Sued in Nevada? You have 21 days to answer
Justice Court or District Court: 21 days.
Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026. · Free letters and forms ↓
Count your answer deadline in Nevada
Pick your court and the day you were served (got the court papers). We show the last day to answer and what to do next.
Nevada guides by topic
How to answer in Nevada
Your deadline by court, the official form, fees and defenses.
Default judgment in Nevada
What a default means and how to set it aside, with a calculator.
After a judgment in Nevada
Wage garnishment, bank levies and how to claim an exemption.
Debt buyer lawsuits in Nevada
What a debt buyer must prove, and old debts as a defense.
Which court hears debt cases in Nevada
Justice Court
Most credit card, medical and personal loan lawsuits are filed here. Justice courts hear contract claims for money of $15,000 or less, not counting interest.
Law: NRS 4.370(1)(a)
District Court
Debt cases for more than $15,000.
Law: NRS 4.370(1)(a)
Small claims (Justice Court)
For claims of $10,000 or less. A collection agency may not sue on a medical debt below this amount except in small claims court.
Law: NRS 73.010(1); NRS 649.368(2)
How to answer in Nevada
- How to answer
File a written answer with the court clerk and serve a copy on the plaintiff or its lawyer. You must pay the appearance fee when you file your first paper, unless the court lets you proceed without costs.
- Fee to answer
Justice Court: a $50 appearance fee for the first paper you file (plus $25 for each additional defendant appearing separately), set by state law; counties may add local fees. No fee in small claims.
- If you can't pay the fees
Application to proceed as an indigent litigant, on a form provided by the court. If you are a legal aid client, your legal aid program can tell the court instead.
Law: NRS 12.015
- How you must be served
The summons and complaint must be handed to you personally, left at your home with a person of suitable age and discretion who lives there and is not on the other side of the case, or delivered to an agent authorized to accept service for you.
Law: JCRCP 4.2(a)
Law: JCRCP 12(a)(1)(A); NRCP 12(a); NRS 4.060(1)(c), (d); NRS 12.015
Defenses to know in Nevada
- Defenses in Nevada law
The statute of limitations is a defense: 6 years for a written contract and 4 years for an open or store account or unwritten contract. A payment made after the time limit has run does not revive the debt.
Law: NRS 11.190; NRS 11.200(2)
- Debt buyer lawsuits
- A collection agency (including a debt buyer) may not file a lawsuit on a debt when it knows or should know the time limit for suing has run. Debt buyer lawsuits in Nevada: the full rules
- Time limit to sue (written contract)
- 6 years · More on old debts at Debt Collector Map
If you missed the deadline in Nevada
A default judgment means the court decides against you because you didn't answer. You may be able to ask the court to set it aside (cancel it), but time limits are short.
- What happens
If you don't answer in time, the clerk enters your default. If the claim is for a set amount (like a credit card balance), the clerk can enter a default judgment for that amount and costs on the plaintiff's affidavit, without a hearing. A judgment can lead to wage garnishment or a bank levy.
- How to set it aside (cancel it)
The court may set aside an entry of default for good cause. To set aside a default judgment, file a motion under JCRCP 60(b): for mistake, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect, new evidence or fraud, within 6 months after the judgment or after written notice of its entry was served, whichever is later; if the judgment is void (for example, you were never properly served), within a reasonable time. If you were not personally served and never appeared, the court can also set aside the default judgment on a motion filed within 6 months after written notice of its entry was served on you.
Law: JCRCP 55(c); JCRCP 60(d)(2)
Law: JCRCP 55, 60(b)-(d)
Count your deadline to set aside a default
If there is a judgment in Nevada
A judgment is the court's decision that you owe money. Then the creditor can ask the court to take money from your pay or bank account.
- Interest after the judgment
Unless a contract or the judgment sets a different rate, the prime rate at the largest bank in Nevada (as set by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions on January 1 or July 1 before the judgment) plus 2%, adjusted every January 1 and July 1. Interest runs from the date you were served.
