2026 Nevada Revised StatutesChapter 11 – Limitation Of ActionsNRS 11.190 Periods of limitation.

Statutory Text

1.  Within 6 years:

(a) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 62B.420 and 176.275, an action upon a judgment or decree of any court of the United States, or of any state or territory within the United States, or the renewal thereof.

(b) An action upon a contract, obligation or liability founded upon an instrument in writing, except those mentioned in the preceding sections of this chapter.

2.  Within 4 years:

(a) An action on an open account for goods, wares and merchandise sold and delivered.

(b) An action for any article charged on an account in a store.

(c) An action upon a contract, obligation or liability not founded upon an instrument in writing.

(d) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 11.245, an action against a person alleged to have committed a deceptive trade practice in violation of NRS 598.0903 to 598.0999, inclusive, but the cause of action shall be deemed to accrue when the aggrieved party discovers, or by the exercise of due diligence should have discovered, the facts constituting the deceptive trade practice.

3.  Within 3 years:

(a) An action upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture.

(b) An action for waste or trespass of real property, but when the waste or trespass is committed by means of underground works upon any mining claim, the cause of action shall be deemed to accrue upon the discovery by the aggrieved party of the facts constituting the waste or trespass.

(c) An action for taking, detaining or injuring personal property, including actions for specific recovery thereof, but in all cases where the subject of the action is a domestic animal usually included in the term “livestock,” which has a recorded mark or brand upon it at the time of its loss, and which strays or is stolen from the true owner without the owner’s fault, the statute does not begin to run against an action for the recovery of the animal until the owner has actual knowledge of such facts as would put a reasonable person upon inquiry as to the possession thereof by the defendant.

(d) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 112.230 and 166.170, an action for relief on the ground of fraud or mistake, but the cause of action in such a case shall be deemed to accrue upon the discovery by the aggrieved party of the facts constituting the fraud or mistake.

(e) An action pursuant to NRS 40.750 for damages sustained by a financial institution or other lender because of its reliance on certain fraudulent conduct of a borrower, but the cause of action in such a case shall be deemed to accrue upon the discovery by the financial institution or other lender of the facts constituting the concealment or false statement.

(f) An action pursuant to NRS 41.1335, but the cause of action shall be deemed to accrue upon the discovery by the aggrieved party of the facts constituting fertility fraud or of any medical or genetic disorder which results from the human reproductive material implanted in, used on or provided to a patient in violation of NRS 200.975, whichever occurs later.

4.  Within 2 years:

(a) An action against a sheriff, coroner or constable upon liability incurred by acting in his or her official capacity and in virtue of his or her office, or by the omission of an official duty, including the nonpayment of money collected upon an execution.

(b) An action upon a statute for a penalty or forfeiture, where the action is given to a person or the State, or both, except when the statute imposing it prescribes a different limitation.

(c) An action for libel, slander, assault, battery, false imprisonment or seduction.

(d) An action against a sheriff or other officer for the escape of a prisoner arrested or imprisoned on civil process.

(e) Except as otherwise provided in NRS 11.215 or 11.217, an action to recover damages for injuries to a person or for the death of a person caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The provisions of this paragraph relating to an action to recover damages for injuries to a person apply only to causes of action which accrue after March 20, 1951.

(f) An action to recover damages under NRS 41.740.

5.  Within 1 year:

(a) An action against an officer, or officer de facto to recover goods, wares, merchandise or other property seized by the officer in his or her official capacity, as tax collector, or to recover the price or value of goods, wares, merchandise or other personal property so seized, or for damages for the seizure, detention or sale of, or injury to, goods, wares, merchandise or other personal property seized, or for damages done to any person or property in making the seizure.

(b) An action against an officer, or officer de facto for money paid to the officer under protest, or seized by the officer in his or her official capacity, as a collector of taxes, and which, it is claimed, ought to be refunded.

[1911 CPA § 25; A 1951, 247]—(NRS A 1965, 948, 1415; 1967, 113; 1981, 1023, 1885; 1983, 612; 1985, 698; 1987, 14, 1346; 1991, 117; 1993, 454, 2628; 1997, 1591; 1999, 1238; 2005, 1424; 2007, 742, 2472, 2848; 2011, 1745; 2013, 1027; 2015, 2576; 2017, 4354; 2021, 1353, 1453; 2023, 582, 1413)

NV Rev Stat § 11.190 – Last Verified February 2026

Plain English Explanation

Nevada law sets strict deadlines for filing civil lawsuits. These deadlines are called statutes of limitations, and if you miss them, you generally lose your right to sue forever. NRS 11.190 lays out most of these deadlines depending on what type of claim you have.

6 Years to file a lawsuit based on a written contract, like a loan agreement or lease. Court judgments also fall into this category, giving you six years to act on them.

4 Years applies to store account debts, unwritten contracts, and cases involving deceptive business practices. For deceptive trade practice claims, the clock starts when you discover the fraud, not when it happened.

3 Years covers a range of situations. This includes property damage from trespass or waste, fraud or mistake, and personal property that was taken or destroyed. Again, for fraud, the timer starts when you actually find out about it.

2 Years is one of the most important deadlines for everyday people. Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years of the incident. Libel, slander, assault, battery, and false imprisonment claims also fall under this two year window. Claims against sheriffs or other officials acting in their official role have the same deadline.

1 Year is the shortest deadline and applies mostly to actions against tax collectors or officers who seized your property in their official role.

A few important things to keep in mind. Some of these deadlines have exceptions written into other Nevada statutes. For fraud and certain other claims, the clock does not start until you discover the problem, which is called the “discovery rule.” If your claim involves livestock with a recorded brand that was stolen, the deadline does not start until you actually learn who has the animal.

These time limits apply to civil lawsuits, not criminal charges, and they do not apply to cases involving the recovery of real estate, which is covered elsewhere in Nevada law.

Frequently Asked Questions About NRS 11.190

How long do I have to sue someone for a car accident in Nevada?

In Nevada, you have 2 years from the date of the car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This deadline is set by NRS 11.190 and applies to any lawsuit where you are seeking money for injuries caused by someone else’s negligence.

If someone died as a result of the accident, the family also has 2 years to file a wrongful death claim. Two years might feel like a long time, but it goes faster than most people expect. Once that deadline passes, the court will almost certainly refuse to hear your case no matter how strong it is.

What happens if you miss the statute of limitations in Nevada?

Missing the statute of limitations in Nevada is serious. When you file a lawsuit after the deadline has passed, the person you are suing can ask the court to dismiss your case entirely. The court will almost always grant that request.

It does not matter how much evidence you have or how valid your claim is. You lose your legal right to recover any money or compensation once the deadline expires. There are very limited exceptions, but they are rare and hard to qualify for. This is why it is so important to be aware of your deadline as early as possible.

Does the statute of limitations start from the date of injury or when I found out about it?

It depends on the type of claim you have. For something like a car accident or assault, the clock starts on the day the incident happened. But for certain claims like fraud, deceptive business practices, or property that was taken from you, Nevada law uses what is called the discovery rule. Under that rule, the deadline does not start until you knew about the harm, or reasonably should have known about it.

For example, if someone defrauded you but you did not find out until a year later, your time to sue generally starts from the day you discovered the fraud. The idea behind the discovery rule is that it would be unfair to punish someone for not suing over something they had no way of knowing happened.

What is the significance of the ‘discovery rule’ in the context of NRS 11.190(3)?

The discovery rule is one of the most important concepts in NRS 11.190(3) because it changes when the 3 year countdown actually begins. Normally, a statute of limitations starts running the moment something bad happens to you. The discovery rule flips that idea. Instead of starting the clock at the moment of the harmful event, it starts the clock at the moment you find out about it.

NRS 11.190(3) applies this rule to several specific situations. Underground mining damage, fraud, lender deception, and fertility fraud all use the discovery rule. The reasoning behind it is straightforward. A person cannot reasonably be expected to file a lawsuit over something they did not know happened. Without this rule, someone could theoretically lose their right to sue before they ever had a real chance to act.

How does NRS 11.190(3) affect cases involving livestock theft in Nevada?

Nevada gives special protection to livestock owners under this statute. If your animal has a recorded brand or mark on it and it strays or gets stolen without any fault on your part, the 3 year filing deadline does not start right away. It starts the moment you gain actual knowledge of facts that would lead a reasonable person to look into who currently has the animal.

This matters a lot in Nevada given the state’s ranching history and the reality that livestock can wander across vast stretches of land. A cow or horse can be gone for months or even years before an owner picks up a real lead on its whereabouts. The law recognizes that and protects owners from losing their right to recover an animal simply because time passed before they had any meaningful information to act on.