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Nye County, NV Probate Information
Quick facts
| Category | Current rules |
|---|---|
| Court | Fifth Judicial District Court, Nye County (shared with Esmeralda County); no separate probate court |
| Filing office | Clerk of the District Court (Whitney Richardson, Clerk of the Court and Court Administrator). This is the district court's own clerk's office, not the Nye County Clerk's Office, which does not handle court matters |
| Pahrump courthouse | 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, Pahrump, NV 89060 (Department 2, Judge Robert W. Lane) |
| Tonopah courthouse | 101 Radar Road, Tonopah, NV 89049 (Department 1, Judge Kimberly A. Wanker) |
| Mailing address for filings | 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, Pahrump, NV 89060; if you mail originals and need copies returned, include a self-addressed stamped envelope |
| Phone | (775) 751-7040 (Clerk of the Court); the court directs filing and case questions for both locations to this number |
| Fax | (775) 751-4218 |
| [email protected] | |
| Office hours | The court's posted FAQ states the District Court Clerk's office is open Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed for an hour lunch at noon. Department hours differ: the court lists Department 1 as Monday to Thursday 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM, closed Fridays, and Department 2 as Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, plus Friday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Confirm the current filing-counter hours with the clerk before visiting (verified July 2026) |
| Filing fee | No fee where the stated estate value is $2,500 or less (NRS 19.013). Above that, the county's posted District Court fee schedule (updated March 25, 2026) sets the petition fee by estate value: $159.00 to $511.00 for letters testamentary, a set aside, or summary administration, and $160.50 to $512.50 for appointment of administration; see the fees section below |
| Local probate forms | None. Nevada has no statewide mandatory probate form set, and Nye County publishes no local probate forms (it posts a civil/family cover sheet and self-help divorce and custody forms only). The court accepts forms from other districts, including Clark County packets, only if relabeled for the Fifth Judicial District, and filed documents must be single-sided with wet signatures |
| E-filing | Not available; the court states it does not yet have e-filing or an online payment portal, so filing is by paper, in person or by mail |
| Online case search | Not available; the public has no direct online access to Nye County court records, and record searches are run by court staff on request |
| Website | https://www.nyecountynv.gov/295/District-Court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you file anything in Nye County, know exactly what is in the estate. The path you take depends entirely on whether there is a will and on the value and type of the assets, and Nevada offers several routes: an affidavit of entitlement for a qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property (NRS 146.080), a set-aside without administration (NRS 146.070), summary administration (NRS Chapter 145), and full general administration. The dollar thresholds that separate these paths are statewide and are explained on the Nevada state page; identify the estate first so you file the right petition once.
Identify every bank and credit-union account, retirement plan, brokerage holding, life-insurance policy, vehicle, and parcel of real property, along with every debt, before you go to the clerk. Whether the decedent owned real property in Nevada is decisive, because the affidavit path is unavailable if there is any Nevada real property. Sunset's asset-discovery work, searching more than 2,300 financial institutions, exists for this step.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Fifth Judicial District Court serves Nye County together with Esmeralda County. It covers all of Nye, including Pahrump, Tonopah (the county seat), Beatty, Amargosa Valley, Round Mountain, Gabbs, and Manhattan. The court sits in two locations: the Pahrump courthouse at 1520 East Basin Avenue, where Department 2 (Judge Robert W. Lane) sits, and the Tonopah courthouse at 101 Radar Road, where Department 1 (Judge Kimberly A. Wanker) sits. Both judges hear probate. The court directs filing and case questions for both locations to the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040, and mailed filings go to the Pahrump courthouse; ask the clerk which department and location will hear your matter.
Venue for a decedent's estate is governed by NRS 136.010. Venue is proper in any district court in Nevada, subject to an interested person's objection on convenience grounds, in which case the court weighs, in priority order, where the decedent resided at death and where the decedent owned real property. In practice, file in Nye County for a decedent who lived here. There is no dedicated probate department in the Fifth Judicial District; probate is heard on each department's general docket.
The jurisdiction process
- Gather the documents. Collect the original signed will (if any), a certified copy of the death certificate, the proposed personal representative's contact information and photo ID, the names and addresses of the heirs and beneficiaries, and a list of the assets and debts with values.
- Choose the path based on the estate. Depending on whether there is a will and on the value and type of assets, the route may be an affidavit of entitlement for a qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property (NRS 146.080), a set-aside without administration (NRS 146.070), summary administration (NRS Chapter 145), or general administration. The governing thresholds are statewide and are on the Nevada state page.
- Prepare the petition or affidavit. For an administration, prepare the petition for letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without a will). For a qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property, prepare the affidavit of entitlement instead. The affidavit is presented directly to each bank or asset holder rather than filed with the court, so a qualifying affidavit estate skips the filing and hearing steps below. Nevada has no statewide mandatory form set; the Civil Law Self-Help Center packets and the State Bar of Nevada brochure are the practical starting points.