- How long it lasts
6 years. The creditor can renew the judgment by filing an Affidavit of Renewal of Judgment within 90 days before it expires and must mail you a copy by certified mail within 3 days. It can be renewed again the same way.
Law: NRS 17.130(2); NRS 11.190(1)(a); NRS 17.214
Garnishment, bank levy and exemptions in Nevada
Exempt means protected by law: money or property the creditor can't take. Often you must claim it yourself, fast.
- Wage garnishment (taking part of your pay)
Stricter than federal. A creditor can take the lesser of 18% of your weekly disposable earnings if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less (25% if more), or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage.
Law: NRS 31.295(2)
- Bank levy (freezing and taking money in your bank account)
The sheriff serves a writ of execution or garnishment on your bank. If federal benefits such as Social Security were deposited electronically in the last 45 days, $2,000 (or the whole balance, if less) stays available to you automatically; otherwise $400 (or the whole balance) is protected automatically. You can claim other exemptions, including up to $10,000 of personal property such as bank money.
Law: NRS 21.105; NRS 21.090(1)(z)
- How to claim an exemption
The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions. To claim one, fill out a claim of exemption (the court clerk provides the form and instructions, and there is no fee), file it with the clerk, and serve copies on the sheriff, the garnishee (your bank or employer) and the judgment creditor within 10 days after the notice was served on you by mail. For wages, file within 10 days after each time money is withheld from your pay. The property must be released within 9 judicial days unless the creditor files an objection and asks for a hearing within 8 judicial days; the hearing is then held within 7 judicial days. Attaching proof that the money is exempt can speed up release.
Law: NRS 21.075, 21.076, 21.112(1)-(4), (6)
These garnishment limits are from our sister site, which checks them against official sources: Debt Collector Map: Nevada
Count your deadline to claim an exemption
Free help in Nevada
- Nevada Legal Services (free legal aid)
- Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
- Find free legal help at LawHelp.org
Court self-help
Free letters and forms
Ask the plaintiff's lawyer for the debt documents
The contract, the chain of ownership and an itemization of what they claim.
Exemption claim cover letter
A letter to the court clerk to file with your exemption claim form.
Good to know in Nevada
- Nevada protects some bank money automatically: $2,000 if federal benefits were direct-deposited in the last 45 days, otherwise $400 (NRS 21.105).
- You have only 10 days after the Notice of Execution is mailed to you (or after each paycheck withholding) to file and serve a claim of exemption (NRS 21.112(1)).
- A collection agency cannot sue on a medical debt below the small claims limit except in small claims court (NRS 649.368(2)).
Changes in 2024–2026
The Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure were amended effective October 29, 2024. NRS 11.200 was amended in 2023 so that a payment after the time limit has run does not revive a debt.
Law: JCRCP, including Rules 55 and 60
Federal rules in every state
- Where a collector must sue. A debt collector that sues you over a consumer debt must file where you signed the contract or where you live when the suit starts. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1692i(a)(2)
- Old debts. A debt collector must not sue you, or threaten to sue you, on a debt that is too old to sue on. Law: 12 CFR 1006.26(b)
- Before a default judgment. Before the court gives the plaintiff a default judgment, the plaintiff must file a sworn statement saying whether you are in military service. Law: 50 U.S.C. 3931(b)(1)
- Your pay. For an ordinary debt, a creditor can take at most 25% of your take-home pay, or the part above 30 times the federal minimum wage if that is less. Many states protect more. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(a)
- Federal benefits in the bank. Your bank must protect up to two months of Social Security, SSI, VA and some other federal benefits that were paid into your account by direct deposit. You don't have to ask. Law: 31 CFR 212.5, 212.6
Questions about debt lawsuits in Nevada
How long do I have to answer a debt lawsuit in Nevada?
21 days after you are served with the summons and complaint (Justice Court and District Court).
