The Nevada Divorce Kit
See a different stateNevada
Nevada gives you the forms for free, and a six-week residency rule that’s shorter than almost anywhere else in the country. What it doesn’t give you is the order, the trap that quietly determines whether your divorce is final the day you think it is, or anyone to tell you which of the two very different tracks you’re actually on. That’s this.
Put in the day you filed and this page works out every deadline in your case, then hands you a calendar file that reminds you a week before each one and again the day before. It opens in the calendar you already use. Free, no account, nothing stored.
1 · The two routes, and what the rule requires
Nevada has a real fast lane called the Joint Petition — a “summary proceeding” under NRS 125.181–125.184, with no service of process, no hearing in most cases, and it works whether or not there are children. Everyone else uses the Complaint track. Confusing the two wastes a filing fee and, on the Complaint side, sets a clock that is easy to miss.
Residency comes first. NRS 125.020(2) requires one spouse to have been a Nevada resident for at least 6 weeks before the case is filed. There is no way around it, and no court has jurisdiction to grant the divorce without it. Residency is proved by the Affidavit of Resident Witness — sworn by someone with personal knowledge.
Joint Petition
NRS 125.181–125.184
Nevada’s summary proceeding. Both spouses sign one petition. There is no service of process, and in most cases no hearing — the Request for Submission is filed and the judge signs the decree.
Available only where all of these are true:
- Both spouses sign the petition together as joint petitioners.
- Everything is agreed in writing: dividing property and debts; alimony, including an agreement that neither spouse will receive any; and, where there are minor children, custody, visitation and child support.
This route works whether or not there are minor children, which is different from some states’ “simplified” tracks. Either spouse can revoke the petition any time before the decree is entered, but not after. No statutory waiting period applies — Nevada sets no floor like Florida’s 20 days or Connecticut’s 90 days.
Complaint
NRS 125.020 / NRS 125.030
Nevada’s regular divorce action. One spouse files as plaintiff, the other is the defendant. It is still entirely doable without a lawyer where things stay uncontested.
This is the route wherever either of these is true:
- The spouses have not agreed on everything.
- A spouse is not co-petitioning.
The Summons gives the defendant 21 days to respond. A cooperative spouse can sign a Waiver of Service of Summons instead of being formally served — no sheriff or process server fee. A default can be requested after 21 days, but some counties, Clark included, require a Notice of Intent to Take Default first, adding roughly 7 more days plus 3 if mailed. Where the defendant files an Answer, the Financial Disclosure Form is due within 30 days, the Early Case Conference is expected within 45 days of the Answer, and a Case Management Conference is typically set roughly 90 days after it.
2 · Every form Nevada publishes for a divorce
The complete list for both routes, not a shortlist — because which forms a case needs depends on facts only you and, if you need one, your lawyer can weigh. Each row says which route it belongs to. Every one is free from the Nevada statewide Self-Help Center, with real, working download links.
The Cusp is not a law firm and cannot tell you which forms are right for your case. Everything here is general information about how Nevada handles divorce, and every form below is published free by Nevada itself — you do not have to buy anything from anyone to get them. If your situation is not straightforward, a consultation with a Nevada family lawyer costs far less than fixing a filing that went wrong.
| Form | What it is | Route | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Cover Sheet | Statewide version — use your county’s own if Clark or Washoe | All | Download |
| Clark County Family Court Cover Sheet | Use this instead of the statewide version if filing in Clark County | All | Download |
| Affidavit of Resident Witness | Sworn by someone with personal knowledge of your residency | All | Download |
| Confidential Information Sheet — No Children | Filed separately from the public case file | All | Download |
| Confidential Information Sheet — With Children | Filed separately from the public case file | All | Download |
| Joint Petition for Divorce — No Children | Property, debts and alimony terms | Joint Petition | Download |
| Joint Petition for Divorce — With Children | Includes the UCCJEA custody declaration | Joint Petition | Download |
| Joint Petition Divorce Decree — No Children | What the judge actually signs | Joint Petition | Download |
| Joint Petition Divorce Decree — With Children | Custody, support, insurance and property terms | Joint Petition | Download |
| Summons | Notifies the defendant they have been sued and must respond within 21 days | Complaint | Download |
| Complaint for Divorce — No Children | States the grounds and what is being asked for | Complaint | Download |
| Complaint for Divorce — With Children | Includes the UCCJEA custody declaration | Complaint | Download |
| Decree of Divorce — No Children | What the judge is eventually asked to sign | Complaint | Download |
| Decree of Divorce — With Children | What the judge is eventually asked to sign | Complaint | Download |
| Child Support Worksheet | Required whenever there are minor children, even if support is agreed | All | Download |
| Notice of a Lawsuit and Request to Waive Service of Summons | Sent to the other spouse instead of using a process server | Complaint | Download |
| Waiver of Service of Summons | The responding spouse signs and returns this | Complaint | Download |
| Affidavit of Service | Filed by whoever formally serves the defendant | Complaint | Download |
| Financial Disclosure Form — General | Due within 30 days if the defendant files an Answer | Complaint | Download |
| Request for Submission | Asks the judge to sign the decree without a hearing — on the Joint Petition route usually filed by one spouse; on the Complaint route once the case is uncontested | All | Download |
| Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis | Only where the filing fee needs to be waived | All | Download |
Every one of these is free. Download fresh each time — clerks reject superseded revisions, and saved copies go stale. Full catalog, if you need something else: selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/forms/divorce-forms.
