Personal Property Seizure After a Nevada Judgment: Vehicles, Equipment and Cash Registers

When Cash and Wages Aren't Enough

Wage garnishments and bank levies are the workhorses of Nevada judgment collection. But when the debtor is self-employed, doesn't use a bank, or has already been garnished by another creditor, seizing physical property may be your best remaining option.

Under NRS Chapter 21, a constable or sheriff can seize and sell tangible personal property — vehicles, business equipment, inventory, cash registers — to satisfy your judgment. The process is more involved and more expensive than a bank levy, but for the right debtor, it works.

How Property Seizure Works

1. Get a Writ of Execution from the Justice Court clerk ($25). Same writ used for garnishments and bank levies — the written instructions you attach tell the officer what you're targeting.

2. Write detailed instructions identifying the property. The officer needs the item's description, exact physical location, and evidence that the debtor owns it. Vague instructions ("seize the debtor's vehicle") get rejected. Specific instructions ("2019 Toyota Camry, license plate XYZ-1234, parked at 123 Main St, Las Vegas, NV") get served.

3. Pay the officer's fees upfront. This is where property seizures get expensive:

   • Base service fee: $9 plus mileage ($2/mile)
   • Vehicle impound deposit: $300
   • Notice of sale publication deposit: $800
   • Public posting fee: $45 ($15 per location × 3 locations)

   That's potentially over $1,100 in upfront costs before the sale even happens. These costs are recoverable from the sale proceeds, but only if the sale generates enough money.

4. The officer seizes the property and holds it pending a public sale. The debtor gets a Notice of Execution and 10 days to claim exemptions.

5. Public sale. After proper notice (newspaper publication and posting), the officer sells the property. Proceeds go in strict priority: senior lienholders first, then the debtor's exemption, then officer costs, then your judgment.

The Vehicle Trap

Vehicle seizures look attractive on paper — the debtor drives a car worth $15,000, and you're owed $8,000. Easy money, right?

Not in Nevada. Under NRS 21.090(1)(f), the debtor exempts up to $15,000 in motor vehicle equity ($30,000 if married). After you account for the exemption, plus any existing auto loan, plus the $1,100+ in seizure costs, most vehicles produce zero net recovery.

Example: A debtor owns a car worth $18,000 with a $5,000 loan balance. Equity is $13,000. After the $15,000 exemption, there's negative $2,000 available — the car is fully protected. Even without a loan, a $15,000 car nets $0 after the exemption.

Vehicle seizure makes financial sense only when the debtor has a high-value vehicle, no loan, and the equity clearly exceeds $15,000 (or $30,000 if married). Check DMV title records before instructing the officer.

Business Assets Are Different

Business property is where seizure gets interesting. A debtor who runs a store, restaurant, or repair shop has assets that aren't covered by personal exemptions:

• Cash registers and till taps — an officer can seize the contents of a business's cash register on the spot. This is called a "till tap levy" and it's one of the fastest seizure methods available.
• Commercial equipment — kitchen equipment, tools, inventory, display cases. The $10,000 tools-of-trade exemption applies to items the debtor personally uses in their trade, but general business inventory doesn't qualify.
• Business bank accounts — while technically a bank levy rather than physical seizure, business operating accounts don't get the personal bank account exemption under NRS 21.105.

For judgment creditors collecting from a business debtor, targeting commercial assets avoids the generous personal exemptions that protect individual debtors.

When Seizure Makes Sense

Property seizure is a last-resort tool for most small claims judgments under $10,000. The upfront costs are high, the exemptions are generous, and used-property sale prices rarely match Kelley Blue Book values.

It works best when:

• The debtor has identifiable high-value property with equity clearly above exemption limits
• The debtor is a business with commercial assets
• Other enforcement tools (garnishment, bank levy) have been exhausted or aren't available

The Nevada Judgment Collection Guide includes an execution packet checklist for property seizures and a pre-seizure cost calculator to help you determine whether pursuing physical property makes financial sense for your specific judgment.

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