must be in “such penal sum and with such conditions as may be required by law.” That pushes the actual amount out to the law that governs each specific office. In practice the amount is set one of two ways: a statute names the amount or a formula for that office, or the governing body that oversees the office prescribes it based on the money and responsibility involved.
| How the amount is set | Detail and source |
|---|---|
| Prescribed by the governing body for a specific office | For the county treasurer, the board of county commissioners prescribes the amount of the official bond, and can revisit it when the funds handled are to be substantially increased (NRS 249.030). This is the pattern for many money-handling county offices: the board sizes the bond to the funds at risk rather than a flat figure. |
| Blanket bond for elected county officers | A county may cover its elected officers with a blanket fidelity bond or blanket position bond in an amount not less than $10,000, except the county treasurer, who is bonded separately (NRS 282.163). |
| Additional bond when the existing bond is insufficient | The board of county commissioners may require a county or township officer to give an additional bond, with such security as is deemed necessary, if the original bond is found insufficient (NRS 282.090). An officer who fails to file a required new or additional bond in time forfeits the office (NRS 282.200). |
| Set by the office-specific statute | Other executive, judicial, and ministerial offices carry their bond amount, or the authority to fix it, in their own NRS chapters. [VERIFY against the specific office’s NRS chapter: confirm the exact amount or amount-setting rule for each office this page is used to quote, for example county assessor (NRS Chapter 250), county clerk (NRS Chapter 246), county recorder (NRS Chapter 247), sheriff (NRS Chapter 248), and constable (NRS Chapter 258).] |
Because the amount is set per office rather than by one statewide figure, the exact dollar amount for a given office comes from that office’s governing statute or from the board or authority that oversees it. [VERIFY against NRS 249.030 and NRS Chapter 282: confirm the exact timing the board of county commissioners must act to prescribe the county treasurer’s bond amount, and the sequence for recording and filing that bond.]
What does the bond cover?
The bond guarantees that the officer will faithfully discharge the duties of the office, and, for an officer who receives public money, that the money will be handled honestly and accounted for. NRS 282.050 provides that every official bond is in force and obligatory on the officer and the sureties for any and all breaches of its conditions committed while the officer holds or discharges the duties of the office, and for the faithful discharge of all duties later required of the officer by law. For the county treasurer, NRS 249.030 conditions the bond on paying over all money received for the use of the county as the board directs and on faithfully discharging the officer’s duties.
Key points about coverage:
- It protects the public. The bond is made payable to the State of Nevada (NRS 282.040), and NRS 282.060 allows an injured or aggrieved person to bring an action on the bond.
- It covers faithful performance of the office and, for money-handling offices, the honest handling and accounting of public funds. It is not a general liability or errors-and-omissions policy for the officer.
- It stays in force through the term. The obligation runs for the time the officer continues to hold or discharge the duties of the office (NRS 282.050).
- A claim is paid by the surety up to the penal sum of the bond, and the officer remains responsible to the surety for what is paid out.
How much does the bond cost?
For a Nevada public official bond, the cost is usually handled differently from a business license bond. Under NRS 282.170 the premium for the official bond is generally paid by the government entity, not by the officer personally. The State pays for the State Treasurer’s bond, and the district, county, or city pays for the bond it requires, out of money in the respective treasury. So in many cases the office or the government body arranging the bond is the party paying the premium.
[CLIENT FLAG: insert All n One Insurance pricing for Nevada public official bonds, for example the premium rate or flat fee by bond amount, and one worked example. Do not publish a premium number until All n One provides it. Confirm whether All n One quotes official bonds at a filed flat rate rather than a credit-based rate.]
[VERIFY against NRS 282.170: confirm the statutory cap on the premium for the State Treasurer’s bond and whether any similar cap applies to other offices before stating a rate ceiling on this page.]
Is this the same as a notary bond or a license or permit bond?
No. These are three different bonds, even though all three are surety bonds.
- A Nevada public official bond covers the faithful performance of an elected or appointed public officer, and, for money-handling offices, the honest accounting of public funds. The obligee is the State of Nevada, and the requirement comes from NRS Chapter 282 and the office-specific statute.
