Nevada: Small Claims Court Dollar Limits
The short answer
Nevada caps small claims actions at $10,000, the same figure whether the plaintiff is an individual or a business, and the court can only award money, nothing else. Attorneys are freely allowed on either side, though the winning side generally can't recover attorney's fees, and a business can also send its own officer or employee instead of a lawyer. There's no cap on how many claims you can file in a year. Either side can appeal, but the notice of appeal is due in an unusually short 7 calendar days, and the district court reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial.
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This is the general rule in Nevada. Ezel applies current Nevada law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | NRS ch. 73 (Small Claims), within Title 6, Justice Courts and Civil Procedure Therein; § 73.010 sets jurisdiction and the dollar limit. Filing, service, hearing, and appeal procedure are supplied by the Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure (JCRCP), Part XII (Rules 88-100), adopted by the Nevada Supreme Court |
|---|---|
| Dollar limit | $10,000, for the recovery of money only (§ 73.010(1)): the same figure applies to every type of plaintiff and every claim brought under this chapter |
| Limit for businesses/entities | Same $10,000 limit as an individual: § 73.010 draws no distinction based on plaintiff type. A corporation, partnership, business trust, or other nongovernmental legal or commercial entity may also appear through its own director, officer, or employee instead of a lawyer (§ 73.012) |
| Court name and where to file | The Justice Court: jurisdiction is vested in "a justice of the peace" (§ 73.010(1)), not a separately chartered court. "Small claims court" and "small claims division" are the common labels for this jurisdiction within Justice Court, not a distinct tribunal. Venue is the township where the defendant resides, does business, or is employed, with additional options for injury and contract-performance cases (§ 73.010(2)) |
| Can you bring a lawyer? | Freely allowed for either side: no bar and no consent requirement. The catch is fee-shifting, not representation: "no attorney's fees are allowed either party" in a small claims action, with narrow exceptions for certain deceptive-trade-practices claims (§ 73.040, cross-referencing NRS 597.860 and 597.870). Separately, an entity may skip hiring a lawyer entirely and appear through its own director, officer, or employee (§ 73.012) |
| Limit on how many claims you can file | None: NRS ch. 73 and JCRCP Rules 88-100 (the small claims rules) contain no provision limiting how many claims a party may file in a year |
| Can you appeal? | Symmetric: "A plaintiff or defendant may appeal from a judgment to the district court as in other cases arising in the justice courts" (JCRCP 98(a)). The notice of appeal is due within 7 calendar days of service of the judgment (JCRCP 98(b)), an unusually short window compared to the 21-day period for ordinary justice court civil appeals, and an appeal bond is required (JCRCP 99-100). The district court reviews the existing hearing record rather than holding a new trial: no new evidence is introduced, and the district judge decides based on what was submitted to the justice of the peace |
| What you can sue for | Money only: § 73.010(1) limits small claims jurisdiction to "the recovery of money only." There's no equitable relief, no return of specific property, and no injunctions, a claim seeking property back or an order to stop some activity doesn't belong in small claims court at all. No attachment or garnishment may issue before judgment (§ 73.020), though execution, including garnishment in aid of execution, is available afterward to collect on a judgment already won |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Nevada's small claims scheme is NRS chapter 73, "Small Claims," inside Title 6 ("Justice Courts and Civil Procedure Therein"). Section 73.010 is the jurisdiction section: it gives a justice of the peace authority over small claims and sets the dollar limit. The day-to-day mechanics, how to file, serve the defendant, run the hearing, and appeal, come from the Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure (JCRCP), specifically the small claims rules in Part XII (Rules 88 through 100), which the Nevada Supreme Court adopts and amends separately from the statute itself.
Dollar limit
$10,000, and only for "the recovery of money only" (§ 73.010(1)). That figure is the same regardless of who's suing, there's no separate, lower tier for a business plaintiff.
Limit for businesses/entities
No separate figure. The $10,000 ceiling in § 73.010 applies equally to individuals and entities. On top of that, § 73.012 lets a corporation, partnership, business trust, or other nongovernmental entity appear through its own director, officer, or employee, without hiring outside counsel.
Court name and where to file
There's no separately chartered "small claims court." Jurisdiction under chapter 73 belongs to "a justice of the peace", meaning the case is heard in the Justice Court, informally called "small claims court" or handled through a "small claims division," but it's part of the ordinary Justice Court system, not a separate tribunal. You file in the township where the defendant lives, does business, or is employed, with a few additional venue options for injury and contract-performance claims (§ 73.010(2)).
