Nevada: Homestead Exemption Amounts
The short answer
Nevada protects up to $605,000 of the equity in your home from a money-judgment creditor: one of the most generous exemptions in the country (Nevada Revised Statutes § 115.010). 'Equity' means your home's value minus your mortgage and other liens, so it shields your net ownership stake up to that cap. Unlike most states, Nevada's protection is NOT automatic: you have to record a 'Declaration of Homestead' with your county recorder to claim it (NRS 115.020), using a free state form. There's no limit on lot size, and a house, mobile home, or condominium can all qualify. If your home is force-sold, the $605,000 in proceeds stays protected only if you roll it into a new home you identify within 45 days and take possession of within 180 days (NRS 115.055).
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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 | Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 115 ('Homesteads'). NRS 115.010 creates the exemption and sets the $605,000 amount; NRS 115.020 requires recording a declaration of homestead to claim it; NRS 115.005 defines 'homestead' and 'equity.' Purely statutory. A married owner also can't mortgage or convey the homestead unless both spouses sign (NRS 115.040) |
|---|---|
| Exemption amount | $605,000 of EQUITY in your home (NRS 115.010(2)). 'Equity' is the home's fair market value minus the mortgages and other liens carved out of the exemption (NRS 115.005(1)), so it protects your net stake above what you owe, up to $605,000. It's a flat figure, not inflation-indexed. (If you've established rare 'allodial title' to the land, the exemption instead covers all equity, but that's a special, seldom-used status.) |
| Size or acreage limit | None. Nevada caps the exemption by dollar value only, not by lot size or acreage. A 'homestead' can be a quantity of land with the dwelling on it, a mobile home (whether or not you own the land under it), or a condominium or co-op unit under NRS chapter 116 or 117 (NRS 115.005(2)): with no maximum number of acres |
| Automatic, or do you have to file something? | Declaration REQUIRED: Nevada is one of the few states where you must file to be protected at all. Under NRS 115.020 you 'select' the homestead by recording a signed, acknowledged Declaration of Homestead with the county recorder, stating your intent to claim the property as a homestead. Without a recorded declaration the exemption doesn't attach. The state Real Estate Division publishes a free form (NRS 115.025), and recording is inexpensive. This is exactly the document the panel on this page prepares |
| Who qualifies, and can spouses double it? | The exemption belongs to a single person or a married couple who select and record the homestead (NRS 115.005(2), 115.020). It's a single $605,000 per homestead: Nevada does NOT let two spouses stack it to $1,210,000. Tenants in common may each declare a homestead on their respective undivided interests (NRS 115.030). When the homestead is community property, on the first spouse's death it vests in the survivor with the exemption continuing (NRS 115.060) |
| What it actually protects you from | A forced sale on execution. NRS 115.010(1) says the homestead 'is not subject to forced sale on execution or any final process from any court,' up to the exempt amount. If a creditor swears your equity tops $605,000, the court appoints three appraisers; the home can be sold only if the equity exceeds $605,000, and then you're paid the first $605,000 first, and 'no bid under $605,000 may be received' (NRS 115.050). Equity above the cap is reachable |
| Debts that can still reach your home | NRS 115.010(3) carves out: purchase-money debt (obligations to buy the property), debts for improvements including a lawful mechanic's lien, legal taxes, any mortgage or deed of trust you signed (including a second mortgage, refinance, line of credit, or home-equity loan), and HOA/common-interest-community liens under NRS 116.3116 or 117.070. The home is never exempt from sale for taxes (NRS 115.080) or from Nevada Medicaid estate recovery (NRS 115.090). Federal tax liens also reach it under federal law |
| Protection for sale proceeds | Reinvestment within tight deadlines. Under NRS 115.055, the $605,000 in proceeds from a forced sale of the homestead stay exempt ONLY if they are reinvested in another like-kind property (for which a new homestead will be declared) that you identify within 45 days of the sale and take possession of within 180 days. Miss those windows and the proceeds lose their protection: there's no open-ended grace period |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
Nevada's homestead protection lives in its own chapter of the Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS Chapter 115, "Homesteads." The core rule is NRS 115.010, which exempts the homestead from forced sale on execution and sets the $605,000 amount. NRS 115.005 defines the key terms "homestead" and "equity," and NRS 115.020 spells out how you claim the exemption by recording a declaration. It's entirely statutory. One neighboring rule worth knowing: under NRS 115.040, if you're married you can't validly mortgage or otherwise convey the homestead unless both spouses sign and acknowledge the document.
Exemption amount
$605,000, but of equity, not gross value. NRS 115.010(2) extends the exemption to "that amount of equity in the property held by the claimant which does not exceed $605,000 in value." And NRS 115.005(1) defines "equity" as the property's fair market value minus the liens the exemption doesn't cover (your mortgage, and the other carve-outs in NRS 115.010(3)). So the number that matters is your net stake after what you owe. It's a flat figure with no inflation adjustment. There's one exotic exception: if you've established "allodial title", a rarely used status under Nevada's property-tax law, the exemption instead covers all the equity in your home, with no cap.