- For a court administration (set-aside, summary, or general), file with the Clerk of the District Court. File in person at the Pahrump courthouse, 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, or mail the papers to that address; if you mail originals and need copies returned, include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Documents must be single-sided and bear wet signatures; there is no e-filing. The court also sits in Tonopah at 101 Radar Road, so call the clerk at (775) 751-7040 with questions about filing or which location will hear the matter. Pay the filing fee: no fee if the stated estate value is $2,500 or less (NRS 19.013); above that, see the county's posted schedule in the fees section below.
- Give notice and publish. The personal representative mails notice to heirs, devisees, and known creditors and publishes notice as required (NRS 155.020), including the notice to creditors that opens the claim period.
- Attend the hearing on the general docket. The petition is set for hearing before the assigned department, Department 1 (which sits in Tonopah) or Department 2 (in Pahrump), on that department's general docket. Ask the clerk where the hearing will be held and whether a remote or telephonic appearance is available.
- Receive the authority document. On approval the court issues letters testamentary (with a will) or letters of administration (without a will), the proof of the personal representative's authority to act. Request enough certified copies for the banks and institutions involved.
- Administer and close. Inventory and appraise the assets, pay valid claims in statutory priority, and account to the court. A creditor must file its claim with the clerk within 90 days after first publication or mailing of the notice to creditors, reduced to 60 days if summary administration is granted (NRS 147.040). Distribute the remaining assets and close the estate.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Nye County
Nevada has no statewide mandatory probate form set, and Nye County publishes no local probate forms of its own. The court posts a civil/family cover sheet and a set of self-help divorce and custody forms, but no probate petition forms; petitions and affidavits are prepared to Nevada practice and filed on paper with the Clerk of the District Court, single-sided and with wet signatures. The court's own FAQ points filers to the Nevada Self-Help Center and accepts forms drafted for other districts, including the widely used Clark County packets, only if you cross out Clark or 8th Judicial and write Nye or Fifth Judicial District Court in its place. For self-prepared filings, the most complete free resources are the Civil Law Self-Help Center's probate packets (Clark County-focused but the most thorough free self-service probate resource in Nevada) and the State Bar of Nevada's probate brochure. For questions about local intake or filing in person versus by mail, contact the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040 or [email protected].
| Resource | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Civil Law Self-Help Center - Probate | Free intro-to-probate guides and estate-administration packets used statewide |
| State Bar of Nevada probate brochure | Plain-language overview of Nevada probate paths and steps |
| Nye County District Court - Court Services | Local intake questions, the civil/family cover sheet, and the posted District Court fee schedule |
Fees
Nye County posts a District Court fee schedule (Official Fees, District Court and County Clerk, Nye County, Nevada), updated March 25, 2026, that sets the probate petition fee by the stated value of the estate. The figures and bracket boundaries below are as printed on that schedule (verified July 2026); the base fee rule is NRS 19.013, and the schedule's own citations add NRS 19.020, 19.030, and 19.031 plus county ordinances. The $20,000 and $300,000 breakpoints are fee-schedule value brackets, not the substantive small-estate or summary-administration cutoffs, which are statewide and are explained on the Nevada state page.
| Filing | Stated estate value | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Any probate petition | $2,500 or less | No fee (NRS 19.013) |
| Petition for letters testamentary or set aside | More than $2,500 but less than $20,000 | $159.00 |
| Petition for letters testamentary or set aside | More than $20,000 but less than $300,000 | $258.00 |
| Petition for letters testamentary or set aside | $300,000 or more | $511.00 |
| Petition for appointment of administration or internal administration of a trust | More than $2,500 but less than $20,000 | $160.50 |
| Petition for appointment of administration or internal administration of a trust | More than $20,000 but less than $300,000 | $259.50 |
| Petition for appointment of administration or internal administration of a trust | $300,000 or more | $512.50 |
| Summary administration | More than $2,500 but less than $20,000 | $159.00 |
| Summary administration | More than $20,000 but less than $300,000 | $258.00 |
| Summary administration | $300,000 or more | $511.00 |
| Filing of a will only, no petition included | Any | $15.00 |
| Contest or objection (probate or guardianship) | Any | $198.00 |
| Petition to open a safe deposit box or order of cremation | Any | No fee |
| Certified copy under seal of the court | Any | $3.00 plus the cost of reproduction ($0.50 per page) |
These amounts come from the county's own posted schedule and were current as of the March 25, 2026 update (verified July 2026). The schedule prices a petition for appointment of administration $1.50 higher per bracket than a petition for letters testamentary, a set aside, or summary administration; that difference appears on the schedule as printed. Because fees change, confirm the exact amount due before filing by calling the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040 or emailing [email protected].
