Nevada
Wronged by a licensed contractor? Nevada has a fund for that – Nevada Current
Kelly Lange thought she did everything right.
The Las Vegas homeowner knew she should use a licensed contractor for a planned kitchen remodel. She picked an established company, checked their online reviews, and made sure their license and bonding was current.
“I work for a (public) utility here in town,” she said, “so I knew everything that I was supposed to do.”
But what she expected to go smoothly instead turned into a yearlong headache. It started with delays — work that was supposed to start in October got pushed back to December, then again to January. Then, there were excuses that seemed suspect. Then, without warning, and without returning the money she had already paid, the business closed and stopped answering her calls.
Lange knew she could file a claim against the now-shuttered company’s bond. She, and a few others in similar positions, did just that. That helped her recoup some, but not all, of her money.
Luckily, Nevada has a unique safety net in place for people just like her. The Residential Recovery Fund allows single-family homeowners to recoup their financial losses after a licensed contractor fails to properly perform work. There are some limitations — homeowners have to live at the residence and they have to exhaust other means of recovery — but the fund offers some recompense for those wronged by licensed contractors.
On Jan. 18, Lange was one of more than two dozen people whose cases appeared before the Nevada State Contractors Board, which administers the Residential Recovery Fund. The homeowners were awarded a total of nearly $400,000 from the fund, which had nearly $6 million in it as of December 2023.
Since being established by the Nevada State Legislature in 1999, the Residential Recovery Fund has awarded approximately $15 million to 1,648 homeowners. The fund is kept flush through fees charged to all licensed contractors.
Lange received approval for $10,204. Next Gen Kitchen and Bath, the company Lange contracted with, had four claims against it at the hearing.
Amounts awarded at the hearing ranged from around $1,300 to the maximum amount allowable by state law: $40,000.
One homeowner who received the maximum amount allowed paid more than $120,000 to now-defunct Lifetime Power LLC, which completed no work. She told the board she is seeking legal recourse against a partner company she believes should be held responsible, but she thanked the board for doing what it could for her.
“A number of these homeowners have been through a long, drawn-out process,” said David Behar, the director of investigations at the Nevada State Contractors Board. “They’re frustrated. They’ve been out a lot of money. They haven’t had repairs done to their homes. They’ve been incomplete because they’ve been waiting to try to get money to be made whole again. That’s one of the things that this process allows, is for them to maybe finally get some closure.”
In the majority of the cases heard last week, the at-fault companies had completed no work at all. In one case, the company performed shoddy work that will need to be redone. In another, a company installed an incompatible solar system.
S&E Contracting Inc, which operated as Made in the Shade until its license was revoked by regulators in September, had 13 claims against it heard at the most recent hearing. Their abandoned contracts accounted for nearly half of the $400,000 awarded at the hearing.
All but one of the 13 claims against Made in the Shade were for projects beyond what the company was bonded for. Accepting projects above their monetary limit is a red flag that a company may be untrustworthy and incapable of completing what it has promised, noted contractors board member Boyd Martin. Another company was found to be working outside of their license — for example, completing tile work when licensed only for general landscaping.
The Nevada State Contractors Board recommends homeowners accept at least three bids on projects and verify that contractors are properly licensed and bonded for the type of work to be done — something that can be done for free online.
“Do not take their word for it,” Behar said, adding that the contractors website will also list whether a contractor has faced disciplinary actions. “We try to highlight people that are unlicensed contractors, the ones that are targeting people that are more vulnerable, that maybe don’t understand the process and that they wouldn’t be eligible for the recovery fund.”
Homeowners should also be aware that state law largely limits the amount a contractor can collect as a deposit to $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less. Lawmakers established those limits in Assembly Bill 39 of the 2023 Legislative Session.
Homeowners wronged by an unlicensed contractor are not eligible for the Residential Recovery Fund, but the contractors board does have a criminal division that investigates their wrongdoings.
The Las Vegas Raiders have orchestrated many groundbreaking moves this offseason, but none as important as the impact they made at a fundraising event.
Over the weekend, the Raiders hosted the Silver & Black Gala, raising $2.5 million for mental health in Nevada. Sunday marked the third time the organization had hosted the event, which has produced a tremendous turnout.
Several individuals spoke during the event, including Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and president Sandra Douglass Morgan, who each highlighted the importance of acknowledging mental health.
Davis’ Thoughts
- “We’re here to raise money for mental health, which is one of the most important things we can all deal with,” Davis said. “Every one of us is impacted by mental health and our families, friends, or anywhere else, we are all directly affected. That’s why it’s so critical to raise money for our community. We’re grateful for you all, and appreciate you being here.”
Morgan’s Thoughts
“Mental health remains one of the most urgent issues across Nevada,” Morgan said. “Through the Silver & Black Gala, the Raiders Foundation is helping expand access to trusted, community-based resources that meet people where they are. This year’s recipients reflect the depth and complexity of that work, supporting our community in schools, clubhouses, homes, shelters, and family systems statewide.”
The Raiders also honored former player Carl Nassib and NFL broadcaster Jay Glazer on Sunday night as the winners of the Commitment to Excellence award. Here is what each of them had to say.
