Ticks in Nevada
Ticks are active in Nevada whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 63 Nevada towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.
Tick season in Nevada
Tick season in Nevada peaks in spring, the opposite of the Northeast. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, the main human biter across the interior West, quests from March into early summer and largely disappears as the high country dries out. On the Pacific slope the western blacklegged tick (the local Lyme vector) also peaks in spring, and in California's chaparral the Pacific Coast tick holds a late-summer window.
| Life stage | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain wood tick | ||||||||||||
| Western blacklegged tick | ||||||||||||
| Pacific Coast tick | ||||||||||||
| American dog tick |
Summer heat is a low point out West, not a high one. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time hikes and yard work than the calendar alone.
Highest-risk towns in Nevada (2026)
Nevada's highest-risk towns are spread across several counties, led by Douglas County. The top 10 towns run 1 to 92 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.
- 1Kingsbury Douglas CountyModerate at peak
- 2Incline Village Washoe CountyModerate at peak
- 3Owyhee Elko CountyModerate at peak
- 4Carson City Carson CityModerate at peak
- 5Spring Creek Elko CountyModerate at peak
- 6Genoa Douglas CountyModerate at peak
- 7Indian Hills Douglas CountyModerate at peak
- 8Topaz Ranch Estates Douglas CountyModerate at peak
- 9Lemmon Valley Washoe CountyModerate at peak
- 10Verdi Washoe CountyModerate at peak
All Nevada towns, by county
Carson City · 1 towns
Churchill County · 1 towns
Clark County · 18 towns · 0/100k Lyme
Douglas County · 10 towns
Elko County · 6 towns
Humboldt County · 1 towns
Lander County · 1 towns
Lincoln County · 1 towns
Lyon County · 6 towns
Mineral County · 1 towns
Nye County · 3 towns
Pershing County · 1 towns
Washoe County · 11 towns
White Pine County · 2 towns
Nevada tick questions
- Are there ticks in Nevada?
- Yes. Nevada has ticks, led by the Rocky Mountain wood tick across the interior and, on the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick. Lyme disease is uncommon here; the wood tick's spring bite (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever) is the real concern. Today 0 of the state's 63 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
- What types of ticks live in Nevada?
- Nevada's human-biting ticks are the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia), the western blacklegged tick (the Pacific-slope Lyme vector), the Pacific Coast tick, and the American dog tick. See the Nevada tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
- When does tick season start and end in Nevada?
- In Nevada, tick risk peaks in spring, the opposite of the Northeast. The Rocky Mountain wood tick quests from March into early summer, then summer heat and drought suppress activity. On the Pacific slope the western blacklegged tick also peaks in spring.
- When is flea and tick season?
- Flea and tick season in Nevada centers on spring and early summer, when the Rocky Mountain wood tick and western blacklegged tick are most active, easing as the land dries in high summer. Start pet prevention by March.
- Which tick carries Lyme disease in Nevada?
- On the Pacific slope, the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) is the Lyme vector, but Lyme is uncommon across Nevada. The Rocky Mountain wood tick, the main biter inland, does not carry Lyme; it carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever.