The petition to terminate parental rights is a court form, published by the Nevada Supreme Court Self-Help Center, with which a person asks a Nevada district court to terminate a parent's rights under NRS Chapter 128. It is written for people who represent themselves without a lawyer: the caption reads "Self-Represented," and the petitioner may be the mother, the father, a legal guardian or another person with a described relationship to the children. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original is published by the Self-Help Center.
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What is Petition to Terminate Parental Rights – Nevada?
The Petition to Terminate Parental Rights is the Nevada court pleading, published by the Nevada Supreme Court Self-Help Center, in which a self-represented petitioner asks a district court to terminate the parental rights of a child's mother, father or both under NRS Chapter 128.
The petition is a six-page document with a court caption (District Court, county, case number and department) and eleven numbered items. They cover the petitioner, the children and their parents, which parent's rights should end, any legal guardian, who cares for the children now, a UCCJEA declaration with five years of living arrangements, the grounds for termination, the children's best interest, American Indian child status, public assistance and a possible name change.
The petition asks the court to grant the relief requested, to give the petitioner sole legal and sole physical custody of the children, and to grant any other relief the court finds just and proper. The petitioner dates and signs it, then signs a separate Verification under penalty of perjury.
It is one form in a set. The Self-Help Center lists the Notice of Hearing to Terminate Rights next to it under "Forms to File a Case," followed by proof-of-service forms, publication forms for a parent who cannot be found, and the Order Terminating Parental Rights. Adoption petitions are separate forms. The form carries the notice "© 2017 Nevada Supreme Court."
Who needs to file Petition to Terminate Parental Rights – Nevada?
The petitioner completes this form. Item 1 lets you check whether you are the mother, father, legal guardian or other, and if you choose other you describe your relationship to the children. The form defines a legal guardian as someone other than a parent who has been appointed by a court, or by the parents in writing, to care for the child.
The form is built for people representing themselves in Nevada courts without a lawyer. The Self-Help Center says that if you will be representing yourself in Clark County or Washoe County, you should visit the Clark County Self-Help or Washoe County Self-Help sites for forms specific to those courts.
You will need details about each child (name, date of birth, place of birth), the children's current address, each parent's name and address, and any legal guardian. The form says the petition may ask to end the rights of the mother, the father or both.
This petition is not an adoption form. The Self-Help Center lists the Petition for Minor Child Adoption and the adult adoption forms separately from the termination forms.
When to file Petition to Terminate Parental Rights – Nevada
The form prints no filing deadline. The Self-Help Center lists it first among its "Forms to File a Case," ahead of the Notice of Hearing to Terminate Rights, so you complete it when you are ready to start a termination case.
Gather several time-based facts first: whether the children have lived in Nevada for the past six months or since birth, and where and with whom they lived during the last five years (item 6 and 6a); and, if you allege abandonment, the approximate date the parent last had any contact with the children (item 7). The dates next to your signatures, on page 5 and in the Verification, are the days you sign.
How to fill out Petition to Terminate Parental Rights – Nevada
Complete the caption and contact block
At the top, enter your name, address, city, state, ZIP, telephone and email. Enter the county in the District Court line and the children's names; leave CASE NO. and DEPT for the court.
Enter your name and relationship
On the opening line, write your name as Petitioner. In item 1, check mother, father, legal guardian or other, and describe your relationship to the children if you check other.
List the children and their address
In item 2, enter each child's name, date of birth and place of birth (city/state), then the address where the children live.
Enter each parent's details
Give the mother's and father's name, address, city, state and ZIP. If an address is unknown, complete the nearest known adult relative's name, relationship and address.
Choose whose rights to terminate
In item 3, check mother, father or both, matching the parents listed in item 2.
Answer the legal guardian and caretaker items
In item 4, check whether the children have a legal guardian and, if so, give the name and address. In item 5, check who currently cares for the children: the mother, the father, the legal guardian or another person by name.
Complete the UCCJEA declaration
In item 6, check whether the children have lived in Nevada for the past six months or since birth. In 6a, list the last five years of living arrangements and the non-parents' names and addresses. In 6b, 6c and 6d, check have/have not or do/do not and give specifics where required.
Select and explain the parental fault
In item 7, check each ground that applies: Abandonment, Neglect, Unfitness, Risk of Harm, Token Efforts or Sexual Assault. Explain the facts in the space the form provides, including the approximate last-contact date for abandonment.
Explain the children's best interest
In item 8, explain in detail why terminating parental rights is in the children's best interest.
Answer items 9 and 10
In item 9, check whether the children are known to be American Indian children. In item 10, check whether you or the children receive public assistance.
Decide on a name change
In item 11, check whether the children's names should be changed if rights are terminated, and write the full new name(s) if you check yes.
Date and sign the petition
Under the requests for relief, enter the day, month and year, sign on the "Submitted By" line and print your name.
Complete the Verification
On page 6, enter the date, sign and print your name. This is the declaration under penalty of perjury that you have read the petition and that it is true.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that every item is answered and the county is correct. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Petition to Terminate Parental Rights – Nevada
The form names no portal, address or fee. Its caption is addressed to the District Court of the Nevada county you write on the first page, and the Self-Help Center lists it under "Forms to File a Case."
- Instructions: the Self-Help Center directs you to its Basics of Court Forms page for how to fill out and file court forms, and to its Terminating Parental Rights page for the legal process.
- Clark County or Washoe County: use the Clark County Self-Help or Washoe County Self-Help sites to find forms and instructions specific to those courts.
- After the petition: the Self-Help Center lists the Notice of Hearing to Terminate Rights, proof-of-service forms (Affidavit of Service - TPR, Acceptance of Service - TPR) and publication forms if the other parent cannot be found.
Sign and date the petition and the Verification before you file. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's channels described above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the county blank in the caption "_______ COUNTY, NEVADA" so the court is not identified.
- Checking more than one box where the form says "check one," such as the caretaker in item 5 or the guardian choice in item 4.
- Alleging abandonment in item 7 without the approximate date the parent last had any contact with the children.
- Writing a ground in item 7 or the best-interest statement in item 8 without the explanation the form asks for.
- Omitting the nearest known adult relative when a parent's address is unknown in item 2.
- Filling in only the current home in item 6a instead of listing where the children lived over the last five years.
- Checking "have" or "do" in items 6b to 6d without giving the state, court, case number and other specifics the form asks for.
- Dating and signing the petition but not the separate Verification on page 6.
Frequently asked questions
What is a petition to terminate parental rights in Nevada?
It is the court form a self-represented person files to ask a Nevada district court to terminate a mother's or father's parental rights under NRS Chapter 128. The Nevada Supreme Court Self-Help Center publishes it, and it also asks for sole legal and sole physical custody for the petitioner.
Who can file the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights?
Item 1 lets the petitioner check mother, father, legal guardian or other, and describe the relationship if other. The form is written for people representing themselves without a lawyer in Nevada courts.
What grounds does the form list for terminating parental rights?
Item 7 lists Abandonment, Neglect, Unfitness, Risk of Harm, Token Efforts and Sexual Assault. You check all that apply and explain the facts for each, except Sexual Assault, which refers to a conviction of the natural parent.
Can I fill out this petition online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the petition; you file it with the court through the channels the Self-Help Center and the court describe.
Do I need to sign the petition twice?
Yes. You sign and date the petition on page 5, and you sign and date the separate Verification on page 6. The Verification is your declaration under penalty of perjury that the petition is true.
What if I don't know where a parent lives?
In item 2, complete the section for the nearest known adult relative of that parent, with the name, relationship and address. The Self-Help Center also lists publication forms for cases where the other parent cannot be found.
Is this form different in Clark County or Washoe County?
The Self-Help Center says that if you represent yourself in Clark County or Washoe County, you should visit the Clark County Self-Help or Washoe County Self-Help sites for forms specific to those courts.
What forms come after the petition?
The Self-Help Center lists the Notice of Hearing to Terminate Rights with the petition, then proof-of-service forms such as Affidavit of Service - TPR and Acceptance of Service - TPR, and the Order Terminating Parental Rights as the final order.
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