Local nuance
Nye County-specific considerations
Two courthouses, two departments. The Fifth Judicial District Court sits in both Pahrump and Tonopah. Department 2 (Judge Robert W. Lane) sits at the Pahrump courthouse, 1520 East Basin Avenue, and Department 1 (Judge Kimberly A. Wanker) sits at the Tonopah courthouse, 101 Radar Road. Both judges hear probate. The court directs filing and case questions for both locations to the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040; ask the clerk which department and location will hear the matter.
The Clerk of the District Court is not the County Clerk. In Nye County the District Court has its own clerk's office, led by Whitney Richardson, Clerk of the Court and Court Administrator, which accepts probate filings. The separate Nye County Clerk's Office handles elections, marriage licenses, and business filings and states that it does not handle court matters (its staff currently assist the court with public record searches under a 2025 agreement), so take probate papers to the Clerk of the District Court, not the County Clerk.
Paper filing with wet signatures, no online case search. There is no e-filing in Nye County; the court states it is moving toward it but does not yet have e-filing or an online payment portal. Filed documents must be single-sided and bear wet signatures, and the public has no direct online access to court records; record searches are run by staff on request. File in person or by mail, and contact the clerk directly to check on a filing. The nvcourts.gov listing for the court is a directory entry, not a case-search tool.
A posted fee schedule. Nye County posts a District Court fee schedule (updated March 25, 2026) with probate tiers, reproduced in the fees section above. The value brackets on that schedule are fee brackets, not the small-estate or summary-administration thresholds, which are statewide.
Recent updates
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| March 25, 2026 | Nye County posted an updated District Court fee schedule (Official Fees, District Court and County Clerk); the probate tiers on it are reproduced in the fees section above (verified July 2026) |
| January 6, 2025 | The court posted a district court memorandum of understanding on its Court Services page, which states that the County Clerk's Office is not the Clerk of the Court but currently provides district court support, including public record searches |
Page last reviewed: July 2026.
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely path in Nye County | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse, co-owned home | If the Pahrump or Amargosa Valley home was held in community property with right of survivorship or in joint tenancy, it passes to the surviving spouse outside probate by recording the death certificate and an affidavit of death with the Nye County Recorder. If the home was in the decedent's sole name and there is a will, the spouse petitions for letters testamentary and files with the Clerk of the District Court at the Pahrump courthouse, in person or by mail; the hearing is set before the assigned department, in Pahrump or Tonopah. Because there is Nevada real property, the affidavit of entitlement path is not available (NRS 146.080). | Asset discovery to confirm how title is held. Packet generation for the qualifying paperwork. Guidance on recording the survivorship documents with the county recorder. |
| Out-of-state adult child, small estate | For a qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property, the child can often use the affidavit of entitlement (NRS 146.080), which is typically handled by mail without a court appearance once the statutory waiting period has passed. If the estate is larger or holds Nevada real property, the child files a set-aside, summary, or general administration petition with the Clerk of the District Court instead, which can be done by mail to the Pahrump courthouse. The statewide thresholds that separate these paths are on the Nevada state page. | Asset discovery to confirm the estate qualifies and holds no Nevada real property. Packet generation for the affidavit or petition, prepared and notarized in advance so an out-of-state filer can proceed largely by mail. |
| Parent settling a predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Because the estate holds Nevada real property that must be sold, the affidavit path is unavailable; for a Beatty or Round Mountain home the parent files a set-aside, summary, or general administration petition (depending on value) with the Clerk of the District Court, is issued letters of administration or an order setting the estate aside, and can then convey the home. The petition is heard by the assigned department, in Pahrump or Tonopah, on its general docket. | Asset discovery for the child's accounts and property. Packet generation for the administration filing. Attorney referral if the sale or an heir dispute turns contested. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Nye County Clerk of the District Court, (775) 751-7040, [email protected] (nyecountynv.gov) | The filing office for probate; local intake questions, hours, hearing dates, record searches on request, the posted fee schedule, and the civil/family cover sheet |
| Nevada Judiciary self-help and court locator (nvcourts.gov) | Statewide self-help resources and the District Courts directory, including the Fifth Judicial District |
| Civil Law Self-Help Center - Probate (civillawselfhelpcenter.org/self-help/probate) | Free intro-to-probate guides and estate-administration packets, the most complete free self-service probate resource in Nevada |
| State Bar of Nevada Lawyer Referral Service, (800) 789-5747 (nvbar.org) | Attorney referrals statewide, including for Nye County probate matters |
| Nevada Legal Services, (866) 432-0404 (nevadalegalservices.org) | Free civil legal help for income-eligible Nevadans, serving rural counties including Nye |
When to hire an attorney
Most Nye County estates are uncontested and can be handled without an attorney: a qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property often moves by affidavit of entitlement and mail, and a straightforward administration is filed on paper with the Clerk of the District Court in Pahrump or Tonopah. Consider counsel when the estate holds real property that must be sold, when a will contest or heir dispute is likely, when the estate is insolvent or a formal accounting is demanded, or when the estate includes a business interest or out-of-state property. Because the county is large and the court sits in two places, a lawyer can also help manage which location and department will hear the matter and whether a remote appearance is available. Sunset can connect families to a vetted Nevada probate attorney serving Nye County.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset searches more than 2,300 financial institutions and public records to surface bank and credit-union accounts, retirement plans, brokerage holdings, life insurance, Nye County real estate, and unclaimed property, so you know the estate's value and which Nevada estate settlement path fits before you file.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset assembles the petition or affidavit of entitlement and the supporting paperwork for your path, ready to file on paper with the Clerk of the District Court at the Pahrump courthouse, in person or by mail.