3 · Getting the forms and filing them in
Nevada’s process is built to expect self-represented filers — the statewide Self-Help Center exists for exactly this. Here’s the order that actually works.
You may e-file, but you do not have to Your choice
- Portal
- Varies by judicial district. Eighth Judicial District Court (Clark County) uses Odyssey File & Serve; other districts operate their own electronic filing systems.
- Paper
- Still accepted — you can file over the counter.
- What it costs
- No portal fee published.
- Account
- Yes, if the self-represented party elects to e-file — an account on the district's e-filing system is required. No registration cost is published on the official pages reviewed.
- Worth knowing
- The important trap for Nevada pro se divorce filers is the one-way door in NEFCR Rule 4(b): electing to e-file once locks you into e-filing for the life of the case unless a judge exempts you. NEFCR Rule 6(b) directs courts to provide free public access terminals and reasonable accommodations for self-represented litigants. Nevada's statewide Self-Help Center states the divorce filing fee "is different in every county" and does not publish a single amount.
Step one — download the right cover sheet for your county
All Nevada divorce forms are free at the statewide Self-Help Center: selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/forms/divorce-forms. There’s also a free guided interview tool that builds your packet question-by-question: Joint Petition DIY or Complaint DIY.
The statewide Family Cover Sheet says it outright: “For Clark and Washoe Counties, please use their Family Court Cover Sheet.” If you’re filing in Las Vegas (Eighth Judicial District) or Reno (Second Judicial District), pull your county’s own cover sheet instead — using the wrong one is a routine, avoidable rejection. Clark County’s is linked directly in your form list below.
Step two — fill them in on screen
Nevada’s forms are fillable PDFs. Open them in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Preview on a Mac, or any modern browser, type into the fields, and print or upload. Write “N/A” anywhere something doesn’t apply rather than leaving it blank.
Step three — the Affidavit of Resident Witness, done right
This is the form that proves Nevada’s famous six-week rule. Your residency isn’t taken on your word — a witness with personal knowledge, who has seen you regularly and knows you’ve been physically in Nevada every day for six weeks, signs a sworn affidavit saying so (NRS 125.123). The affidavit itself asks the witness to state how many times a week they’ve seen you and how they know you. It must be notarized.
Your witness needs to be someone who can credibly testify from firsthand knowledge — a roommate, coworker, landlord, or friend who has actually seen you living in Nevada, not just someone willing to sign. The affidavit is a sworn statement “under penalty of perjury,” and a witness who can’t answer basic questions about your day-to-day life if the clerk or judge asks is exactly how residency gets challenged.
Step four — file, and understand which track you’re actually filing into
On the Joint Petition track, both spouses sign the petition and the decree together, file them with the affidavit of resident witness, and then file a Request for Submission asking the judge to sign the decree — usually with no hearing at all. On the Complaint track, one spouse (the plaintiff) files and the other (the defendant) must be formally served and then has 21 days to respond.
They can sign a Waiver of Service of Summons instead of being formally served — no sheriff or process server needed. It still puts you on the Complaint track procedurally, but it skips the service step and its cost entirely.
Step five — service, if you need it
If your spouse isn’t cooperating, Nevada allows service by a disinterested adult (18+, not a family member or significant other), a sheriff, a constable, or a private process server. If you genuinely can’t locate them, the Self-Help Center’s forms cover alternate service (email, text, social media, with court permission) and service by publication as a last resort.
4 · Your deadlines, calculated
Nevada’s clock starts differently depending on your track. Put in your dates and we’ll turn the rules into actual dates on your calendar — then add them to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook in one click.
5 · The order it actually happens in
6 · Nevada’s trap
The Nevada Self-Help Center says this in plain language: “Your divorce is final on the date your Decree of Divorce is ‘filed’ with the Clerk – not the date the judge signs the Decree!” A judge can sign a decree one day and the clerk’s office might not stamp it “filed” until later. If you’ve told an employer, a lender, or a new spouse-to-be that you’re divorced “as of” the signature date, and there’s a gap before it’s actually filed, you’ve stated the wrong date — and remarrying before the real filed date is a real problem, not a technicality.
