(a) Reserved.
Rule 58.Entering judgment
Group VII: Judgment · Last amended March 1, 2019 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 58 spells out how a judgment becomes official — the judge must sign it and the clerk must file it before it takes effect, and the winning side then has to serve formal written notice of that entry before the judgment can be enforced.
Full Text of Rule 58
(b) Entering Judgment.
(1) Subject to Rule 54(b) and except as provided in Rule 55(b)(1), all judgments must be approved and signed by the court and filed with the clerk.
(2) The court should designate a party to serve written notice of entry of judgment on the other parties under Rule 58(e).
(c) When Judgment Entered. The filing with the clerk of a judgment signed by the court, or by the clerk when authorized by these rules, constitutes the entry of the judgment, and no judgment is effective for any purpose until it is entered. The entry of the judgment may not be delayed for the taxing of costs.
(d) Judgment Roll. The judgment, as signed and filed, constitutes the judgment roll.
(e) Notice of Entry of Judgment.
(1) Within 14 days after entry of a judgment or an order, a party designated by the court under Rule 58(b)(2) must serve written notice of such entry, together with a copy of the judgment or order, upon each party who is not in default for failure to appear and must file the notice of entry with the clerk of the court. Any other party, or the court in family law cases, may also serve and file a written notice of such entry. Service must be made as provided in Rule 5(b).
(2) Failure to serve written notice of entry does not affect the validity of the judgment, but the judgment may not be executed upon until notice of its entry is served.
Notes
Drafter’s Note, Amendment Effective January 1, 2005: Rule 58 deviates substantially from its federal counterpart. Subdivision (a) is amended in part to conform to federal practice, but the amendments alter existing Nevada practice and require that judgments entered pursuant to subdivision (a) be signed by the judge and not by the clerk of the court. The revised rule also requires the court to designate a party to serve notice of entry of the judgment upon other parties. Subdivision (b) is also amended to reflect that the judge must sign all judgments except default judgments entered pursuant to Rule 55(b)(1). Subdivision (e) is new and adds a provision expressly requiring the party designated by the court under subdivision (a) to serve notice of entry of a judgment or order. The provision also allows any other party to serve notice of entry of the judgment or order. The amendment is similar to federal rule 77(d), but obligates the parties rather than the clerk to provide notice of entry. The new subdivision also provides that although failure to serve notice of entry does not affect the validity of the judgment, the judgment may not be executed upon until such notice is served.
Advisory Committee Note — 2019 Amendment: Rule 58 restyles but does not change the substance of former NRCP 58. It retains the Nevada-specific provision requiring service of written notice of entry of judgment and does not incorporate the separate-document requirement stated in FRCP 58(a).
Amendment History
Amended eff. 1-1-05; Amended eff. 9-29-14; Amended eff. 3-1-19.
Plain-English Summary
A judgment is not effective the moment the judge decides the case; it becomes effective when it is filed with the clerk, and that filing is what the rule calls "entry" of the judgment. Except for the sum-certain default judgments the clerk can enter on its own under Rule 55(b)(1), every judgment must be signed by the court before it is filed. The signed, filed judgment then makes up the judgment roll — the official record of what was decided. Entry cannot be held up just to work out costs, and the court is expected to designate a party to handle notifying everyone once judgment is entered.
That notice step is not a formality to skip. Within 14 days of entry, the party the court designated has to serve written notice of the entry, along with a copy of the judgment or order, on every party who has not defaulted for failing to appear, and file that notice with the clerk. Other parties can serve their own notice too, and in family law cases the court can do it directly. Failing to serve notice does not undo the judgment itself, but it does mean the judgment cannot be executed upon until notice goes out — and because the deadlines for post-judgment motions and appeals run from service of notice of entry rather than from the date of entry itself, getting that notice out matters as much for timing as it does for enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a judgment being signed and being "entered"?
Signing is the judge's act of approving the judgment. Entry happens when that signed judgment is filed with the clerk, and it is entry, not signing, that makes the judgment effective for any purpose.
Who is responsible for sending notice that a judgment was entered?
The court designates a party to serve written notice of entry, along with a copy of the judgment, on the other parties within 14 days, and to file that notice with the clerk. Any other party may also serve and file a notice, and in family law cases the court itself may do so.
Can I start enforcing a judgment before notice of entry is served?
No. Even though the judgment itself is valid once entered, it cannot be executed upon until notice of its entry has been served.
Does the clerk ever enter judgment without the judge signing it first?
Only in one situation: default judgments for a sum certain entered by the clerk under Rule 55(b)(1). Every other judgment requires the judge's signature before the clerk files it.
Why does the notice-of-entry date matter so much?
Because the deadlines for post-judgment motions, such as motions for a new trial or to alter or amend the judgment, and the time to appeal, run from service of written notice of entry rather than from the date the judgment was entered.
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: notice of entry of judgmentwhen is a judgment final nevadajudgment rollentry of judgment requirements