State CRE Guide

Nevada Commercial Real Estate Loans: Transfer Tax & C-PACE

What changes for a commercial property loan in Nevada: county transfer tax rates, trustee’s-sale foreclosure, the one-action rule, deficiency limits and C-PACE.

By BestLoanUSA Updated October 17, 2026 4 min read

Nevada at a glance for commercial property loans
What	Nevada
Real property transfer tax	$1.95 per $500 of value (or fraction of $500) in every county when the value exceeds $100. Clark County adds $0.60, for $2.55 per $500; Washoe and Churchill counties add $0.10, for $2.05 per $500. The county recorder collects it when the deed is recorded. ^[1]
Foreclosure process and notice	Non-judicial: a trustee sells under the deed of trust’s power of sale. The trustee records a notice of default and election to sell; the notice of sale can be given only after 3 months have passed since it was recorded. The notice of sale is then posted for 20 days in a row in a public place in the county where the property is located and published once a week for 3 consecutive weeks. ^[2]
One-action rule	A creditor gets one action to recover a debt secured by a mortgage or deed of trust on real property, and it must follow the chapter’s foreclosure procedure. A lender can choose a court foreclosure or a trustee’s sale under the deed of trust. ^[3]
Deficiency after the sale	The lender must apply for a deficiency judgment within 6 months after the foreclosure or trustee’s sale, and the court holds a hearing on the property’s fair market value. The judgment is capped at the lesser of the debt minus the fair market value or the debt minus the sale price, plus interest. ^[4]
C-PACE law and program	Assembly Bill 5 (2017) let cities and counties create districts that finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on commercial property through a voluntary assessment (NRS 271.6312–271.6325). Senate Bill 283 (2021) added water efficiency and resiliency projects, required a recorded assessment lien and kept the existing lender’s consent requirement. ^[5]

Checked 2026-10-17; sources are listed at the end of the page. Rates and rules change — your title company and closing attorney confirm the figures for a specific deal.

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Commercial property loans in Nevada use the same programs as every other state — SBA 504, DSCR loans, bridge loans, bank and life-company permanent loans. What Nevada changes is the closing cost and the default path: the transfer tax rate depends on the county, a deed of trust is foreclosed by a trustee's sale on a three-month clock, the one-action rule limits how a lender can sue, a deficiency has a six-month deadline and a fair-market-value cap, and C-PACE runs through county and city districts.

Transfer tax: the county sets the rate

When a deed is recorded, the county recorder collects the real property transfer tax. Every county charges at least $1.95 per $500 of value, or fraction of $500. Clark County adds $0.60, for $2.55 per $500; Washoe and Churchill counties add $0.10, for $2.05 per $500.

Example: a $2,000,000 commercial building bought with a $1,400,000 loan. $2,000,000 is 4,000 units of $500.

Clark County (Las Vegas): 4,000 × $2.55 = $10,200
Washoe County (Reno): 4,000 × $2.05 = $8,200
Most other counties: 4,000 × $1.95 = $7,800

The tax is figured on the property's value, not the loan, so the $1,400,000 loan doesn't change it. That is close to Tennessee, where the same example carries $9,007.70 split between the deed and the loan, and far below Washington, where the state's graduated excise alone is $31,637.50. Who pays it is a contract term — put it in the purchase agreement and in your closing budget.

Foreclosure by trustee's sale — the three-month clock

Nevada commercial loans are typically secured by a deed of trust with a power of sale, so a default can lead to a trustee's sale without a court case. The trustee first records a notice of default and election to sell, and the notice of sale can be given only after three months have passed since it was recorded. The notice of sale is then posted for 20 days in a row in a public place in the county and published once a week for three consecutive weeks.

That means at least about three months and three weeks from the recorded notice of default to the sale. If a sale or refinance is your way out of a troubled loan, start at the first missed payment, and use DSCR to see how far income has fallen short.

The one-action rule

Nevada gives a creditor one action to recover a debt secured by real property, and that action has to follow the foreclosure procedure in the statute. The Nevada Supreme Court applies the rule to deeds of trust as well as mortgages, and the lender can choose between a court foreclosure and a trustee's sale. If your loan documents or guaranty include a waiver of the rule, read that language with your attorney before you sign.

Deficiency: six months and a fair-value cap

If the sale brings less than what is owed, the lender has to apply for a deficiency judgment within six months after the sale, and the court holds a hearing on the property's fair market value. The judgment is capped at the lesser of two numbers: the debt minus that fair market value, or the debt minus the sale price, plus interest.

Example: $1,400,000 owed, the property sells for $1,000,000 and the court finds it was worth $1,200,000. The debt minus fair value is $200,000; the debt minus the sale price is $400,000. The deficiency is capped at the lesser — $200,000, plus interest. That protects anyone who signed a personal guarantee from a low sale price; on a non-recourse loan, read the carve-outs that would turn recourse back on.

C-PACE: county and city districts

Nevada's C-PACE law came from Assembly Bill 5 in 2017. It lets a city or county create a district that finances energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on commercial property, repaid through a voluntary assessment on the property. Senate Bill 283 in 2021 added water efficiency and resiliency projects, required the assessment lien to be recorded and kept the requirement that the existing mortgage lender consent. Local programs are optional: the City of Las Vegas established its program in November 2018, the City of Reno approved its program in April 2019, and Clark County approved a program in August 2022 that covers only unincorporated Clark County.

