Holiday season

Debt collectors calling: your rights in Nevada

In plain words: a debt collector can't call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., can't threaten jail or lie about who they are, and must stop contacting you if you tell them so in writing. Within 30 days of their notice you can dispute the debt in writing, and they must stop collecting until they verify it. Nevada treats any breach of the federal rules as a breach of state law too.

What a collector can't do

Calls and contact (15 U.S.C. 1692c, 1692d)

No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, unless you agree
No calls at work if they know your employer forbids it
No calling you directly once they know you have a lawyer for the debt
No ringing your phone over and over to annoy or harass
No threats of violence, and no obscene or abusive language

Lies and threats (15 U.S.C. 1692e; NRS 649.375)

No threat of arrest or jail for not paying
No threat to garnish or take property unless that's lawful and they mean to do it
No pretending to be a lawyer, the government or a court
No letter made to look like court papers
No telling others false credit information

Talking to your family, friends or boss

Without your consent, a collector may talk about your debt only with you, your lawyer, a credit bureau, the creditor and the lawyers involved (15 U.S.C. 1692c(b)). They may contact others only to find where you live or work. In Nevada, a collection agency may not harass your employer (NRS 649.375(1)(e)), and may not advertise your debt for sale or post a list of debtors (NRS 649.375(1)(f), (g)).

Added fees and interest

A Nevada collection agency can't collect interest, fees or charges on top of the debt unless the law or your contract allows them and the creditor added them before handing over the account, the agency listed them in its first letter to you, or a court decided they're owed (NRS 649.375(1)(b)).

Dispute the debt in 30 days

1. Read the first notice. Within 5 days of first contacting you, the collector must send a written notice with the amount, the creditor's name, and your right to dispute within 30 days of receiving it (15 U.S.C. 1692g(a)).

2. Dispute in writing within those 30 days if any of it is wrong or you don't recognize it. Ask for verification and the original creditor's name and address. Mail it in a way you can prove, and keep a copy.

3. They must stop collecting the disputed amount until they mail you verification or a copy of a judgment (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b)). Not disputing isn't an admission that you owe it (15 U.S.C. 1692g(c)).

Make them stop

A written stop letter (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c))

Write that you refuse to pay or want them to stop contacting you
After they receive it, they may contact you only to say they're stopping, or that they or the creditor may, or will, use a specific remedy, like a lawsuit
Stopping the calls doesn't erase the debt

Old debts (NRS 11.190; NRS 649.375(1)(j))

A debt on a written contract: generally 6 years to sue
A store account or an unwritten deal: generally 4 years
A collection agency may not sue when it knows or should know that time has run out
When the clock started is the key question; ask a lawyer before you pay on a very old debt

Medical debt in Nevada

At least 60 days before any collection action, the agency must mail you the provider's name, the date of service and the principal amount (NRS 649.366)
If you contact the agency and choose to pay during those 60 days, it must tell you no payment is due and the debt won't be reported to credit bureaus in that period; the payment doesn't extend the time limit, isn't an admission and doesn't waive your defenses (NRS 649.367)
The agency can't file a regular civil suit over a medical debt below the small claims limit (it may use small claims), and its collection or attorney's fee is capped at 5% of the debt (NRS 649.368)

If they broke the rules

Sue them (15 U.S.C. 1692k)

Your actual losses
Plus up to $1,000 in additional damages
Plus court costs and a reasonable attorney's fee
You must sue within 1 year of the violation

Complain in Nevada (NRS 649.370, 649.385)

A breach of the federal act is a breach of Nevada's collection agency law
File a verified complaint with the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, who must investigate
Start at the Financial Institutions Division complaints page

Keep a log

For every call: date, time, the caller's name and company, the number, and what was said. Save voicemails and letters with their envelopes. A log made as it happens is the strongest proof of repeated calls or threats.

If it goes further

Court papers

Served with a lawsuit: I got sued
Paycheck or bank account taken: wage garnishment

Help

Free legal help in Clark County
Debts you can't climb out of: bankruptcy
Holiday loans: pawn loans and payday loan limits

Read 2026-11-05 from this house's law shelf: 15 U.S.C. 1692c, 1692d, 1692e, 1692g and 1692k (United States Code, 2024 Edition); NRS 649.366, 649.367, 649.368, 649.370, 649.375 and 649.385 (chapter 649, Rev. 4/15/2026); NRS 11.190 (chapter 11, Rev. 4/15/2026).