Short-term rental rules · Las Vegas, Nevada
Short-term rentals in Las Vegas, explained properly.
The City of Las Vegas allows short-term rentals only for owner-occupied homes with a $500 annual business license, a 660-foot spacing rule between STRs, and a 2,500-foot buffer from resort hotels — plus a long list of prohibited neighborhoods (Summerlin, Skye Canyon, Town Center, and others). This is separate from unincorporated Clark County (which includes the Strip), whose capped license program is currently blocked by a federal court injunction pending appeal.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Yes, but only if the property is the operator's owner-occupied primary residence — non-owner-occupied STRs are not permitted within city limits [1] |
| Annual business license fee | $500 per year, in addition to the no-fee Conditional Use Verification application [1] |
| Minimum distance between short-term rentals | A short-term rental must be at least 660 feet from any other short-term rental, and at least 2,500 feet from a resort hotel [1] |
| Maximum of three bedrooms | An eligible short-term rental property may have no more than three bedrooms in total, and that count includes the owner's own bedroom [1] [2] |
| Prohibited in several named neighborhoods | Short-term rentals are prohibited in some master-planned areas, including Summerlin, Sun City Summerlin, Town Center, Skye Canyon, Cliff's Edge, Symphony Park, Grand Canyon Village, or any Form-Based Code property [1] |
| Liability insurance required | $500,000 minimum liability insurance coverage must be shown as part of the business license application [1] |
| Occupancy limit | Not stated in the city's current STR materials. A secondary source says two guests per bedroom plus two more, but the city's 2017 STR ordinance set two persons per bedroom (excluding children under 12), and state law caps any city limit at 16 people per unit. Confirm the current figure with the city [3] [4] [5]Confirming |
| Transient lodging tax rate | 13.38% within the Primary Gaming Corridor; 13% elsewhere in the City of Las Vegas. Due by the 15th of the month after the tax accrued [6] [3] |
| Special events prohibited | Weddings, birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and other special events are not allowed at short-term rentals [7] |
| Penalty for operating without a license | State law requires Nevada cities to fine unlicensed short-term rental operation at $1,000 to $10,000 per violation (not per day, as some secondary sources say). The city's current code text and how it counts violations were not confirmed [5] [3] |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| Property must be zoned for short-term rental use | The property must be located in a zoning district that permits short-term rentals, on top of meeting the owner-occupancy, bedroom, and spacing requirements. State law also requires cities to prohibit short-term rentals in apartment buildings [1] [5] |
|---|---|
| HOA written approval required if applicable | If the property is part of a homeowners association, written HOA approval is required before a short-term rental permit can be issued [1] |
| Different rules apply in unincorporated Clark County | Unincorporated Clark County (outside Las Vegas city limits, including the Strip) runs a separate license program capped at 1% of housing stock. Few licenses have been issued since its March 2023 application lottery, and a federal court has blocked the county from enforcing its licensing requirement while its appeal is pending (Ninth Circuit arguments were heard September 14, 2026). This is a different jurisdiction from the City of Las Vegas and is not covered by this page. [8] [9]Confirming |
Licensing & application
| Three-phase application process | Applicants first apply for a no-fee Conditional Use Verification (CUV), submitting a justification letter, a site plan showing at least two standard parking spaces, and a floor plan identifying the owner's bedroom and safety features; then pass a Code Enforcement home inspection; only after final CUV approval can the $500 business license application be submitted [1] |
|---|---|
| Business license phase requirements | The business license phase requires proof of $500,000 minimum liability insurance, a list of hosting platforms used for advertising, 24-hour local contact information, a short-term rental affidavit, ownership documentation (if held by an entity or trust), and a Nevada ID matching the rental address [1] |
| Home inspection required | A Code Enforcement home inspection is part of the approval process. Inspectors check for interconnected smoke alarms in all sleeping rooms and hallways, carbon monoxide detectors in homes with gas appliances, fire extinguishers (kitchen, any garage, and each floor), unobstructed exterior doors, 4-inch address numbers, and an evacuation map in each bedroom [1] [10] |
Operations & requirements
| Noise restrictions | Sound audible from 50 feet or more away from the property violates the city's short-term rental noise standard [7] |
|---|---|
| Guest parking must stay on the driveway | Guest vehicles must park in the driveway and cannot block neighboring driveways or mailboxes [7] |
| 24-hour neighborhood complaint hotline | Neighbors can report non-emergency short-term rental complaints (noise, parking, trash) through a 24-hour hotline at 702-229-3500 [7] |
Taxes & fees
| Late transient lodging tax penalties | Room tax paid after the 15th carries a 10% late penalty plus 1.5% interest for each month (or part of a month) it is delinquent [6] |
|---|
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We checked the city's Short-Term Rentals page, the 2026 application instructions PDF, the February 2026 one-page overview, the home inspection overview, the March 2026 room tax packet, NRS 268.09795 (2025 edition, no amendments since AB 363 of 2021), the 2025 city amendment packet (Bill 2025-36), and recent Clark County coverage. Monitor the city page and the annually reissued PDF for a new edition. The federal court fight over licensing (injunction January 2026, Ninth Circuit arguments September 14, 2026) concerns unincorporated Clark County, not the City of Las Vegas; it matters to Strip-area investors but does not change the city rules on this page. Clark County's August 2026 rule requiring booking platforms to verify county licenses (effective September 2, 2026) likewise applies only to unincorporated areas.
Aligns the STR definition with state law, excludes accessory structures, ADUs, tents, trailers and mobile units from STR use, treats each dwelling unit on a site as a separate STR, requires the owner's bedroom to be a traditional bedroom shown on the approved floor plan, and requires a certificate of liability insurance ($500,000 minimum) from a Nevada-licensed insurer. Recommended by committee November 3, 2025 and adopted on the council consent agenda November 19, 2025 (adoption reported by a secondary source; the city's posted packet is the unsigned draft).
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.