Unincorporated Clark County is closed to new STR licenses - and the ordinance is under a federal injunction.
The county's only application window ran September 2022 to August 2023 and was awarded by random-number lottery. It has never reopened. Roughly 230 licenses were ever issued against an estimated 16,000 active listings. In December 2025 a federal judge enjoined enforcement of major parts of the ordinance, the county voted to appeal in January 2026, and in August 2026 the Commission moved toward making booking platforms block payments to unlicensed properties instead. If your address is in unincorporated county, there is no legal path to a new license today.
What decides it in Unincorporated Clark County
Pre-application ran Sept 2022 to March 2023, final applications closed August 2023. No new window has opened.
A live random-number generator drew review order on March 29, 2023. Missing it is permanent under the current framework.
The cap is 1% of eligible housing units per unincorporated area. Supply is effectively frozen.
A federal court blocked enforcement of the license requirement, distance rules, occupancy limits and penalty machinery. The county is appealing. Do not read this as "STRs are now legal."
Property line to property line, both from other licensed STRs and from resort hotels.
An August 2026 proposal would bar Airbnb and VRBO from processing payments for unlicensed county properties.
Buying a property that already holds a county license is currently the only realistic entry - and that is a specialized search.
Unincorporated Clark County short-term rental rules at a glance
| Applications | CLOSED |
|---|---|
| Licenses issued | ~230 |
| Separation from other STR | 1,000 ft |
| Separation from resort | 2,500 ft |
| Max occupancy | 2/bedroom, max 10 |
| Year-one cost | $945 / $1,695 |
| Insurance | $500,000 |
| License cap | 1% of housing units |
| Legal status | Partially enjoined, on appeal |
What it costs
| Application fee | $45 |
|---|---|
| Inspection fee | $150 |
| Annual license - 3 bedrooms or fewer | $750 (year one total $945) |
| Annual license - 4+ bedrooms | $1,500 (year one total $1,695) |
| Liability insurance | $500,000 per occurrence |
| Transient lodging tax | ~13% to 13.38% depending on gaming-corridor location; Airbnb/Vrbo remit for platform bookings, direct bookings remitted monthly |
| Unlicensed operation | $1,000 to $10,000 fine per day |
| Other violations | Nightly rental value or $500, whichever is greater |
How to get licensed in Unincorporated Clark County, step by step
- Do not buy this property expecting to license it as an STR. There is no application window.
- If short-term rental income is the plan, redirect your search to Henderson, or to City of Las Vegas if you will live on site.
- If you want county specifically, the only path is acquiring a property that already holds an active, transferable license - ask us for that off-market list.
- Consider a 31+ day mid-term rental strategy, which falls outside the STR ordinance entirely.
- Watch the appeal and the platform-payment ordinance. If the county reopens a window, being pre-positioned matters.
Official sources
- Clark County STR license informational map
- Unincorporated Clark County licensing portal
- Licensing office: 702-455-4252 / STR@ClarkCountyNV.gov
The other three jurisdictions
A "Las Vegas NV" mailing address does not tell you which set of rules applies - the valley has four, and they disagree on almost everything that matters.
The rules on this page apply to a whole city. Whether one parcel qualifies depends on its distance to the nearest licensed rental and to the nearest resort - we measure both against the official parcel data.
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