Find a local probate attorney. When a matter is contested or otherwise calls for counsel, Sunset connects families to a vetted Nevada probate attorney serving Nye County.
Sunset is free for families. Revenue comes from bank partners that pay Sunset while estate funds sit in an FDIC-insured estate account ($3M coverage).
Frequently asked questions
Which courthouse do I file at for probate in Nye County?
Nye County's Fifth Judicial District Court sits in two locations: the Pahrump courthouse at 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, Pahrump, NV 89060, where Department 2 (Judge Robert W. Lane) sits, and the Tonopah courthouse at 101 Radar Road, Tonopah, NV 89049, where Department 1 (Judge Kimberly A. Wanker) sits. Both judges hear probate. The court directs filing and case questions for both locations to the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040, and mailed filings go to the Pahrump address; ask the clerk which department and location will hear your matter.
Do I file probate with the Nye County Clerk?
No. The Nye County Clerk's Office handles elections, marriage licenses, and business filings and states that it does not handle court matters, although its staff currently assist the court with public record searches under a 2025 agreement. Probate is filed with the Clerk of the District Court, the district court's own clerk's office, at the Pahrump courthouse, 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, at (775) 751-7040 or [email protected].
Is there e-filing for probate in Nye County?
No. The court states it does not yet have e-filing or an online payment portal for the District Court. Filing is by paper, in person or by mail to the Clerk of the District Court, and documents must be single-sided with wet signatures. E-filing is mandatory in Clark County and Washoe County runs its own eFlex portal, but the rural districts, including the Fifth, file on paper.
Can I look up a Nye County probate case online?
No. The public has no direct online access to Nye County court records, and there is no public docket portal; record searches are run by staff on request. The nvcourts.gov listing for the court is a directory entry, not a live case search. To check on a filing or get a hearing date, call the Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040 with the case name or number.
What does it cost to file probate in Nye County?
There is no filing fee if the stated estate value is $2,500 or less (NRS 19.013). Above that, the county's posted District Court fee schedule (updated March 25, 2026, verified July 2026) charges $159.00, $258.00, or $511.00 for a petition for letters testamentary, a set aside, or summary administration, by estate-value bracket, and $160.50, $259.50, or $512.50 for a petition for appointment of administration. Filing a will only is $15.00. Confirm the current amount with the clerk at (775) 751-7040 before filing.
What forms do I need for probate in Nye County?
Nevada has no statewide mandatory probate form set, and Nye County publishes no local probate forms. Petitions and affidavits are prepared to Nevada practice; the court points filers to the Nevada Self-Help Center and accepts forms from other districts, including Clark County packets, only if you cross out Clark or 8th Judicial and write Nye or Fifth Judicial District Court in its place. The Civil Law Self-Help Center probate packets and the State Bar of Nevada brochure are the practical starting points, and the Clerk of the District Court can answer local intake questions.
Do I have to travel to a Nye County courthouse to settle an estate there?
Often not. A qualifying small estate with no Nevada real property can usually be handled by affidavit of entitlement through the mail without a court appearance, and administration papers can be mailed to the Clerk of the District Court at 1520 East Basin Avenue, Suite 108, Pahrump, NV 89060, with a self-addressed stamped envelope if you need copies returned. Where a hearing is required, ask the clerk whether a remote or telephonic appearance is available before making the drive, since Nye County covers a large area.
Who do I call about probate in Nye County?
The Clerk of the District Court at (775) 751-7040, or by email at [email protected]; the court directs filing and case questions for both the Pahrump and Tonopah locations to that number. Whitney Richardson serves as Clerk of the Court and Court Administrator. This office is separate from the Nye County Clerk's Office.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.