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NRS 147.040(1) · checked 2026-10-20
How long probate takes in Nevada
The longest fixed wait in a Nevada probate is usually the creditor claim period: 90 days from first publication of the notice to creditors under NRS 147.040(1), reduced to 60 days if summary administration is granted (NRS 147.040(4)). An estate cannot be closed safely before that window shuts.
- 1Claim period 90 days
- 2Counted from Notice / letters
- 3Outer limit None stated
- 4Statute NRS 147.040(1)
The statute
“90 days after the first publication of the notice to creditors”
Source: NRS 147.040(1). Last checked 2026-10-20.
Worked example: a death on January 15, 2026
| Checkpoint | Date |
|---|---|
| Date of death | January 15, 2026 |
| Earliest affidavit for transfer of assets without administration (40 days, NRS 146.080) | February 24, 2026 |
| Trigger: first publication of the notice to creditors | March 1, 2026 |
| Creditor claim period ends (90 days, NRS 147.040(1)) | May 30, 2026 |
Nevada starts the clock at first publication of the notice to creditors, so the end date moves with the court. The example assumes that event comes 45 days after the death (March 1, 2026); a later filing pushes May 30, 2026 back day for day. By comparison the small-estate route — when the estate fits — opens on February 24, 2026.
35 jurisdictions on this site give creditors longer and 1 give them less; the median is 122 days.
Steps that add time
- Getting appointed. Nothing runs until first publication of the notice to creditors; the time between the death and the petition is outside the statutory period.
- Notice. Published notice and notice mailed to known creditors start or shorten the claim period; a creditor who should have been mailed notice may get extra time — here, reduced to 60 days if summary administration is granted (NRS 147.040(4)).
- Real estate. Nevada's small-estate route does not take real property, so an estate with a house in the state generally goes through administration or another court step.
- Accounting and closing. The final account, receipts from heirs and any tax filings come after the claim period ends.
Opening the estate costs money too: see probate court fees in Nevada (NRS 19.013(1)).
Nearby Mountain timelines
Arizona: 4 months; Colorado: 4 months; Idaho: 4 months; Montana: 4 months; New Mexico: 4 months.
Related: Nevada small estate limit · creditor claim periods compared · executor timeline.
General information from the statute as written on 2026-10-20; not legal advice. Dates are worked examples of the statutory periods, not deadlines for any real estate. The Nevada probate court and its clerk can confirm how the periods run in a given case.