Rule 24.Intervention

Group IV: Parties · Last amended March 1, 2019 · Last verified July 14, 2026

In one sentenceRule 24 lets someone outside a lawsuit join it, either as of right when the case threatens an interest that existing parties will not adequately protect, or with the court's permission when the newcomer shares a common question with the existing dispute.

Full Text of Rule 24

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c)

(a) Intervention of Right. On timely motion, the court must permit anyone to intervene who:

(1) is given an unconditional right to intervene by a state or federal statute; or

(2) claims an interest relating to the property or transaction that is the subject of the action, and is so situated that disposing of the action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant’s ability to protect its interest, unless existing parties adequately represent that interest.

(b) Permissive Intervention.

(1) In General. On timely motion, the court may permit anyone to intervene who:

(A) is given a conditional right to intervene by a state or federal statute; or

(B) has a claim or defense that shares with the main action a common question of law or fact.

(2) By a Government Officer or Agency. On timely motion, the court may permit a state or federal governmental officer or agency to intervene if a party’s claim or defense is based on:

(A) a statute or executive order administered by the officer or agency; or

(B) any regulation, order, requirement, or agreement issued or made under the statute or executive order.

(3) Delay or Prejudice. In exercising its discretion, the court must consider whether the intervention will unduly delay or prejudice the adjudication of the original parties’ rights.

(c) Notice and Pleading Required. A motion to intervene must be served on the parties as provided in Rule 5. The motion must state the grounds for intervention and be accompanied by a pleading that sets out the claim or defense for which intervention is sought.

Notes

Drafter’s Note, Amendment Effective January 1, 2005: The amendments are technical.

Advisory Committee Note — 2019 Amendment: The amendments conform Rule 24 to FRCP 24, including the addition of Rule 24(b)(2), which was not in the former Nevada rule. Intervention by government agencies under the specified conditions should enable the relevant issues to be resolved in a single action.

Amendment History

Amended eff. 3-16-64; Amended eff. 9-27-71; Amended eff. 1-1-05; Amended eff. 3-1-19.

Plain-English Summary

Not everyone affected by a lawsuit starts out as a party to it, and Rule 24 gives outsiders a path to join one that is already underway. Intervention as of right applies when a state or federal statute grants an unconditional right to step in, or when someone has a real stake in the property or transaction at the center of the case and a ruling made without them could, as a practical matter, hurt their ability to protect that stake, unless the people already in the case are adequately looking out for it. When those conditions are met, the court has no choice; it must let the person intervene, as long as the request is timely.

Permissive intervention gives the court more discretion. It can allow someone to join when a statute gives them a conditional right to do so, or when their claim or defense shares a common legal or factual question with the existing case. Government officers and agencies get their own path in when a party's claim or defense rests on a statute, executive order, or related regulation that the officer or agency administers. Whichever route someone uses, the court weighs whether letting them in will unduly delay or prejudice the rights of the parties already in the case, and anyone seeking to intervene has to file a motion explaining the grounds and attach the pleading laying out their claim or defense, served on the existing parties.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between intervention of right and permissive intervention?

Intervention of right means the court must allow someone to join the case once the conditions are met, such as a statute granting an unconditional right or a real risk to the person's interests that existing parties will not protect. Permissive intervention means the court has discretion to allow someone to join, typically because their claim or defense shares a common question with the case.

When must a court allow someone to intervene?

When a statute gives that person an unconditional right to intervene, or when they have an interest in the property or transaction at issue that a ruling could practically impair, and the existing parties are not adequately representing that interest.

Can a government agency intervene in a private lawsuit?

Yes, if a party's claim or defense is based on a statute or executive order the agency administers, or on a regulation or requirement issued under it, the court may permit the agency to intervene.

Does it matter how late someone tries to intervene?

Yes. A motion to intervene must be timely, and even where intervention would otherwise be appropriate, the court considers whether allowing it will unduly delay or prejudice the rights of the parties already in the case.

What does someone have to file to intervene in a case?

A motion served on the existing parties that states the grounds for intervention, along with a pleading setting out the claim or defense the person wants to raise if allowed into the case.

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

Also known as: intervening in a lawsuitintervention of rightpermissive intervention rulejoining a case as an outside partygovernment agency intervening in litigation