How to Register a Trademark in Nevada (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Nevada · Last updated August 12, 2026
A Nevada state trademark is registered with the Nevada Secretary of State under NRS Chapter 600, which governs trademarks, trade names, and service marks. The state filing fee is $100 per class of goods or services, and each application covers only one mark in one class, so a mark used across several classes needs a separate application for each. A Nevada registration lasts five years and can be renewed for successive five-year terms. State registration protects your mark only within Nevada; businesses that sell across state lines or online usually register federally with the USPTO for nationwide rights.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Nevada?
The Nevada Secretary of State charges $100 per class of goods or services under NRS Chapter 600. Because each application covers only one mark in a single class, a mark used in three classes means three applications and a $300 total. That is far below the USPTO base fee of $350 per class for federal registration.
How long does a Nevada state trademark last?
A Nevada trademark registration lasts five years from the date of registration. You can renew it for additional five-year terms by filing a mark renewal with the Secretary of State, generally within the six months before the registration expires. This five-year cycle is shorter than the federal ten-year term at the USPTO.
Should I register my trademark with Nevada or the USPTO?
A Nevada registration under NRS Chapter 600 protects your mark only inside Nevada and suits a purely local business. If you sell across state lines or online, federal registration with the USPTO gives nationwide priority and the right to use the registered symbol. Many Nevada owners file federally and treat state registration as a supplement.
Where do I file a trademark application in Nevada?
You file with the Nevada Secretary of State, Commercial Recordings Division, using the state mark registration form. The office administers registrations under NRS Chapter 600. You must already be using the mark in Nevada before you apply, and you submit a specimen showing that use along with the $100-per-class fee.
Nevada trademark law under NRS Chapter 600
Nevada consolidates its trademark, trade name, and service mark rules in NRS Chapter 600, administered by the Secretary of State rather than a separate trademark board. Two features set Nevada apart. First, the registration term is only five years, shorter than the ten-year federal term, so Nevada owners must calendar renewals more often and file within the six-month window before expiration. Second, Nevada follows a strict one-mark, one-class rule: NRS 600.340 pairs a $100 fee with a single application that covers just one class, so a restaurant chain protecting a logo across restaurant services and packaged goods files and pays separately for each class. Nevada also requires actual use of the mark in the state before you apply; it does not offer a federal-style intent-to-use reservation. On the enforcement side, Nevada has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act as NRS Chapter 600A, and it recognizes a statutory right of publicity under NRS 597.770 to 597.810 that survives death by 50 years, one of the longer post-mortem terms among the states.
Relevant Laws
NRS Chapter 600 (Trademarks, Trade Names and Service Marks)
Nevada's state trademark statute, administered by the Secretary of State. NRS 600.340 sets the $100-per-class application fee and the one-mark, one-class rule; the chapter provides a five-year renewable registration term.
Nevada Secretary of State Trademarks (official filing office)
The state office that registers marks under NRS Chapter 600. Provides the mark registration and renewal forms, the forms-and-fees schedule, and instructions for filing a Nevada state trademark.
NRS Chapter 600A (Trade Secrets, Uniform Act)
Nevada's enactment of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, allowing injunctions and damages for misappropriation of trade secrets. Protects confidential business information distinct from trademark or trade name registration.
NRS 597.770 to 597.810 (Right of Publicity)
Nevada's statutory right of publicity in a person's name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness, enforceable against unauthorized commercial use and enduring for the person's life plus 50 years.
Regional Variances
Nevada state registration vs. federal USPTO registration
Nevada (Secretary of State, NRS Chapter 600)
$100 per class, one mark and one class per application, actual Nevada use required (no intent-to-use). Protection is Nevada-only and the term is five years, renewable for successive five-year periods.
Federal (USPTO, Lanham Act)
$350 per class, allows intent-to-use filing, and grants nationwide priority plus the registered symbol. The term is ten years, renewable, with Section 8 and 9 maintenance filings. Best for interstate or online sellers.
