Who The Father Is On Paper
NRS 126.051 and NRS 126.053 — the presumptions, and 60 days to rescind an acknowledgment
- He and the mother are or were married, and the child was born during the marriage or within 285 days after it ended by death, annulment, invalidity or divorce, or after a decree of separation.
- He and the mother lived together for at least 6 months before the period of conception and through it.
- Before the birth they attempted a marriage that is or could be declared invalid, and the child was born within the periods the section sets.
- While the child is a minor, he takes the child into his home and openly holds the child out as his own.
In Nevada a man is presumed to be a child's natural father in each of those cases. Genetic tests showing a probability of 99 percent or more create a conclusive presumption, unless he shows an identical sibling may be the father. The other presumptions may be rebutted only by clear and convincing evidence, and a court decree establishing another man's paternity rebuts them.
60 days to rescind. A signed voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or parentage has the same effect as a court judgment once the rescission period ends, without needing a court to ratify it. A signer may rescind within 60 days after both persons sign it, or earlier, before a proceeding about the child to which the signer is a party begins.
After that, the acknowledgment may be challenged only for fraud, duress or material mistake of fact, and the person challenging it carries the burden. Child support is not suspended during the challenge except on good cause.
How a paternity action is brought, the tests the court may order and the effect on support and custody are in other sections not reproduced here. Applying the presumptions to a particular family is for a court and a licensed Nevada attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- NRS 126.051 — Presumptions of paternity
- NRS 126.053 — Voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or parentage
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Nevada attorney.