1. It is unlawful for any person knowingly or willfully to make or cause to be made:
- (a) Any telephonic access to a system; or
(b) A nonemergency telephone call to report an emergency on any nonemergency telephone line maintained by a governmental entity,
if no actual or perceived emergency exists.
- 2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, a person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
3. A person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a category E felony and shall be punished as provided in NRS 193.130 if:
- (a) The person intended to initiate an emergency response by law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical care or public safety personnel when no actual emergency exists; and
- (b) The emergency response initiated by the person results in the death or serious bodily injury of another.
- 4. A person who is convicted of a category E felony pursuant to subsection 3 is liable for any costs incurred by any governmental entity as a result of his or her conduct.
- 5. If a defendant who is charged with a violation of this section suffers from a mental illness or is intellectually disabled, the court may, if appropriate, take any action authorized by law for the purpose of having the defendant assigned to a program established pursuant to NRS 176A.250.
6. As used in this section:
- (a) “Emergency” means a situation in which immediate intervention is necessary to protect the physical safety of a person or others from an immediate threat of physical injury or to protect against an immediate threat of severe property damage, or any other situation which is likely to cause a governmental entity to provide services related to law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical care or public safety.
- (b) “Governmental entity” means an institution, board, commission, bureau, council, department, division, authority or other unit of government of this State, including, without limitation, an agency of this State or of a political subdivision.
- (c) “System” means a system established to provide a telephone number to be used in an emergency.
(Added to NRS by 1991, 17; A 2015, 1013)