Common law (use alone in Nevada)
Rights arise automatically from using a mark in your Nevada trading area, with no fee and no filing. But they are limited to that local area, harder to prove, and carry no registration certificate or presumption of ownership.
Related Nevada business-IP statutes
Trade secrets (NRS Chapter 600A)
Nevada adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, giving injunctions and damages for misappropriation of information with independent economic value that is kept reasonably secret.
Right of publicity (NRS 597.770-597.810)
Statutory protection for name, voice, signature, photograph, and likeness against unauthorized commercial use, lasting the person's life plus 50 years after death.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm actual Nevada use and gather a specimen
Before filing days after startingNevada has no intent-to-use option. Verify you are selling goods or offering services under the mark in Nevada and collect a specimen showing the mark in use, plus the dates of first use anywhere and first use in Nevada.
Search Nevada and USPTO records for conflicts
Before filing days after startingCheck the Nevada Secretary of State business and trademark records and the USPTO Trademark Search database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before paying the $100-per-class fee.
Assign one class per application
Before filing days after startingNevada allows only one mark in one class per application. Map your goods or services to a single International Class, and plan a separate application and $100 fee for each additional class you need.
File the Nevada mark registration form
When ready days after startingSubmit the Secretary of State mark registration form with owner details, the mark, the class, use dates, and a specimen. Pay $100 per class under NRS Chapter 600 to obtain a certificate of registration.
Calendar the five-year renewal
Within six months before expiration days after startingA Nevada registration lasts five years. File a mark renewal with the Secretary of State in the six-month window before expiration to extend it for another five-year term, or the registration will lapse.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm actual Nevada use and gather a specimen | Nevada has no intent-to-use option. Verify you are selling goods or offering services under the mark in Nevada and collect a specimen showing the mark in use, plus the dates of first use anywhere and first use in Nevada. | - | Before filing |
| Search Nevada and USPTO records for conflicts | Check the Nevada Secretary of State business and trademark records and the USPTO Trademark Search database for confusingly similar marks on related goods or services before paying the $100-per-class fee. | - | Before filing |
| Assign one class per application | Nevada allows only one mark in one class per application. Map your goods or services to a single International Class, and plan a separate application and $100 fee for each additional class you need. | - | Before filing |
| File the Nevada mark registration form | Submit the Secretary of State mark registration form with owner details, the mark, the class, use dates, and a specimen. Pay $100 per class under NRS Chapter 600 to obtain a certificate of registration. | trademark-application | When ready |
| Calendar the five-year renewal | A Nevada registration lasts five years. File a mark renewal with the Secretary of State in the six-month window before expiration to extend it for another five-year term, or the registration will lapse. | - | Within six months before expiration |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A registration under NRS Chapter 600 gives you rights only within Nevada. It cannot stop a business in another state from using a similar mark, and it does not grant the nationwide priority of a federal USPTO registration. If you operate across state lines or sell online nationally, you should register federally for broader protection.
No. Unlike the federal system, Nevada requires the mark to be in actual use in the state before you apply. You must state the date the mark was first used in Nevada and provide a specimen showing that use. There is no intent-to-use basis that reserves a mark you have not started using yet.
NRS Chapter 600 sets the Nevada registration term at five years, shorter than the federal ten-year term. You renew for successive five-year periods by filing a mark renewal with the Secretary of State, generally within the six months before expiration. Track this shorter cycle carefully so your Nevada registration does not lapse.
Yes. Nevada adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act as NRS Chapter 600A. It lets a business seek injunctions and damages for misappropriation of information that has independent economic value from being secret and is the subject of reasonable efforts to keep it secret. This protects confidential business information separately from any trademark filing.
Yes. NRS 597.770 to 597.810 create a statutory right of publicity in a person's name, voice, signature, photograph, or likeness. Commercial use without written consent can be enjoined and can support a claim for damages. The Nevada right endures for the person's life plus 50 years after death, one of the longer post-mortem terms among states.
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