1. 1. Except as otherwise provided in subsections 2 and 3 and by an order issued by the State Quarantine Officer pursuant to NRS 583.135, on or after July 1, 2022, a farm owner or operator in this State shall not knowingly confine an egg-laying hen in an enclosure which has less than 1 square foot of usable floor space per egg-laying hen.

2. 2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 and by an order issued by the State Quarantine Officer pursuant to NRS 583.135, on or after January 1, 2024, a farm owner or operator in this State shall not knowingly confine an egg-laying hen in an enclosure which:

   1. (a) Is not a cage-free housing system; or

   2. (b) Is a cage-free housing system that has less than:

      1. (1) One square foot of usable floor space per egg-laying hen if the cage-free housing system provides egg-laying hens with unrestricted access to elevated flat platforms, including, without limitation, unrestricted access in a multi-tiered aviary or partially slatted system; or
      2. (2) One and one-half square feet of usable floor space per egg-laying hen if the cage-free housing system does not provide unrestricted access to elevated flat platforms, including, without limitation, unrestricted access in a single-level, all-litter floor system.

3. 3. The prohibitions in subsections 1 and 2 do not apply to the confinement of an egg-laying hen during:

   1. (a) Medical research for which the egg-laying hen is used;
   2. (b) The examination, testing or treatment of or a surgical procedure performed on the egg-laying hen that is conducted by a person licensed to practice as a veterinarian pursuant to chapter 638 of NRS or a person who is under the direct supervision of a person licensed to practice as a veterinarian pursuant to chapter 638 of NRS;
   3. (c) The transportation of the egg-laying hen;
   4. (d) A State or county fair exhibition, 4-H program or other similar exhibition involving the egg-laying hen;
   5. (e) The slaughter of the egg-laying hen so long as the slaughter complies with the rules and regulations governing the slaughtering of such animals; or
   6. (f) Temporary periods for animal husbandry purposes. Such temporary periods must last not more than 6 hours in any 24-hour period and not more than 24 hours in total of such temporary periods are allowed in any 30-day period.

(Added to NRS by 2021, 2213; A 2025, 4)