Check first that your property sits inside a participating city or county district, and talk to your lender before you sign. C-PACE Desk, a BestLoanUSA site, tracks Nevada's C-PACE status.

Where to start

Choose the program — SBA 504 for an owner-occupied building, a DSCR loan or permanent loan for an income property, a bridge loan for a transition — and put your county's transfer tax rate in the closing budget. Size the loan with the commercial mortgage calculator. For financing that isn't tied to real estate, the Nevada business loan guide covers SBA offices and state programs.

Ready to compare? Start a commercial real estate loan request — one application, compared across our lender network.

💡 BestLoanUSA compares bank, SBA, DSCR and bridge lenders for Nevada commercial property. See how it works — no hard credit pull to start.

Sources: Nevada Department of Taxation, Real Property Transfer Tax (NRS 375.020–375.026); Nev. Rev. Stat. § 107.080; Nev. Rev. Stat. § 40.430; McMillan v. United Mortgage Co., 82 Nev. 117 (1966); Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 40.455–40.459; 2017 Assembly Bill 5 and 2021 Senate Bill 283 (NRS 271.6312–271.6325); Lavi v. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct. (Nev. 2014); City of Las Vegas, C-PACE press release; City of Reno, Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy; Clark County C-PACE Program. Checked 2026-10-17.

The bottom line

Nevada’s transfer tax depends on the county — $2.55 per $500 in Clark, $2.05 in Washoe, $1.95 in most others — so a $2,000,000 building costs $7,800 to $10,200 in transfer tax. On the default side, a trustee’s sale comes no sooner than three months after the notice of default, plus the notice-of-sale period, and a lender that wants a deficiency has six months to ask for it, capped by the property’s fair market value. Read the guarantee and the one-action waiver as closely as the rate.

Commercial property by metro area in Nevada

The state rules above apply everywhere in Nevada. These are the local ones — county and city taxes, building mandates and programs — that change the numbers in its largest markets.

Las Vegas Clark County

Transfer tax: $2.55 per $500 of value — the $1.95 base plus $0.60 added in Clark County — the highest rate in the state. $10,200 on a $2,000,000 building. ^[6]
City C-PACE program: The Las Vegas City Council established the Las Vegas Commercial Property Clean Energy Program (C-PACE) in November 2018 by Resolutions No. R-60-2018 and R-61-2018. ^[7]
County C-PACE program: The Board of County Commissioners approved the Clark County C-PACE Program on August 16, 2022. Its district covers only unincorporated Clark County, for energy efficiency, renewable energy and water efficiency projects on commercial and industrial property. ^[8]

Reno Washoe County

Transfer tax: $2.05 per $500 of value — the $1.95 base plus $0.10 levied by Washoe County. $8,200 on a $2,000,000 building. ^[6]
City C-PACE program: The Reno City Council approved a C-PACE resolution in April 2019. The program covers commercial, industrial and multifamily (five or more units) property, repaid through a voluntary assessment lien, for up to 25 years tied to the improvements’ useful life. ^[9]

Commercial loan rates and terms in Nevada

Rates and leverage come from the lender, the property and the borrower, so they are the same national ranges in Nevada as elsewhere — what changes here are the closing costs and rules in the table above. Typical terms as of September 2026:

Program	Rate	Max LTV / LTC	Term
Bank / credit union	6.5–8%	65–75% (80% multifamily)	5–10 yr
SBA 504	6.25–7.25%	Up to 90%	10–25 yr
SBA 7(a)	8.5–11.5%	Up to 90%	Up to 25 yr
DSCR	6.75–8.75%	Up to 75–80%	5–30 yr
CMBS	7–8%	Up to 75%	5–10 yr
Bridge	6.25–8.25%	65–80%	12–36 mo
Construction	6.75–10.5%	65–80% LTC	12–24 mo

How each range is built: commercial real estate loan rates by type.

Nevada commercial real estate loan FAQ

What are commercial mortgage rates in Nevada?

Commercial lenders price a loan on the property and the borrower rather than the state, so Nevada rates follow national ranges: about 6.5–8% for a bank loan, 6.25–7.25% for SBA 504, 6.75–8.75% for a DSCR loan and 6.25–8.25% for a bank or debt-fund bridge loan (benchmarks as of September 2026).

How much down payment do I need for a commercial property in Nevada?

Typically 25–35% for a bank loan and 20–25% for a DSCR loan. An owner-occupied building can qualify for SBA 504 with 10% down (15% for a business under two years old or a special-purpose building, 20% if both).

How much is Nevada’s transfer tax on a commercial property sale?

It depends on the county: $2.55 per $500 of value in Clark County, $2.05 in Washoe and Churchill counties and $1.95 elsewhere. On a $2,000,000 building that is $10,200, $8,200 or $7,800.

Does a Nevada commercial foreclosure go through court?

Usually not. A deed of trust with a power of sale lets the trustee give notice of sale once 3 months have passed after recording a notice of default, then post it for 20 days and publish it once a week for 3 weeks before the sale.

Can a Nevada lender collect a deficiency after a foreclosure sale?

Only if it applies within 6 months after the sale, and only up to the lesser of the debt minus the property’s fair market value or the debt minus the sale price, plus interest. The court sets the fair market value at a hearing.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-17.