Nevada Small Claims Statute of Limitations: Time Limits by Claim Type
The Deadlines Under NRS 11.190
Every small claims case in Nevada has a filing deadline — the statute of limitations. Miss it and the defendant has an absolute defense. The court won't hear your case no matter how strong the evidence is.
Here are the time limits for the most common small claims types:
| Claim Type | Time Limit | Starts From |
|---|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years | Date of breach or missed payment |
| Oral contract or open account | 4 years | Date of breach or last account activity |
| Property damage (real or personal) | 3 years | Date damage occurred or was discovered |
| Fraud | 3 years | Date the facts constituting fraud were discovered |
| Statutory liability other than a penalty or forfeiture | 3 years | When the claim accrues |
| Action upon a statute for a penalty or forfeiture | 2 years, unless that statute sets another period | When the claim accrues |
These periods come from NRS 11.190. NRS 118A.242 requires a landlord to provide an itemized accounting and return any remaining security deposit within 30 days after the tenancy ends; it does not set an eight-month filing limit. A deposit claim may be governed by the period for statutory liability, a statutory penalty or forfeiture, or a written-contract claim, depending on its legal basis and the relief sought.
How Accrual Works
The clock starts on the "accrual date" — the date the legal wrong happened or, for fraud and some property damage claims, the date you discovered it.
Contract claims: The limitation period starts when the other party broke the agreement. If a contractor was supposed to finish work by March 15 and didn't, the clock starts March 15. If a client was supposed to pay an invoice within 30 days and didn't, it starts on day 31.
Property damage: The clock starts when the damage occurred. If your neighbor's tree fell on your fence on June 1, that's the accrual date. If you discover hidden damage later — say, a slow leak from a botched plumbing job — the discovery date may apply instead.
Security deposits: Under NRS 118A.242, the landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to provide an itemized accounting and return any remaining deposit. The statute does not set a separate filing period; the applicable period depends on the legal basis and relief sought, as described above.
Things That Don't Stop the Clock
Sending a demand letter or negotiating informally does not pause or extend the statute of limitations; the clock continues to run during those efforts.
File before the deadline; do not assume that activity outside court extends it.
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What Happens If You're Close to the Deadline
If your statute of limitations is about to expire, file immediately. You can always improve your evidence package and negotiate later, but you can't undo a missed deadline. A rushed filing is recoverable; an expired claim is not.
For security deposit disputes, track both the tenancy end date and the date the landlord's 30-day duty expires. Do not assume the 30-day return period is also the lawsuit filing period; identify the limitation period that applies to your claim.
Claim Splitting and the $10,000 Cap
If someone owes you more than $10,000, you can file in small claims for up to $10,000 and waive the rest. But you cannot split a single claim into multiple lawsuits — filing for $7,000 now and $7,000 later on the same debt violates Nevada's prohibition on claim splitting. The first filing acts as a permanent waiver of anything beyond $10,000.
This matters for statute of limitations purposes because you get one shot. Make sure the claim amount in your complaint reflects the full amount owed (up to $10,000) the first time.
Check Before You File
The Nevada Small Claims Filing Guide includes the complete statute of limitations reference for every common claim type, along with the step-by-step filing process for your specific Justice Court township.
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