Can you bring a lawyer?
Yes, without restriction, nothing in chapter 73 or the JCRCP small claims rules bars an attorney from appearing for either side. The real limit is on fee-shifting, not representation: "no attorney's fees are allowed either party to an action" under this chapter, apart from a couple of narrow exceptions tied to deceptive trade practices claims (§ 73.040). So you can hire a lawyer, but you're generally paying for it yourself even if you win. Separately, an entity defendant or plaintiff can avoid a lawyer altogether by sending its own director, officer, or employee to represent it (§ 73.012).
Limit on how many claims you can file
None. Neither chapter 73 nor the JCRCP small claims rules cap how many claims a party, individual or business, may file in a year.
Can you appeal?
Yes, and it's symmetric: "A plaintiff or defendant may appeal from a judgment to the district court as in other cases arising in the justice courts" (JCRCP 98(a)). The catch is timing, the notice of appeal is due within just 7 calendar days of service of the judgment (JCRCP 98(b)), far shorter than the 21 days allowed for an ordinary justice court civil appeal, plus an appeal bond is required. The district court doesn't hold a new trial: it reviews the record from the small claims hearing, and no new evidence comes in.
What you can sue for
Money only. Section 73.010(1) limits the whole chapter to "the recovery of money only", there's no equitable relief, no order returning specific property, and no injunctions available in small claims court. Before judgment, no attachment or garnishment can issue at all (§ 73.020); once you've won, ordinary execution, including garnishment in aid of execution, becomes available to collect.
What trips people up
Winning doesn't mean getting your attorney's fees back. Unlike many other costs, attorney's fees are specifically off the table in a Nevada small claims case (§ 73.040), with only narrow deceptive-trade-practices exceptions. Factor that into whether hiring a lawyer for a small claims case makes financial sense.
The appeal window is short, 7 calendar days, not weeks. Miss it and the judgment stands. Because it's calendar days, not business days, a weekend or holiday can eat into the time faster than you'd expect.
An appeal isn't a second shot at trial. The district court works from the record made at your small claims hearing. If you didn't get your evidence and testimony into that record clearly the first time, you can't fix it on appeal.
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to sue in Nevada small claims court? No, the process is built for self-represented parties, and a business can send an officer or employee instead of hiring counsel. You can still hire a lawyer if you want, but you likely won't get those fees back even if you win.
Can a company sue for the full $10,000, same as a person? Yes. Nevada doesn't set a lower dollar limit for business plaintiffs.
I lost and want to appeal. Do I get a new trial? No. The district court reviews what happened at your small claims hearing, no new evidence, and you have only 7 calendar days from service of the judgment to file the notice of appeal.
Statutes and sources
- NRS 73.010(1)-(2), "1. A justice of the peace has jurisdiction and may proceed as provided in this chapter and by rules of court in all cases arising in the justice court for the recovery of money only, where the amount claimed does not exceed $10,000. 2. An action brought pursuant to this chapter must be filed in one of the following townships as the proper venue for the action: (a) The township in which the defendant named is a resident, does business or is employed...", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-073.html, accessed 2026-07-09
- NRS 73.012, "A corporation, partnership, business trust, estate, trust, association or any other nongovernmental legal or commercial entity may be represented by its director, officer or employee in an action mentioned or covered by this chapter.", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-073.html, accessed 2026-07-09
- NRS 73.020, "No attachment or garnishment may issue before judgment in cases mentioned in this chapter, but execution, including garnishment in aid of execution as provided in NRS 21.120, may issue as in other cases arising in the justice court.", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-073.html, accessed 2026-07-09
- NRS 73.040, "Except as provided by NRS 597.860 and 597.870, no attorney's fees are allowed either party to an action mentioned or covered by this chapter.", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-073.html, accessed 2026-07-09
- JCRCP 88(a), "In all cases for the recovery of money only, where the amount claimed does not exceed the statutory limit set for a small claims action, the action may be commenced by the filing of an affidavit of complaint as set forth in Rule 89.", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/courtrules/jcrcp.html, accessed 2026-07-09
- JCRCP 98(a)-(b), "(a) A plaintiff or defendant may appeal from a judgment to the district court as in other cases arising in the justice courts. (b) The filing of a notice of appeal must be done within 7 calendar days from the service of the judgment. The time for filing the notice of appeal must be calculated pursuant to Rule 6.", https://www.leg.state.nv.us/courtrules/jcrcp.html, accessed 2026-07-09
Source links
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