Case Explained:This article breaks down the legal background, charges, and implications of Case Explained: stalking, food delivery apps, AI – Legal Perspective
A new year means new laws for Nevada, touching on things from bounce houses and artificial intelligence to food delivery apps.
Starting Thursday, Jan. 1, 55 new laws from the 2025 Nevada Legislature and one from its special session go into effect.
Some are wonky, like updates to arbitration rules or when terms for planning commissioners start and stop.
Others sound more important than they are in practice, like getting rid of the requirement for doctors to be trained in the medical consequences of terrorist acts. It was passed in the wake of 9/11 and is considered outdated now.
Here’s a look at a few highlights that might affect you or someone you know.
Nevada crime bill’s new provisions go into effect Jan. 1, 2026
A stripped-down version of Gov. Joe Lombardo’s huge crime bill made it through November’s special session. Here are some of its prominent parts going into effect:
- Stalking: Stalking laws are expanded to cover protection of dating partners, including posting content online that increases the risk of harm to the victim.
- Stealing from a store: A new law makes it a felony to steal from a retail business and commit property damage such that both actions exceed $750. Think of smashing a display case. If the cost of the repair and the items taken exceeds $749, the perpetrator will face a felony charge.
- Jail transparency: Facilities holding people under arrest must maintain a real-time list of detainees and make names publicly available on request. This may be helpful for those interested in immigration detainees.
- Vegas Strip ban: Misdemeanor offenders — especially those who are homeless — can be banned from re-entering “tourist corridors” in Las Vegas.
- DUI: Harsher penalties are put in place for repeat driving-under-the-influence offenders and for DUI incidents causing death.
Bounce house law inspired by Reno girl’s death goes into effect
In 2019, a Reno backyard birthday party turned tragic when an inflatable bounce house was lifted by a gust of wind into power lines. Nine-year-old Lizzy Hammond died.
Inspired by her experience, lawmakers voted to approve a law aimed at preventing such tragedies.
It sets strict licensing, insurance, inspection and safety rules for companies renting inflatable devices. These include not allowing the operation of inflatable devices like bounce houses and water slides if winds top 15 mph.
New Nevada law tackles unauthorized restaurants on food delivery apps
A new law requires food-delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub to get a restaurant’s permission before including them.
The Nevada Restaurant Association supported this law.
“When a restaurant is listed on a platform without permission, it loses control over critical aspects of its operations, including pricing, food quality and customer service,” the association told the Legislature. “Customers may receive incorrect or outdated menu items, experience delays, or even receive improperly handled food — all of which damage the restaurant’s reputation through no fault of its own.”
Delivery platforms will be banned from processing orders for a restaurant unless the restaurant has the proper local business license for its address. In effect, it must contact the restaurant to verify this, thus alerting the restaurant it’s being included and minimizing “ghost” restaurants that don’t have official licenses to operate.
Both the restaurant and the platform face penalties for violations.
New Nevada laws on political AI, childbirth, contraception, wildfire smoke, mental health
Some other Nevada laws going into effect involve:
AI in political campaigns: Ahead of the 2026 midterms, a new law requires “any communication” related to an election to disclose if an image, video or audio has been manipulated such as with AI. If not, then the candidate who is depicted in such a way can sue whoever made or paid for the campaign ad.
More doctors: A new law makes it easier for doctors from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and other countries with similar standards to those in the U.S. to get licensed in Nevada. It also creates a telemedicine license for out-of-state doctors to provide care online or by phone.
Increased childbirth fee: Currently, newborns are screened for a variety of disorders that can be prevented if treated early. A state lab charges $81 — a fee that hasn’t increased since 2014. That fee will now rise to $150.
Access to contraception: A new law ensures that contraception and family planning are protected from government interference by setting a high bar for any restrictions, and it gives affected parties the right to challenge violations in court. If they win, the court is required to award costs and attorney’s fees. It does not apply to any laws related to abortion. The bill passed unanimously.
Exposure to wildfire smoke: A new law aims to reduce workers’ exposure to unhealthy levels of wildfire smoke. It requires employers to inform any staff who work outdoors when the air quality index hits 150 or higher because of a wildfire. Removed from the original bill was a provision barring employers from retaliating against workers for reporting exposure to wildfire smoke. Mine operators, commercial truck drivers, emergency services providers and employers with 10 or fewer workers are exempted.
Medical personnel in historically underserved communities: A new law requires boards that regulate medical, dental or nursing professions to establish a process for prioritizing applications of people who demonstrate they will provide health care primarily in a historically underserved community. Such a community is defined as an area where a majority of residents are considered low-income, where 20% of households are not proficient in English or on tribal land.
Crimes with a mental health component: If a defendant in a criminal case is found incompetent to assist in their own defense, they are currently sent to a mental health facility within a jail or a secure state hospital. Such places have long wait lists, creating a bottleneck where defendants might linger in jail awaiting treatment for a longer time than if they’d been convicted on the day of their arrest. A new law allows such people to also be sent to private facilities capable of providing treatment toward attaining legal competency.
More professional counselors: A new law aims to address the shortage of mental health providers in Nevada. It allows the state to enter into an interstate agreement — a “compact” — where licensed professional counselors who provide mental health and substance abuse therapy can practice across member states.
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.