Nevada’s 2025 Custody Law Change: What SB275 Means for High-Conflict Parenting Cases in 2026
If you’re dealing with a disputed custody case in Nevada, a law that took effect July 1, 2025, may directly affect how your case proceeds.
Senate Bill 275 (SB275) passed unanimously by both chambers of the Nevada Legislature and was signed into law during the 83rd legislative session. This new law created new restrictions on what family courts can and cannot order in child custody proceedings. These changes are already reshaping how high-conflict parenting disputes are handled in Las Vegas courtrooms, and parents need to understand what has shifted.
At John Park Law, our child custody attorneys help Las Vegas families understand how new legislation applies to their specific situations. Call us at 702-857-7879 or fill out our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation.
What SB275 Actually Changed in Nevada Family Courts
Before SB275, Nevada courts had fairly broad authority to restructure a child’s living situation and order therapeutic interventions, even when there were serious safety concerns about one parent. The new law, now codified at NRS 125C.243 and NRS 125C.245, draws a firm line around two specific practices that had become controversial in high-conflict cases.
First, the new law prohibits a court from removing a child from a parent or restricting contact between a child and a parent solely for the purpose of improving a deficient relationship. In plain terms, the court cannot uproot a child from a stable home just to patch up a fractured bond with the other parent.
Second, it restricts courts from ordering children to undergo reunification treatment under certain circumstances. Reunification treatment is a form of therapy that helps children reestablish a relationship with an estranged or rejected parent. Under SB275, courts must now clear specific legal hurdles before mandating it.
What Reunification Treatment Is, and Why the Courts Were Ordered to Stop
Reunification treatment became a flashpoint in Nevada custody litigation over the past decade. Critics argued that courts were ordering children, particularly those who had witnessed or experienced domestic violence, into intensive programs designed to force contact with the very parent they feared. Children were sometimes removed from the safer, primary parent to attend residential reunification programs out of state, with little evidence that the approach was in their best interest.
Nevada passed SB275 in direct response to those concerns. The bill originated from Senator Nicole Cannizzaro and passed the Senate 20–0 and the Assembly 39–0, reflecting a rare, broad consensus on a family law issue. Courts may still order reunification therapy in appropriate cases, but only when specific conditions are met and only after a careful review of the child’s circumstances.
New Protections in Cases Involving Domestic Violence or Child Abuse
This is where SB275 hits hardest for high-conflict custody disputes. NRS 125C.245 addresses custody proceedings where one parent has alleged domestic violence or child abuse. Under the new statute, courts are now:
- Required to admit expert evidence about the dynamics of domestic violence and child abuse
- Required to consider a parent’s past conduct, not just current behavior, when evaluating those allegations
- Prohibited from ordering any remedy that attempts to eliminate a child’s resistance to contact with a parent accused of domestic violence or child abuse
That last point is significant. In high-conflict Las Vegas cases, it was not uncommon for a court to treat a child’s reluctance to see an accused parent as a parenting failure by the protective parent, and then order interventions to push the child toward contact. SB275 tells courts they cannot do that when abuse allegations are present.
How These Changes Affect Your Parenting Plan in 2026
If you have an existing custody order in Clark County, SB275 does not automatically modify it. However, it does affect how courts evaluate modification requests filed after July 1, 2025.
If you are seeking a modification and your case involves safety concerns or a child who has become estranged from one parent, you will want to talk to our law firm.
A Las Vegas family law lawyer familiar with the new statutes can help you understand whether prior court orders or recommended interventions are still legally sound under SB275.
SB275 also requires the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide ongoing training to judges on domestic violence, child abuse, and best practices in family court. That means the judicial education happening right now in Nevada is directly tied to applying these new protections correctly.
Contact Our Las Vegas Child Custody Lawyers Today
At John Park Law, our child custody law firm serves families across Las Vegas and Clark County. Our legal team is ready to review your situation and help you understand your options, even as the laws in Nevada continue to change.
Call us at 702-857-7879 or fill out our confidential contact form to schedule a consultation.
John Park is a highly experienced attorney in estate planning, probate, business law and guardianship to help people organize the elements of their lives through careful estate planning and asset protection measures.