Glazer’s Thoughts
- “First, this is incredible what the Raiders are doing,” Glazer said. “God blessed me with the ability to communicate, so I’m going to use that to try and help other people. When we’re willing to share our scars, we turn them into strength—into something that connects us as teammates with nothing to hide. That’s what builds a true team, a championship team. I’m proud to stand with you and be part of this team tonight.”
Nassib’s Thoughts
- “It is truly a privilege to be up here,” Nassib said. “We’re creating space for people to be vulnerable—and that work is truly lifesaving. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about showing up and reminding people they’re not alone.”
Overall Thoughts
This has been a tremendous event over the last few years, and the Raiders’ organization has done a great job of raising awareness for mental health. This will be an event that the team will continue to host in the future.
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Nevada
Nevada workers fear homelessness as housing, jobs vanish before July deadline | Fox News Video
The final casino resort in Primm, Nevada, will close this summer after years of declining tourism, ending gaming operations in the once-busy border town and putting hundreds of employees out of work.
Primm Valley Casino Resorts is shutting down its remaining hotel and casino operations in July as experts point to increased competition, changing travel habits and post-pandemic losses behind the decline.
RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) is in a strong position heading into the thick of his 2026 reelection bid — a huge war chest, almost universal name recognition and strong favorability numbers among the electorate.
Though Lombardo is likely focusing on the general election already, he faces 6 longshot candidates in the GOP primary seeking to upset him in June.
Nevada Governor GOP primary: 6 longshot candidates taking on incumbent Joe Lombardo
The challengers face a ‘Herculean’ task, said Mike Noble, CEO and founder of Noble Predictive Insights, an Arizona-based nonpartisan pollster focusing on the Southwest region.
“I see it as a Herculean task for anyone. If someone was coming in with like, I don’t know $10 million or something to spend, sure I can see that might be competitive, but I don’t see any of them coming anywhere near close to that. And so again, I just think I think it’s a non-factor at this point,” Noble said.
RELATED | Ballot Battleground: Nevada podcast: Early Noble poll shows dead heat in governor’s race
Despite the long odds, News 4-Fox 11 reached out to all candidates requesting an interview as part of our commitment to 2026 election coverage and our Know Your Candidates series. Three of the 7 running interviewed with us — Irina Hansen, Kameron Hawkins, Lombardo and Jose Zelaya did not respond to multiple emails requesting an interview.
We asked them similar questions about Gov. Lombardo’s leadership as governor, how they would pass a balanced budget and whether they support taxpayer subsidies for sports teams or major projects.
Click the candidate’s name to watch their full interview. Quotes below have been edited for space and clarity.
Donald J. Beaudry Jr. is an entrepreneur who founded BlkEdgeAi, a financial technology firm specializing in AI-driven trading systems and market strategy, according to his campaign website.
He told News 4-Fox 11 that Nevada has been drifting the last four years with ‘no captain, no vision.’ He believes his Wall Street-like trading market called NGEX (Nevada Global Exchange) would generate enough revenue to eliminate sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes and vehicle registration fees.
“I completely blueprinted it out and calculated that this model could generate enough revenue in this state that we could eliminate all the state taxes and fees that are currently in place and use that as the revenue source for the state and make everybody, every man, woman and child throughout Nevada, a shareholder in the dividends of that exchange … it would be a kind of Wall Street type of stock market, but far broader, more advanced, and exponentially more profitable.”
Matthew Rian Winterhawk is the founder of SmartSlaps foundation, a nonprofit that works to help schools and students with civic engagement and community responsibility.
If elected, he described going through a DOGE-like review of the state budget to determine which areas can be cut or kept depending on their ‘dollar to impact’ ratio.
“What I would like to do is go through every department, I’m talking top to bottom, from here from the primary to the beginning. We will cut every piece of administrative bloat across the system … I need more money for my teachers. Teachers never see it, students never see it, the impact never reaches the classroom. It’s 100% administrative bloat.”
The son of immigrants, Barak Zilberberg is now an entrepreneur and real estate investor based in Las Vegas. He ran for governor in 2022, earning 0.2% of the vote in the GOP primary. He told News 4-Fox 11 he’s also running for President in 2028.
He said he’s running for governor to improve the educational system, bring jobs to Nevada and open up federal land to build more affordable housing.
“We’ve got get high-speed railing systems in here where we can transit very easily, efficiently, and basically moving around between economies of both cities. Not only that, I’d like to bring Disneyland here and the Olympics, sponsor the Olympics here. I just want to make this a well-known place of entertainment, a hub.”
To help voters make informed decisions this election year, News 4-Fox 11 is publishing and broadcasting dozens of interviews with candidates who will appear on the June primary ballot.
In fairness to all candidates, they were asked a series of similar questions. We are posting the full interviews online so voters can watch their responses in their entirety.
Visit our Know Your Candidates 2026 page to view other race previews and meet other candidates.
Email reporter Ben Margiott at bjmargiott@sbgtv.com. Follow @BenMargiott on X and Ben Margiott KRNV on Facebook.
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