How do I answer a debt lawsuit in Nevada?
File a written answer with the court clerk and serve a copy on the plaintiff or its lawyer. You must pay the appearance fee when you file your first paper, unless the court lets you proceed without costs.
Does it cost money to answer in Nevada?
Justice Court: a $50 appearance fee for the first paper you file (plus $25 for each additional defendant appearing separately), set by state law; counties may add local fees. No fee in small claims.
What if I can't afford the court fees in Nevada?
Application to proceed as an indigent litigant, on a form provided by the court. If you are a legal aid client, your legal aid program can tell the court instead.
What happens if I don't answer in Nevada?
If you don't answer in time, the clerk enters your default. If the claim is for a set amount (like a credit card balance), the clerk can enter a default judgment for that amount and costs on the plaintiff's affidavit, without a hearing. A judgment can lead to wage garnishment or a bank levy.
Can I cancel a default judgment in Nevada?
The court may set aside an entry of default for good cause. To set aside a default judgment, file a motion under JCRCP 60(b): for mistake, inadvertence, surprise or excusable neglect, new evidence or fraud, within 6 months after the judgment or after written notice of its entry was served, whichever is later; if the judgment is void (for example, you were never properly served), within a reasonable time. If you were not personally served and never appeared, the court can also set aside the default judgment on a motion filed within 6 months after written notice of its entry was served on you.
How much interest does a judgment add in Nevada?
Unless a contract or the judgment sets a different rate, the prime rate at the largest bank in Nevada (as set by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions on January 1 or July 1 before the judgment) plus 2%, adjusted every January 1 and July 1. Interest runs from the date you were served.
How long does a judgment last in Nevada?
6 years. The creditor can renew the judgment by filing an Affidavit of Renewal of Judgment within 90 days before it expires and must mail you a copy by certified mail within 3 days. It can be renewed again the same way.
Can my wages be garnished in Nevada?
Stricter than federal. A creditor can take the lesser of 18% of your weekly disposable earnings if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less (25% if more), or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage.
Can a creditor take money from my bank account in Nevada?
The sheriff serves a writ of execution or garnishment on your bank. If federal benefits such as Social Security were deposited electronically in the last 45 days, $2,000 (or the whole balance, if less) stays available to you automatically; otherwise $400 (or the whole balance) is protected automatically. You can claim other exemptions, including up to $10,000 of personal property such as bank money.
How do I claim an exemption in Nevada?
The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions. To claim one, fill out a claim of exemption (the court clerk provides the form and instructions, and there is no fee), file it with the clerk, and serve copies on the sheriff, the garnishee (your bank or employer) and the judgment creditor within 10 days after the notice was served on you by mail. For wages, file within 10 days after each time money is withheld from your pay. The property must be released within 9 judicial days unless the creditor files an objection and asks for a hearing within 8 judicial days; the hearing is then held within 7 judicial days. Attaching proof that the money is exempt can speed up release.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- NRS chapter 4 (justice courts: jurisdiction NRS 4.370, fees NRS 4.060)
- NRS chapter 73 (small claims)
- NRS chapter 11 (limitations, NRS 11.190, 11.200)
- NRS chapter 12 (NRS 12.015 indigent litigants)
- NRS chapter 17 (judgment interest NRS 17.130, renewal NRS 17.214)
- NRS chapter 21 (execution, notice and claim of exemption NRS 21.075-21.112)
- NRS chapter 649 (collection agencies)
- Nevada Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure (amended Oct. 29, 2024)
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.
- Venue for debt collection suits, 15 U.S.C. 1692i
- Time-barred debts, 12 CFR 1006.26 (Regulation F)
- Default judgments and servicemembers, 50 U.S.C. 3931
- Restrictions on garnishment, 15 U.S.C. 1673
- Federal benefit payments in bank accounts, 31 CFR part 212
- CFPB: What should I do if I'm sued by a debt collector or creditor?