Nevada Open-Range Law: Livestock Trespass Liability (NRS 569.440)

NRS 569.440 sets Nevada's open-range rule statewide. If livestock break into grounds enclosed by a legal fence, the owner or manager is liable to the premises owner for all damages from the trespass, and for double damages on the second and every subsequent offense. But the statute cuts both ways: if you kill, maim, or materially injure trespassing livestock, whether your ground is legally fenced or not, you are liable to the animal's owner for all damages plus the costs of a suit to recover them. Trespassing livestock may also be treated as estrays. The Nevada Department of Agriculture administers estray and livestock matters under Title 50.

A landowner who kills, maims, or materially injures trespassing livestock is liable to the owner for all damages plus the costs of any suit brought to recover them.