How to answer a debt lawsuit in Nevada

Your deadline, the official form if there is one, fees and defenses, and the steps to file your answer.

Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026.

Short answer

Justice Court or District Court: 21 days. File a written answer with the court clerk and serve a copy on the plaintiff or its lawyer.

Time to answer
21 days
Official answer form
No official form found
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.

The answer deadline in Nevada, court by court

  • Justice Court or District Court: 21 days.

21 days after you are served with the summons and complaint (Justice Court and District Court).

Law: JCRCP 12(a)(1)(A); NRCP 12(a); NRS 4.060(1)(c), (d); NRS 12.015

In nearby states

Count your exact deadline

The date is counted in your browser.

The court's name is at the top of your summons.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

Court fees in Nevada

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

Defenses you can raise in Nevada

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)

A written-contract debt in Nevada must be sued on within 6 years. Raise an older debt as a defense in your answer.

Debt buyer lawsuits in Nevada: the full rules

Service of the court papers in Nevada

Service means officially getting the court papers. Your deadline usually starts that day.

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)

What an answer is and how to file it 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.

What to do now in Nevada

  1. Look at the summons

    The summons names the court, the case number and the lawyer suing you. Keep it safe.

  2. Note your last day

    In Nevada: Justice Court or District Court: 21 days.

  3. File a written answer

    File it with the court clerk and send a copy to the plaintiff's lawyer. Keep a copy.

  4. Ask for the documents

    Use a documents request letter to see what they can prove.

  5. Ask for free help

    Legal aid can help for free: Nevada Legal Services (free legal aid) and Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

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)

Free legal help in Nevada

Questions about answering in Nevada

How many days do I get to answer in Nevada?

21 days after you are served with the summons and complaint (Justice Court and District Court).

How do I file an answer 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.

Is there a fee 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.

Can Nevada courts waive my 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.

More for Nevada

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources
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