NRS246.120. Denial of request to file certificate; notice to requester; application to district court for order to file certificate; resubmission of certificate; immunity from liability.

      1.  A county clerk may deny a request to file a certificate of marriage if, within 2 judicial days after presentation of the certificate of marriage, the county clerk determines that the certificate of marriage is unauthorized, falsified or otherwise may not be lawfully filed. If a county clerk fails to make such a determination within the specified period, the county clerk shall file the certificate of marriage as soon as practicable, unless otherwise ordered by a court.

      2.  A county clerk who denies a request to file a certificate of marriage pursuant to subsection 1 shall retain a copy of the certificate of marriage and, within 2 judicial days after the county clerk denies the request, shall provide the requester with written notice, on a form prescribed by the county clerk, of:

      (a) The reason that the county clerk is denying the filing of the certificate of marriage;

      (b) The right of the requester to judicial review of the denial; and

      (c) The criminal penalty set forth in subsection 5.

      3.  If a county clerk fails to provide the notice required by subsection 2 within the specified period, the county clerk shall file the certificate of marriage as soon as practicable, unless otherwise ordered by a court.

      4.  If a request to file a certificate of marriage is denied pursuant to subsection 1, the requester may apply to the district court in the county in which the request was denied for an order to file the certificate of marriage. The court shall give this matter priority over other civil matters to which priority is not given by other statutes. If the requester prevails:

      (a) The requester is entitled to recover from the county clerk any filing fees that he or she paid related to the proceeding.

      (b) The county clerk shall file the certificate of marriage as soon as practicable.

      5.  If a county clerk denied the filing of a certificate of marriage pursuant to subsection 1, a person shall not resubmit the certificate of marriage for filing unless the certificate of marriage has been modified in such a manner that it may be lawfully filed or the person has obtained a court order pursuant to subsection 4. Unless a greater penalty is provided by NRS 239.330, a violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor.

      6.  Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a) of subsection 4, a county clerk who acts in good faith in denying the filing of a certificate of marriage pursuant to this section is immune from liability for damages to the requester or any person whom the certificate of marriage concerns or affects.

      (Added to NRS by 2007, 882)