How do I file a complaint against a car insurance company in Nevada?

Last updated October 7, 2026.

You file it with the Nevada Division of Insurance, using the secure online complaint form on the Division's website, after first trying to resolve the problem with the insurance company. An investigator is assigned, the complaint is sent to the insurer, and the company generally must answer the Division within 20 business days.

A complaint is a free, practical tool when an adjuster stops answering, a claim decision is overdue, or a denial does not explain itself. It is not a lawsuit and does not decide what your Las Vegas car accident claim is worth, so it helps most when the problem is how the claim is being handled. For the bigger picture of the claim itself, see what happens after a car accident in Las Vegas.

How does a complaint to the Division of Insurance work?

The Division's Consumer Services Section handles complaints from people across Nevada, including drivers and passengers hurt in crashes around Las Vegas. Its published process looks like this:

Try the insurer first. The Division asks consumers to work directly with the insurance company or agent before filing. In practice, that means a written request to the adjuster and, if that fails, to a supervisor.
File online. Use the Division's secure online complaint form. Describe what happened in dates and facts: when you filed the claim, what you sent, what the company said, and what has not happened.
Choose confidentiality if you want it. If you initial the "Confidential" box on the form, the Division keeps the complaint records confidential from the public.
The Division logs it and writes to you. An investigator enters the complaint in the Division's database and sends you an acknowledgment letter.
The insurer receives a full copy. The investigator sends a letter and a complete copy of your complaint to the insurance company and, if involved, the agent or broker.
The insurer answers. The company generally must reply to the issues in your complaint within 20 business days. Nevada's regulation also requires an insurer to give the Division an adequate response to an inquiry about a claim within 10 working days, with an extension of up to 20 working days if it asks for one in time (NAC 686A.665).
Follow up if you hear nothing. If the Division has not contacted you within 30 days of the date on your acknowledgment letter, you can contact the investigator named in that letter.

Before you file, it helps to know which claim-handling deadline was missed. Our guide to how long an insurance company has to respond to a claim in Nevada lays out the 20-working-day and 30-working-day rules that a complaint usually points to.

What can a complaint fix, and what can it not?

Situation after a crash	Good fit for a complaint?	Why
No acknowledgment or reply for weeks	Yes	Acknowledgment and replies have 20-working-day deadlines (NAC 686A.665)
Your own insurer has not decided a collision or uninsured motorist claim	Yes	Decision due within 30 working days of proof of loss, or a written reason (NAC 686A.675)
Denial letter cites no policy provision	Yes	A denial must reference the provision relied on and be in writing (NAC 686A.675)
Undisputed part of the claim unpaid	Yes	Undisputed portions must be paid despite a dispute, health insurance aside (NAC 686A.675)
Adjuster told you not to hire a lawyer	Yes	Listed as an unfair practice (NRS 686A.310)
You think the offer for your injuries is too low	Usually no	The Division does not give legal advice or decide case value
You already have an attorney or a lawsuit on file	Limited	The Division may not be able to pursue it as a consumer complaint
Your lawsuit deadline is close	No	Filing a complaint does not extend time limits

What changes the answer

Whether you have a lawyer or a lawsuit. The Division states that if you are already represented by an attorney or already have a legal action pending about the same circumstances, it may not be able to pursue your complaint as a consumer complaint. People often file early, on their own, to get a stalled claim moving; once a case is in court, the court process takes over.

Your own policy versus the other driver's. Several of the firmest Nevada claim rules protect first-party claimants, the people who bought the policy (NAC 686A.675). A complaint about your own company's handling of a claim on your own underinsured motorist coverage or a collision claim lines up directly with those rules. A complaint about the at-fault driver's insurer is still allowed, and the acknowledgment, reply and investigation deadlines apply to it.

The kind of problem. The Division lists improper denial or delay in settling a claim, improper cancellation or nonrenewal, premium and rate problems, and misconduct by an agent or broker among the complaints it handles. A dispute over how much pain and suffering is worth is a different kind of disagreement, usually resolved by negotiation, arbitration or a lawsuit.

The insurer's legal duties. Nevada law lists unfair claims practices, such as failing to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss, failing to settle promptly once liability has become reasonably clear, and compelling its own insureds to sue by offering substantially less than they later recover (NRS 686A.310). Under that statute, the insurer is liable to its own insured for damages caused by those practices.

