Clark County commissioners approve faster short-term rental licensing after a federal injunction stalled the county's crackdown

What happened

Clark County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to speed up how the county licenses short-term rentals, the Las Vegas Sun reported. The move is the county's latest effort to restart rules on the industry that a federal injunction has put on hold.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Rogan, who presented the ordinance, said the Ninth Circuit told the county last month that people need "a meaningful opportunity to apply for a short-term rental license and to have their applications processed in a reasonable time." The ordinance changes the process but not the licensing standards themselves, according to the Sun.

How the new licensing process works

Deadlines and fees

Under the new ordinance, the county must decide on applications within 45 business days, with some exceptions. Complete applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and applicants will get 14 days to answer county requests. The window to appeal a denial drops from 30 days to 14, and fees will not be due until an application is approved.

Steps for applicants

Applicants will start with an intake appointment at the county's business license office. The county will then check eligibility, conduct a fire inspection and issue a written approval or denial. Rogan said licensing standards, inspections and enforcement rules all stay the same.

Key dates

Revised applications will be available Dec. 1, and applicants can begin scheduling intake appointments Dec. 15. The first appointments start at 8 a.m. Jan. 5. Rogan said 47 applications are pending; they will be judged under current standards but follow the new timelines once those take effect at the end of November.

Why clusters slowed the old system

Rogan said clusters were a major reason the original system stalled. Because rentals must be at least 1,000 feet apart, approving one application could disqualify others nearby, so applications in the same area had to be decided in a set order. The county had tried using a random number generator to set that order, and overlapping groups, applicant responses, fee payments and appeals added weeks more.

Rogan expects clustering to be "less of a problem this time around." The 242 licenses issued since the county's 2022 ordinance took effect will automatically disqualify any applications within 1,000 feet of them. Business license office data showed applications for regulated business licenses rose from 430 in 2022 to 1,140 in 2023, the Sun reported.

The legal fight behind the change

The lawsuit and injunction

The rules have been in court since June 2025, when the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association sued; Airbnb later joined. In December, U.S. District Judge Miranda Du denied a motion to dismiss from Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and placed a moratorium on fines, penalties and liens against short-term rental owners in Clark County. Since then, the county has been barred from requiring licenses, issuing fines or declaring properties a public nuisance.

Other county moves

In August, commissioners voted 5-0 to hold platforms responsible for unlicensed properties listed on their sites. Fines are $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for each one after, according to the Sun. More housing coverage is on our real estate page.

Market numbers and reaction

According to AirDNA data cited by the Sun, Las Vegas had just 250 active short-term rental listings as of October, down about 99% from a year earlier. Those listings averaged roughly 47% occupancy and $230 a night.

Members of the rental association called the system a "sham process" and criticized the distance requirement. Dwight Calwhite, who owns two short-term rentals, told commissioners, "I'm asking you to create a workable path for responsible operators like me." Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said that if the process does not work, "we have to fix the process first in order for it to go."

What to watch next

• Revised applications become available Dec. 1, with intake scheduling opening Dec. 15.
• The first intake appointments begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 5.
• Kirkpatrick said she expects a report back to commissioners by mid-February on how the new system is working.
• The federal lawsuit by the rental association and Airbnb remains unresolved, and commissioners said they may make further changes.