Four systems, and Nevada uses the more common threshold
American fault law splits into four real categories: pure comparative negligence, modified comparative negligence with a 50% bar, modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar, and pure contributory negligence. Nevada uses the 51% bar under NRS 41.141 — the more typical of the two modified thresholds nationally.
Nevada's rule: barred only when you exceed them, combined
Under NRS 41.141, a claimant recovers as long as their negligence was not greater than the negligence of the party, or combined parties, against whom recovery is sought. A claimant at exactly 50% still recovers half their damages; only crossing to 51% bars recovery entirely.
The stricter alternative: a 50% bar
A smaller group of about 12 states, including Georgia and Kansas, use a stricter version: recovery is barred the moment the claimant's fault is equal to the defendant's, not only when it exceeds it. A claimant at exactly 50% recovers nothing in those states, while the same claimant recovers a meaningful amount in Nevada.
Pure comparative negligence and contributory negligence: the two extremes
At the more forgiving end of the spectrum, pure comparative negligence states like California never bar recovery for ordinary fault at all. At the far stricter end, the five contributory negligence jurisdictions — Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and DC — bar recovery entirely for any fault, even 1%. See our guide to the other states using a 51% bar for Nevada's closest peer group nationally.