General information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state.

Independent guide · not a government website

State guide

Nevada car accident law: deadlines, fault and your claim

Nevada gives you two years to sue for crash injuries and three years for vehicle damage, and bars recovery if your fault was greater than the other side's.

Last reviewed By the Editorial team 6 min read

General information, not legal advice. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state.

Quick answer

In Nevada you generally have 2 years to file a lawsuit for crash injuries or a death, and 3 years for damage to your vehicle. Nevada uses Modified comparative fault. Comparative negligence with a cut-off: once your share of blame reaches the state's bar (50% or 51%), you recover nothing. Glossary: your damages are cut by your share of fault, and you recover nothing if your fault was greater than that of the people you sue. Drivers must also send a crash report to the DMV within 10 days in many crashes that police did not investigate.

Nevada law at a glance

Checked against official sources · October 2026

ClaimDeadline or ruleThe law
Injury2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Vehicle or property damage3 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(3)(c)
Wrongful death2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Shared fault51% bar Modified comparative fault (51% bar)Nev. Rev. Stat. § 41.141(1)

Key facts

Injury lawsuit deadline
2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Vehicle damage deadline
3 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(3)(c)
Wrongful death deadline
2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Fault rule
Modified comparative: barred at 51% or moreNev. Rev. Stat. § 41.141(1)
Claim against a government body
2 years to file a claimOptional before suing
Minimum liability insurance
$25,000 / $50,000 / $20,000Per person / per crash / property
Insurance system
At-faultPersonal injury protection: Not required
Traffic deaths, 2024
417IIHS
State Bar lawyer referral
800-789-5747Toll-free

Filing deadlines in Nevada#

Nevada's Statute of limitations. The law that sets the last day to file a lawsuit. After it passes, a court will usually dismiss the case, however strong it is. Glossary for most crash lawsuits is in NRS 11.190. The same limit, 2 years, covers injuries and wrongful death, while property damage has a longer window.

ClaimDeadlineLaw
Personal injury2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Damage to your vehicle or other property3 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(3)(c)
Wrongful death2 yearsNev. Rev. Stat. § 11.190(4)(e)
Claim against the state or a local governmentClaim may be filed within 2 yearsNRS 41.036

For an injured child, Nevada law does not count the time before the child turns 18 toward the deadline (NRS 11.250). This pause is a form of Tolling. Pausing the limitations clock, for example while the injured person is a child. Glossary, and it can give a family much longer than two years.

Claims against government work differently in Nevada than in many states. A tort claim can be filed with the Attorney General (for the state) or the local governing body (for a city or county) within 2 years, but filing it is not a condition for bringing a lawsuit. The ordinary lawsuit deadline is still the date to watch.

How fault is shared in Nevada#

Under Nev. Rev. Stat. § 41.141(1), your own carelessness does not bar recovery as long as it was not greater than the combined fault of the people you are suing. The judge or jury sets a percentage for each party, and your damages are reduced by yours.

Because one percentage point can decide whether you recover at all, adjusters often argue over small details of a crash. The fault-rule explainer shows how Nevada compares with other states.

Insurance in Nevada#

Nevada is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their insurer, pays for the losses. Every driver must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, plus $20,000 for property damage. Nevada does not require Personal injury protection (PIP). Coverage under your own policy that pays medical bills and some lost income after a crash, whoever caused it. Glossary.

Insurers must offer you other coverage, which you may turn down:

  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Must be offered at your bodily injury limits; optional. The Insurance Information Institute estimates that 11.1% of Nevada drivers were uninsured in 2023, against 15.4% nationally.
  • Medical payments coverage (MedPay). Optional or required coverage on your own auto policy that pays medical bills after a crash, up to a set limit, whoever caused it. Unlike PIP, it usually does not pay lost income. Glossary. Must be offered (at least $1,000); optional. It pays medical bills whoever caused the crash.

Questions about an insurer's conduct go to the Nevada Division of Insurance: 888-872-3234 (toll-free); 775-687-0700 (Carson City); 702-486-4009 (Las Vegas). Our guide on who pays medical bills explains the order in which these coverages usually pay.

After a crash in Nevada#

Nevada law puts these duties on drivers in a crash:

  1. Stop and stay. Stop at or near the scene of any crash that injures or kills someone, and stay until you have met the duties below (NRS 484E.010).
  2. Share information and help. Give your name, address and vehicle registration number, and give reasonable help to anyone injured (NRS 484E.030).
  3. Call the police if no officer is there. Drivers must report the crash right away to the nearest police office or the Nevada Highway Patrol if no officer is present and the crash happened on a highway or injured or killed someone (NRS 484E.030).
  4. Report to the DMV. Drivers must send a written crash report to the DMV within 10 days when a crash on a highway causes injury, death or $750 or more in damage, unless an officer's report lists your insurance (NRS 484E.070). The DMV's form for this is the SR-1.

When an officer investigates a crash with injury, death or apparent damage of $750 or more, the officer submits a report to the Department of Public Safety within 10 days. For a Highway Patrol report, contact the Nevada Highway Patrol office for the area where the crash happened. In Las Vegas, the Metropolitan Police Department charges $12 for a copy. Our guide to the police report explains how to read one and fix errors.

Special rules in Nevada#

Punitive damages. In most injury cases, Punitive damages. Extra damages meant to punish very bad conduct, not to repay a loss. Many states cap them; Texas calls them exemplary damages. Glossary are capped at 3 times compensatory damages when those are $100,000 or more, or $300,000 when they are less (NRS 42.005). They require clear and convincing proof of oppression, fraud or malice. When a driver caused the injury after willfully using alcohol or another substance in violation of Nevada's DUI laws, the punitive damages cap does not apply (NRS 42.010).