The other things that trip people up
7 · Community property — the structural thing to understand up front
This is the single biggest mental shift if you’re used to another state’s rules.
Nevada is one of a small group of community property states. Under NRS 123.220, almost everything either of you acquired during the marriage — income, property bought with that income, retirement contributions made during the marriage — is presumptively owned equally by both of you, regardless of whose name is on the account or the title. It doesn’t matter who earned more.
When a court divides it, NRS 125.150(1)(b) requires the judge to make an equal disposition of community property “to the extent practicable.” A judge can divide it unequally, but only for a “compelling reason,” and the reason has to be written down in the order. Separate property — generally what you owned before the marriage, or received individually as a gift or inheritance — is not part of that split, but the burden is on you to trace and document it as separate; commingled funds are treated as community property by default.
The summary proceeding (Joint Petition) requires you to have already divided your community property by written agreement, or to have none. If you skip actually working through what’s community vs. separate before you sign, you can end up agreeing to a split that isn’t what either of you intended — and a signed decree is very hard to unwind afterward (NRS 125.184 allows it only for fraud, duress, or similar grounds).
8 · What this costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filing fee — Clark County (Eighth Judicial District), Complaint or Joint Petition | $299 |
| Filing fee — Washoe County (Second Judicial District) | $284 |
| Filing fee — other counties | check with your county district court clerk |
| Answer or first appearance (Clark County), if your spouse responds | $217 |
| Service of process — sheriff, constable, or private process server | check with your process server |
| Notary for the resident witness affidavit and petition signatures | $0–25 |
| Service by publication, if you can’t locate your spouse | check with your county district court clerk |
| Typical all-in, Joint Petition, doing it yourselves | ~$300–350 |
File the Application to Proceed in Forma Pauperis (NRS 12.015). Unlike some states, Nevada’s statewide guidance doesn’t publish a fixed income percentage or benefits list you automatically qualify under — you state your financial situation on the form and the judge decides whether you’ve shown you can’t pay. Ask the clerk for help completing it if you’re unsure.
What attorneys typically charge — member-reported, illustrative only
The figures below are not official data — they’re the kind of range Cusp members have reported paying for attorney-assisted (not necessarily fully litigated) divorces in these counties, shown here as illustrative demo data, not a quote or a survey result you should rely on.
| County | Uncontested, attorney-assisted | Contested, attorney-represented |
|---|---|---|
| Clark County (Las Vegas) | $900 – $2,500 | $5,000 – $20,000+ |
| Washoe County (Reno) | $800 – $2,200 | $4,500 – $18,000+ |
9 · The rejection-proofing checklist
These are the specific things that get Nevada filings bounced or stalled.
Before you file
If you’re on the Complaint track
NRS 125.183 lets either spouse unilaterally revoke a joint petition and stop the summary proceeding, any time before the final judgment is entered — by filing a notice of revocation and mailing a copy to the other party. After entry, the decree stands as a final adjudication (NRS 125.184) and can only be set aside for fraud, duress, accident, mistake, or similar grounds recognized at law or equity — not just because one of you changed your mind.
What this is. A guide to Nevada’s own process, built from Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 125 (including NRS 125.010, 125.020, 125.123, 125.150, and the summary-proceeding provisions at 125.181–125.184), NRS Chapter 123 (123.220, community property), the official fee schedule of the Eighth Judicial District Court (Clark County), the Second Judicial District Court’s (Washoe County) published fee page, and the statewide Nevada Self-Help Center at selfhelp.nvcourts.gov. The forms themselves are free and this kit links you to them rather than reselling them.
What this is not. The Cusp is not a law firm and does not practice law. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here tells you which choice is right for your particular situation — only what Nevada requires of each path. If your case involves contested custody, a business, hidden or commingled assets, domestic violence, or a spouse with a lawyer, talk to an attorney; many offer free consultations, and one hour of advice is cheaper than a mistake in how community property gets divided. Court staff are not permitted to give legal advice.
Confirm current numbers with the clerk. Filing fees are periodically adjusted, and county practices for default and service can vary. Where this kit could not verify an exact figure, form number, or local rule with confidence, it says so or points you to selfhelp.nvcourts.gov or your county district court clerk rather than guessing. Attorney cost figures in Section 8 are explicitly labeled as illustrative member-reported data, not official pricing.
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The most expensive mistakes in a divorce are made in the year after it, by people who thought the case was over. After the divorce is the checklist for that year — the health-coverage clock, the retirement order a decree cannot replace, and the beneficiary form that outranks your will.
Filing is one household becoming two, and the second one starts empty. The two-household list is what to send the people who keep asking how they can help — the second of everything, and the half of it that costs nothing. Some people call it a divorce registry.