Size or acreage limit
None. Nevada limits the exemption only by dollar value, not by the size of the land. NRS 115.005(2) defines a homestead broadly: a quantity of land with the dwelling house on it, a mobile home (whether or not you own the land underneath), or a condominium or cooperative unit under NRS chapter 116 or 117. There's no maximum acreage, so a large lot is fine, the only ceiling is the $605,000 of protected equity.
Automatic, or do you have to file something?
This is Nevada's defining feature: you must record a declaration. Under NRS 115.020, you "select" the homestead by "declaring an intention in writing to claim the property as a homestead," and the declaration "must be signed ... and acknowledged and recorded as conveyances affecting real property are required to be acknowledged and recorded." In plain terms, you sign a Declaration of Homestead in front of a notary and record it with your county recorder. Until you do, the exemption doesn't attach to your home. The good news is that it's easy and cheap: the state Real Estate Division prescribes a free form (NRS 115.025), and if the property is one spouse's separate property, both spouses must join in signing. This recorded declaration is the document the panel on this page prepares.
Who qualifies, and can spouses double it?
A single person or a married couple who select and record the homestead can claim it (NRS 115.005(2), 115.020). But it's one $605,000 exemption per homestead, Nevada does not let two spouses each claim $605,000 to reach a combined $1,210,000. Tenants in common are treated a bit differently: NRS 115.030 lets co-tenants each declare a homestead on their own undivided interest. And when the homestead is community property, NRS 115.060 provides that on the first spouse's death it vests in the survivor and the exemption continues without any new filing.
What it actually protects you from
A forced sale to satisfy a money judgment. NRS 115.010(1) states that the homestead "is not subject to forced sale on execution or any final process from any court," up to the exempt amount. The enforcement mechanics are spelled out in NRS 115.050: if a creditor swears under oath that your equity exceeds $605,000, the judge appoints three disinterested appraisers. Your home can be sold only if the equity actually tops $605,000, and even then the first $605,000 of the proceeds goes to you before anything goes to the creditor, and "no bid under $605,000 may be received" at the sale. Any equity above the cap, however, can be reached.
Debts that can still reach your home
NRS 115.010(3) lists the debts the exemption doesn't stop:
- Purchase-money obligations, debts contracted to buy the property.
- Improvement debts, including a lawfully obtained mechanic's lien for work on the home.
- Legal taxes.
- Any mortgage or deed of trust you signed, expressly including a second or subsequent mortgage, a refinance, a line of credit, or a home-equity loan.
- HOA / common-interest-community liens under NRS 116.3116 or 117.070.
On top of that, NRS 115.080 says nothing in the chapter exempts property "from sale for taxes," and NRS 115.090 lets Nevada recover Medicaid benefits against the home. Federal tax liens can also reach it under federal law.
Protection for sale proceeds
Nevada protects proceeds only if you reinvest them quickly. Under NRS 115.055, the $605,000 in proceeds from a forced sale of your homestead are "only exempt from execution if" they are reinvested in another like-kind property (for which you'll declare a new homestead) that you identify within 45 days of the sale and take possession of within 180 days. If you miss either deadline, the proceeds lose their exempt status. Nevada does not give you an open-ended window to simply hold the cash, so plan the reinvestment before the sale closes.
What trips people up
The number-one trap is assuming Nevada's protection is automatic. It isn't, if you never record a Declaration of Homestead, a judgment creditor can reach your home even though the statute would otherwise protect $605,000 of it. Recording the declaration (on the free state form) is the single most important step, and it's best done well before any creditor trouble.
Second, remember the exemption is measured on equity, not the home's sticker price. If you owe a large mortgage, your protected equity is the value left after that mortgage, the exemption doesn't wipe out the loan.
Third, don't confuse this creditor protection with any property-tax break. And note the proceeds rule: selling the home doesn't automatically keep the cash safe. The 45-day and 180-day reinvestment deadlines in NRS 115.055 are strict.
Common questions
How much of my home equity is protected from creditors in Nevada? Up to $605,000 of equity, your home's value minus your mortgage and other covered liens (NRS 115.010).
Do I really have to file a homestead declaration in Nevada? Yes. Nevada is one of the states where the exemption only applies if you record a Declaration of Homestead with your county recorder (NRS 115.020). A free state form is available.
Can my spouse and I each claim $605,000? No. It's a single $605,000 exemption per homestead; joint owners can't double it to $1,210,000.
If my house is sold, is the money safe? Only if you reinvest it. The $605,000 in proceeds stays exempt only when you identify a replacement home within 45 days and take possession within 180 days (NRS 115.055).
Statutes and sources
- NRS 115.010 (homestead exempt from forced sale; $605,000-of-equity cap; exceptions for purchase-money, improvements, taxes, mortgages, and HOA liens), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.005 (definitions of "equity" and "homestead", land/dwelling, mobile home, or condo/co-op unit), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.020 (declaration of homestead: written selection, signed, acknowledged, and recorded with the county recorder), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.050 (execution against homestead: appraisal, sale only if equity exceeds $605,000, no bid under $605,000), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.055 (proceeds exempt only if reinvested: identified within 45 days, possessed within 180 days), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.040 (mortgage or alienation invalid unless both spouses sign and acknowledge), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
- NRS 115.080 (nothing in the chapter exempts property from sale for taxes), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-115.html (accessed 2026-07-09)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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