Claims against government. An award against a Nevada government body or public employee is capped at $200,000 per claimant and cannot include punitive damages (NRS 41.035). This matters after a crash with a public bus, police car or state truck.

Court-annexed arbitration. A district court damages case worth $100,000 or less per plaintiff must first go to nonbinding arbitration under NRS 38.250, unless the parties use another approved method.

Crashes on Nevada roads#

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counted 417 crash deaths in Nevada in 2024. That is 12.8 per 100,000 people, compared with 11.5 per 100,000 people nationally. Speeding was involved in 33% of Nevada's crash deaths, and 25% happened on rural roads.

Finding a lawyer in Nevada#

The State Bar of Nevada runs a Lawyer Referral Service at 800-789-5747 (toll-free) or 702-382-0504, with online referrals at any hour. A referred lawyer may charge $45 for a first consultation of up to 30 minutes. A referral does not mean the lawyer is a certified specialist.

Before you hire anyone, our guide to checking a lawyer's license explains what to look for. If your crash happened in Clark County, the Las Vegas guide covers local police, courts and reports.

Questions people ask

What is the statute of limitations for a car accident in Nevada?

Generally 2 years for injuries and wrongful death, and 3 years for damage to your vehicle. For an injured child, the time before the child turns 18 does not count.

Is Nevada a no-fault state?

No. Nevada is an at-fault state, so the driver who caused the crash is responsible for the losses, usually through their liability insurance. PIP is not required, but insurers must offer medical payments coverage.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault in Nevada?

Yes, if your fault was not greater than that of the people you are suing. Your damages are reduced by your percentage; at 51% or more, you recover nothing.

Do I have to report a car accident to the Nevada DMV?

Often, yes. Drivers must send a written crash report to the DMV within 10 days when a crash on a highway causes injury, death or $750 or more in damage, unless an officer's report lists your insurance. The report is the DMV's SR-1 form.

Does Nevada cap damages in car accident cases?

Punitive damages are capped in most cases at 3 times compensatory damages when those are $100,000 or more, or $300,000 when they are less, but the cap does not apply to a claim against a driver who was impaired by alcohol or drugs. Awards against government bodies are capped at $200,000 per claimant.

How do I get a Nevada Highway Patrol crash report?

Contact the Nevada Highway Patrol office for the area where the crash happened. If a city police department or sheriff's office took the report, ask that agency; in Las Vegas, the Metropolitan Police Department charges $12.

Sources

  1. Nevada Legislature, NRS chapter 11 — limitation periods and tolling for minors
  2. Nevada Legislature, NRS chapter 41 — comparative negligence and claims against government
  3. Nevada Legislature, NRS chapter 484E — duties after a crash, DMV and officer reports
  4. Nevada DMV, SR-1 Report of Traffic Crash — the driver's crash report form
  5. State Bar of Nevada, Lawyer referral process — referrals and consultation fee
  6. Justia (2024 Nevada Revised Statutes), NRS 41.141 — as of October 2026
  7. Insurance Information Institute, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists — as of October 2026
  8. Nevada Department of Public Safety, Records requests — as of October 2026
  9. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Records and Fingerprint Bureau service fees — as of October 2026
  10. Nevada Legislature, NRS 42.005 — as of October 2026
  11. Nevada Legislature, NRS 38.250(1)(a) — as of October 2026
  12. Nevada Division of Insurance, Automobile Insurance — as of October 2026
  13. Insurance Information Institute, Background on: No-fault auto insurance — as of October 2026
  14. Insurance Information Institute, Background on: Compulsory auto/uninsured motorists (financial responsibility limits by state table) — as of October 2026
  15. Nevada Legislature, NRS 687B.145, uninsured/underinsured and medical expense coverage offers — as of October 2026
  16. Nevada Division of Insurance, Contact Us — as of October 2026
  17. IIHS, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state — as of June 2026

Last reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Accident Claim Facts editorial team. Found an error? Tell us.

Keep reading

  1. States and citiesStates A–ZFiling deadlines for injury, vehicle damage and wrongful death claims, and the fault rule, for all 50 states and Washington, DC, each linked to the statute or…Reviewed
  2. The claim processThe claim processFrom the police report and medical records to insurer calls, the demand letter, negotiation, a lawsuit and trial, with the deadlines that apply at each stage.Reviewed
  3. ToolFault-rule explainer: how your share of blame changes a claimSlide your share of the blame and choose a state to see whether its fault rule lets you recover, and what share of your proven damages you could still claim.Reviewed
  4. City guideCar accidents in Las Vegas: deadlines, reports and local rulesNevada gives you two years to sue for crash injuries and bars recovery if you were more at fault than the other side. Las Vegas adds its own wrinkles: the…Reviewed
  5. State guideNew Hampshire car accident law: deadlines, fault and your claimNew Hampshire gives you three years to sue after most crashes, bars recovery if you were more at fault than the other side, and does not require most drivers…Reviewed
  6. State guideNew Jersey car accident law: deadlines, no-fault and your claimNew Jersey is a choice no-fault state: your own PIP pays medical bills first, and your policy's lawsuit option decides whether you can sue for pain and…Reviewed

    Try “deadline”, “Texas” or “demand letter”. Press Enter to open a result.