Rule 86.Effective dates

Group XI: General Provisions · Last amended March 1, 2019 · Last verified July 14, 2026

In one sentenceRule 86 fixes when the civil procedure rules and their amendments take effect and provides that new amendments generally apply to pending cases too, unless the Supreme Court says otherwise or applying them would be infeasible or unjust.

Full Text of Rule 86

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) In General. These rules and any amendments take effect on the date specified by the Supreme Court. They govern all proceedings:

(1) in actions commenced after the effective date; and

(2) in actions then pending, unless:

(A) the Supreme Court specifies otherwise, or

(B) the court determines that applying them in a particular action would not be feasible or would work an injustice.

(b) Effective Date of Amendments. The Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure became effective January 1, 1953. Subsequent amendments have been as follows:

(1) Amendment of Rules 5(b) and (d), effective January 4, 1954.

(2) Amendment of Rules 11 and 45(d)(1), effective May 15, 1954.

(3) Amendment of Rule 51, effective February 15, 1955.

(4) Amendment of Rules 3, 75(b), and 75(g), effective October 1, 1959.

(5) Amendment of Rules 38(b), 38(d), 65(b), 73(c), and 73(d), effective September 1, 1960.

(6) Amendment of Rules 4(d)(2), 5(a), 5(b), 6(a), 6(b), 7(a), 13(a), 14(a), 15(d), 24(c), 25(a)(1), 25(d), 26(e), 28(b), 30(0(1), 41(b), 41(e), 47(a), 48, 50(a), 50(b), 50(c), 50(d), 52(b), 54(b), 56(c), 56(e), 59(a), 62(h), 77(c), 86, Forms 22-A and 22-B, 27, 30, 31, and 32, effective March 16, 1964.

(7) Amendment of Rule 86 and Form 31, effective April 15, 1964.

(8) Amendment of Rules 73(c), 73(d)(1), and 86, effective September 15, 1965.

(9) Amendment of Rules 4(b), 5(a), 8(a), 12(b), 12(g), 12(h), 13(h), 14(a), 17(a), 18(a), 19, 20(a), 23, 23.1, 23.2, 24(a), 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37(a), 37(b), 37(c), 37(d), 41(a), 41(b), 42(b), 43(f), 44(a), 44(b), 44(c), 44.1, 45(d)(1), 47(b), 50(b), 53(b), 54(c), 65(a), 65(b), 65(c), 65.1, 68, 69(a), 77(e), 86(b), and Form 24, effective September 27, 1971.

(10) Amendment of Rules 6 and 81, effective July 1, 1973; the abrogation of Rules 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 76A, and Form 27, effective July 1, 1973.

(11) Amendment of Rules 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16.1, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 23.1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 43, 44, 44.1, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 65.1, 67, 69, 71, 77, 78, 81, and 83 and Forms 3, 19, 31, and the Introductory Statement to the Appendix of Forms, effective January 1, 2005, and the adoption of new Form 33.

(12) Adoption of Rules 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 16.22, 16.23, 62.1, and 71.1, the amendment of all other rules and the introduction to the Appendix of Forms, the deletion of the former forms, and the adoption of Forms 1 through 6, effective March 1, 2019.

End

Amendment History

Amended eff. 3-1-19.

Plain-English Summary

Rules change over time, and Rule 86 answers the practical question of when a change governs a case. Every new rule or amendment takes effect on the date the Nevada Supreme Court sets. From that date forward, it applies to newly filed actions as a matter of course. It also reaches back to cases already pending — the default assumption is that everyone litigates under the current rules, not whatever version was in force when the case was filed.

That reach-back has two safety valves. The Supreme Court can specify that an amendment doesn't apply to pending cases, and a court handling a specific case can decline to apply an amendment if doing so wouldn't be feasible or would work an injustice given how far the case has already progressed. The rest of Rule 86 is a running record of every amendment since the NRCP first took effect on January 1, 1953 — useful for tracing which version of a given rule applied on a particular date, but it doesn't change how the rule itself operates going forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

If a rule changes while my case is already pending, which version applies to me?

The amended version generally applies, even to pending cases, unless the Supreme Court says the amendment doesn't reach pending cases or the court finds applying it would be infeasible or unjust.

Can a court refuse to apply a new amendment to my case?

Yes. Rule 86 lets a court decline to apply an amendment to a pending action if doing so isn't feasible or would work an injustice, given the stage the case has already reached.

When did the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure first take effect?

January 1, 1953, with numerous amendments since then, each on its own effective date set by the Supreme Court.

How do I find out which version of a rule applied to my case on a particular date?

Rule 86(b) lists every amendment to the NRCP by date and by rule number, letting you trace which version was in force at a given point in time.

Does Rule 86 itself change the substance of any other rule?

No. It governs timing and applicability — when rules take effect and whether amendments reach pending cases — not the content of the individual rules.

Source & verification. Rule text, official Advisory Committee Notes, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the Supreme Court of Nevada. Last verified July 14, 2026. · Official source

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