Accuracy. The Division warns that it has seen more complaints carrying incorrect information about policies and Nevada law copied from online tools, and asks consumers to check that every detail matches official sources. Quote your policy and the actual letters you received.

For example: a collision claim stuck after a total loss

Imagine a hypothetical driver named Marco. A pickup runs a red light and hits his sedan near a Henderson intersection. Marco has collision coverage, so he files with his own insurer for the car while he pursues the pickup driver's company for his injuries.

His insurer declares the sedan a total loss, and Marco sends the signed proof of loss the adjuster asked for. Six weeks pass. The adjuster does not answer two emails and no decision arrives, and no letter explains the delay. Marco writes to the adjuster's supervisor, keeps copies, and waits ten more days.

Marco then files a complaint online. He lists the date of loss, the claim number, the date he sent the proof of loss, the two unanswered emails, and the supervisor letter. He attaches the adjuster's original request for documents. The Division acknowledges his complaint and sends it to the insurer.

In this hypothetical, the complaint addresses the delay on the car. It does not change the injury claim against the pickup driver's insurer, which is a separate track with its own evidence. If the injury claim also stalls because medical bills are piling up, our guide to hospital liens on a car accident settlement explains what hospitals can claim. The value of the car itself follows the state's rules for valuing a totaled car in Nevada.

Common mistakes with insurance complaints

Filing without dates. "They are ignoring me" is hard to act on. "Claim filed March 3, proof of loss sent March 20, no decision as of May 15" is easy to act on.
Skipping the insurer. The Division asks you to try the company first. A short supervisor letter also gives you a clean record to attach, and our post on handling insurance disputes after a car accident has ideas for that letter.
Expecting the Division to set the value of your injuries. It does not provide legal representation or legal advice.
Treating the complaint as a deadline extension. The Division says filing does not extend policy time limits, and it does not pause the 2-year deadline for injury lawsuits in NRS 11.190 either. Our post on the statute of limitations for auto accident claims covers that clock.
Pasting in information you have not checked. Quote your policy and the letters you received, not summaries from the internet.
Missing the follow-up window. If 30 days pass after the acknowledgment letter with no word, call or write to the named investigator.

What to do this week

Gather your claim number, policy number, the crash date and every letter or email from the insurer.
Write a one-page timeline: what you sent, when, and what is still missing.
Send a short written request to the adjuster's supervisor and give a reasonable date for a reply.
If that date passes, file online with the Nevada Division of Insurance and attach your timeline and key documents.
Decide whether to check the "Confidential" box.
Keep pursuing the claim itself: medical records, repair estimates and your lawsuit deadline do not wait for the complaint. Our post on steps to dispute a denied insurance claim covers the claim-side work.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything to file a complaint?

The Division's complaint page describes no fee. The online form is free to use, and the Division assigns an investigator to each complaint.

Can I complain about the other driver's insurance company?

Yes. The Division takes complaints about delays and denials by insurers, and the acknowledgment, reply and investigation deadlines apply to every claimant. The stricter decision and payment deadlines are written for the insurer's own policyholders.

Will the Division make the insurer pay my claim?

The Division investigates how the claim was handled and requires the insurer to respond. It does not give legal advice or act as your lawyer, so a disagreement over the value of an injury is usually settled through negotiation or the court process.

How long does the insurer have to respond to my complaint?

The Division says the company generally must respond within 20 business days. Its regulation sets 10 working days for an adequate response to a Division inquiry about a claim, with a possible extension of up to 20 working days (NAC 686A.665).

Can my complaint be kept private?

Yes. If you initial the "Confidential" box, the Division keeps your complaint records confidential from the public. Even for complaints that are not marked confidential, the Division says it redacts personal identifying information before releasing records in response to a public records request.

Should I file a complaint if I already hired an attorney?

The Division says it may not be able to pursue the matter as a consumer complaint when you are represented or a lawsuit is pending. Your attorney can tell you whether a complaint still adds anything.

Does a complaint hurt my claim?

Nothing on the Division's page suggests it does. A complaint simply asks the insurer to explain its handling of your claim to the state regulator, which often prompts a written response.

If a car insurance company is stalling your claim after a crash in the Las Vegas Valley, you can talk with attorney Maysoun Fletcher about where your claim stands. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation.