Nevada Judgment Renewal & Recovery

Updated October 12, 2026. Sources: NRS 17.214, NRS 11.190 and NRS 31.295. General information, not legal advice.

Why Judgments Need to Be Renewed

Nevada judgments generally have a six-year enforcement period. Under NRS 17.214, file the renewal affidavit within the 90 days before expiration; if the judgment was recorded, record the affidavit within three days after filing. Send the debtor a copy by certified mail, return receipt requested, within three days after filing. Successive timely renewals are permitted. Have Nevada counsel confirm the deadline and required steps for the particular judgment.

The Renewal Process

1. Calendar the Expiration

The first step is knowing when each judgment expires. For multi-judgment portfolios, this means maintaining an active calendar of expiration dates. Letting a judgment lapse silently is a common mistake — particularly for creditors with judgments accumulated over many years from different cases.

2. File the Affidavit of Renewal

File the affidavit in the court where the judgment is entered and docketed within the 90 days before expiration. The statute requires the listed facts, including the amount actually due, to be based on the affiant's personal knowledge. Do not assume a late affidavit can restore an expired enforcement right.

3. Calculate Interest and Costs

The renewal affidavit must include the original judgment amount, interest accrued, payments received (if any), costs added (filing fees, sheriff's fees, etc.), and the current balance owed. Nevada judgment interest accrues per NRS 17.130.

4. Serve the Renewal Notice

Send a copy of the affidavit to the debtor at the last known address by certified mail, return receipt requested, within three days after filing, under NRS 17.214(3).

5. Record Liens (If Applicable)

If the judgment was recorded, record the renewal affidavit with the county recorder where the original judgment was filed within three days after filing, under NRS 17.214(1)(b). Ask counsel to confirm lien status and priority; timely renewal alone is not a blanket priority guarantee.

Recovery Tools After Renewal

A renewed judgment enables the same enforcement tools as the original:

• Wage garnishment — For ordinary judgment debts, NRS 31.295(2) caps weekly garnishment at the smaller of: (1) 18% of disposable earnings when gross weekly pay was $770 or less on the date of the most recent writ, or 25% when it exceeded $770; and (2) disposable earnings above 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage. Support, tax and bankruptcy orders have different rules. Exempt funds cannot simply be treated as collectible assets.
• Bank levy — Account seizure under NRS 21.080 et seq.
• Property liens — Real property in any Nevada county
• Sheriff's levy — Non-exempt personal property
• Asset examinations — Compelled debtor examination under oath

Out-of-State Judgments: Domestication

Have a judgment from another state, against a defendant who's now in Nevada? the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (NRS 17.330–17.400) allows you to domesticate the out-of-state judgment in Nevada and then enforce it against Nevada assets.

Domestication Process

1. Obtain a certified copy of the original judgment from the issuing state's court
2. File the certified judgment with the Nevada court of appropriate jurisdiction
3. File an affidavit attesting to the judgment's enforceability in the original state
4. Serve notice on the judgment debtor
5. Wait the statutory period for any contest
6. Once domesticated, the judgment is treated as a Nevada judgment and standard enforcement tools become available

Common Pitfalls

• Letting judgments lapse silently — Without an active renewal calendar, judgments expire without notice
• Renewing too late — File within the statutory 90-day pre-expiration window and meet recording and notice requirements
• Interest calculation errors — Interest must be computed correctly per NRS 17.130
• Missing payments in the renewal affidavit — The affidavit must disclose payments, setoffs and the exact balance due; errors can lead to a challenge
• Skipping the service step — Renewal without proper notice to the debtor is vulnerable to challenge

How Vegas Valley Handles Judgment Portfolios

Start with our Judgment Recovery service for a review of the judgment, prior renewals, unpaid balance and known assets. Confirm who is responsible for each filing and deadline in the engagement; obtain Nevada counsel where legal representation is required. Court, service and attorney expenses may be advanced or billed under the agreement, separate from the contingency fee. See pricing.