Community Service in Clark County

In courtrooms across the country, judges often mandate community service as a part of sentencing when someone is found guilty of a crime. But just what constitutes community service? How does one fulfill the requirement? What exactly is the process?

In Clark County, the Las Vegas Justice Court Community Service Program operates as a placement agency for defendants who are ordered by the courts to complete community service work hours. A set number of hours may be mandated by the court; these may be in addition to a separate fine. In some cases, defendants can do community service work to “pay off” a fine instead of paying actual money for that fine.

The first step to take to fulfill one’s community service is to work within the Las Vegas Justice Court Community Service Program. This will ensure that the hours worked will actually count toward the sentence received. The Program provides the following services:

• Assistance with selecting a valid non-profit organization
• Provide a timesheet and details about how to use it correctly
• Review and verify timesheets
• Prepare a status report for the court to demonstrate satisfactory fulfillment of the community service hours
• Provide ongoing customer service for community service related matters and issues

You will need to present a court referral to start the process. There is a mandatory $25 fee to complete/process the Community Service Assessment document. This fee can be paid by check, cash, money order, debit card or credit card. If this is a hardship, the judge may waive the fee in whole or in part.

It is not possible to sign up for the Community Service Program via phone or online. You must sign up in person at the Community Service Program in the Regional Justice Center. For criminal cases, you will need to report to the customer service areas on the 2nd floor of the building. For traffic cases, you will need to report to the Community Service Window on the 1st floor of the building. The Regional Justice Center is located at 200 Lewis Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89155.

Community service hours must be performed at a registered public or private non-profit service agency. The Community Service Program maintains a list of qualified non-profit agencies where workers can receive credit toward their community service. The Program administrators verify agencies and, as of the date of this article, have more than 120 public and private agencies throughout Clark County that are eligible to choose from. Remember, just because an organization is a non-profit and accepts volunteers does NOT mean that it is a verified, accepted organization that will count toward court-mandated community service hours. You must verify eligibility with the Community Service Program.

Examples of Organizations for Fulfilling Community Service Hours

Physical and manual labor is required at all worksite locations. Certain agencies are able to provide light duty work for those with health restrictions. 

• The Shade Tree
• Rotary Club of Las Vegas
• Friends of Red Rock Canyon
• Blind Center of Nevada
• Baby’s Bounty
• Adopt a Rescue Pet
• The Key Foundation
• Safe Nest
• Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary
• Dress for Success Southern Nevada
• The Churchill Foundation
• Big Paw Rescue
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Las Vegas

Hours and Payments

Those performing community service cannot be paid for their time. In addition, there is a limit of eight hours of work that can be performed in a given day, regardless of whether you are willing and able to work more than eight hours in a day.

Other Details

The Court order for community service will outline the number of community service hours and a “by” date. It is important to follow these instructions and complete your timesheet to receive credit for the community service hours you perform.

The lawyers at The Defenders work with clients to protect their legal rights. Sometimes this includes advising them on the particulars of fulfilling community service requirements. If you have any questions about community service, please contact the firm at 702.333.3333. More information may also be found at www.lasvegasjusticecourt.us.