In accordance with state law, the Public Administrator may act to secure the property of a decedent when, 1) the Coroner or Law Enforcement agency requests assistance at the scene of a death when they are unable to immediately locate a family member, or 2) when one or more of the following conditions exist and the Public Administrator determines action is warranted.

Some Situations Given Consideration by the Public Administrator:

• There are no known heirs.  
• An executor has not been appointed.  
• The named executor of a Last Will and Testament fails to act.  
• The Last Will and Testament names the Public Administrator as executor.  
• An heir or heirs requests or petitions the court to have the Public Administrator appointed as the administrator of the estate.  
• The Public Administrator determines property of the estate, or property deemed to have value to the estate, is being neglected, wasted, lost, inappropriately transferred, etc.

NRS 253.0405 Circumstances under which public administrator may secure property of deceased.  
Before the issuance of the letters of administration for an estate, before filing an affidavit to administer an estate pursuant to NRS 253.0403 or before petitioning to have an estate set aside pursuant to NRS 253.0425, the public administrator may secure the property of a deceased person if the administrator finds that: 
    
1.  There are no relatives of the deceased who are able to protect the property; or
2.  Failure to do so could endanger the property. 

    (Added to NRS by 1983, 1597; A 1991, 197; 1999, 918; 2009, 2269)

Referral Forms can be submitted to the Public Administrator's Office by fax or email as noted on the top of the Referral Forms.  Referrals are reviewed, assets and debts evaluated, and a determination made whether action on the part of the Public Administrator's Office is warranted.  Please note that the Public Administrator's Office is not obligated to take action based solely upon receiving a referral.