- A Nevada notary bond covers a notary public’s official acts and protects people harmed by a notary’s misconduct or errors. It is a fixed statutory amount set for notaries, not an amount prescribed office by office. [VERIFY against NRS Chapter 240 (Notaries Public and Document Preparation Services): confirm the current required notary bond amount and term.]
- A license or permit bond guarantees that a business or licensee follows the law that governs its license or permit, and it protects consumers or the public who deal with that business. The obligee is the licensing agency, and the requirement comes from that license’s own statute, not NRS Chapter 282.
A person can hold more than one of these at once. A county officer who is also a notary, for example, would have an official bond for the office and a separate notary bond for notarial acts.
How do I get bonded and file the official bond?
- Identify the office and its bond requirement. Confirm the office-specific NRS chapter and how the amount is fixed, whether a statute names it or a governing body prescribes it (for example, the board of county commissioners under NRS 249.030 for the county treasurer).
- Find out the required amount. Get the penal sum from the governing statute or from the board or authority that sets it for the office. [VERIFY against the office-specific NRS chapter: confirm the exact amount or amount-setting rule for the office in question.]
- Get a surety bond quote. Apply with All n One Insurance for the required amount. The bond is written by a surety company that has complied with Nevada’s surety company laws (NRS 282.170).
- Receive and sign the bond. All n One issues the official bond made payable to the State of Nevada (NRS 282.040), joint and several between the officer and the surety.
- Have the bond approved. The approving authority depends on the office. The State Treasurer’s bond is approved by the Governor; county and township officers’ bonds are approved by the board of county commissioners; the county treasurer’s bond and sureties are approved by a judge of the district court before recording and filing (NRS 282.080, NRS 249.030).
- File and record the bond with the correct office. Under NRS 282.080, the State Treasurer’s bond is filed and recorded with the Secretary of State, and county and township officers’ bonds are filed and recorded with the county clerk, except that the county clerk’s own bond is filed and recorded with the county recorder. [VERIFY against NRS 282.080 and NRS 249.030: confirm the exact filing and recording steps for each office this page is used for, including the county treasurer’s record-then-file sequence.]
Frequently asked questions
Who has to give a Nevada public official bond?
Members of the Legislature and executive, judicial, and ministerial officers must provide the official bond required by law before entering upon the duties of office (NRS 282.010). Many county, township, and city offices carry a bond requirement in their own NRS chapters as well.
How does Nevada decide how big the bond must be?
There is no single statewide amount. NRS 282.040 sets the bond in “such penal sum and with such conditions as may be required by law,” so the amount is fixed office by office, either by the office-specific statute or by the governing body that oversees the office. For the county treasurer, for example, the board of county commissioners prescribes the amount under NRS 249.030.
Is there a minimum amount?
For a blanket bond covering a county’s elected officers, the amount must be at least $10,000, except the county treasurer, who is bonded separately (NRS 282.163). Other offices follow the amount set by their own statute or governing body.
What does the bond cover?
It covers the officer’s faithful discharge of duty and, for offices that handle public money, the honest handling and accounting of that money. The bond is payable to the State of Nevada, and an injured person can bring an action on it (NRS 282.040, NRS 282.050, NRS 282.060).
Who pays for the bond?
Under NRS 282.170, the premium is generally paid by the government entity rather than the officer personally. The State pays for the State Treasurer’s bond, and the district, county, or city pays for the bond it requires, out of its treasury.
Where do I file the bond?
It depends on the office. The State Treasurer’s bond is filed and recorded with the Secretary of State; county and township officers’ bonds are filed and recorded with the county clerk, except the county clerk’s own bond, which goes to the county recorder (NRS 282.080).
What happens if an officer does not file a required bond?
An officer who fails to file a required new or additional bond within the time allowed forfeits the office; the office becomes vacant (NRS 282.200).
Is a public official bond the same as a notary bond?
No. A public official bond covers the faithful performance of a public officer and is required by NRS Chapter 282 and the office-specific statute. A notary bond is a separate, fixed-amount bond that covers a notary’s official acts under NRS Chapter 240. A person can hold both.
