The judicial districts must provide by local rule for scheduling trials. The court must give priority to actions entitled to priority by statute.
Rule 40.Scheduling of cases for trial
Group VI: Trials · Last amended March 1, 2019 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 40 leaves the scheduling of civil trials to local rules adopted by each judicial district, while requiring that cases entitled to statutory priority get it.
Full Text of Rule 40
Amendment History
Amended eff. 3-1-19.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 40 is short on purpose. Rather than dictating a single statewide calendaring system for civil trials, it hands that job to each judicial district, which adopts its own local rule for scheduling. That flexibility lets busier districts and smaller ones each build a trial-setting process that fits their caseload and resources.
The one substantive command in the rule is that courts must give priority to actions entitled to it by statute. Nevada law singles out certain kinds of cases — for reasons ranging from a party’s age or health to the type of dispute involved — for expedited treatment, and Rule 40 makes sure local scheduling practices cannot bury those cases behind the ordinary queue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find the actual rules for how trials get scheduled in my district?
In that judicial district’s local rules. Rule 40 requires each district to adopt its own rule for scheduling trials rather than setting one uniform statewide procedure.
Does my case get scheduled first if a statute gives it priority?
It should. Rule 40 requires courts to give priority to actions that a statute entitles to priority, regardless of how the local scheduling rule otherwise orders the trial calendar.
Can two judicial districts in Nevada have different trial-setting procedures?
Yes. Because Rule 40 delegates trial scheduling to local rule, procedures can and do vary from one district to another.
What kinds of cases typically get statutory priority in scheduling?
Nevada statutes identify specific categories for expedited treatment; the details live in those statutes rather than in Rule 40 itself, which requires courts to honor whatever priority a statute grants.
Does Rule 40 set any deadlines for when a trial must occur?
No. It does not set deadlines itself. It directs each district to establish scheduling procedures by local rule and to respect statutory priority within whatever system results.
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: trial scheduling Nevadasetting a case for triallocal rules trial calendarpriority trial settingNRCP 40