Clark County STR Rules: 1000-Foot Separation & Licensing

Clark County (which includes the Las Vegas Strip, suburban Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and unincorporated areas) implemented a comprehensive STR ordinance in 2023. The headline rules: licensing required, 1000-foot separation between STRs (preventing STR-clusters in single-family neighborhoods), primary-residence priority but non-owner-occupied permits available subject to the separation requirement. The combination has materially reduced near-Strip STR availability while keeping suburban single-property STRs operationally viable. Nevada's lack of state income tax is a significant cost-seg advantage for high-bracket investors.

Licensing & Registration

Clark County STR license: $1,000/year, required for all stays under 31 days. Application requires life-safety inspection, $500K liability insurance, 24/7 contact, parking compliance, and verification that no other STR is within 1000 feet (county GIS check). Henderson and North Las Vegas have parallel city-level ordinances with similar structures. Strip-adjacent Tourist Commercial zones permit STR more freely than residential single-family zones. The 1000-foot separation is the binding constraint citywide.

Lodging & Occupancy Taxes

Nevada state sales tax 6.85% does not apply to lodging. Clark County combined room tax: 13.38% (Las Vegas Strip), 13% in resort corridors, lower in suburban areas. Effective lodging tax averages 13%. Stays of 31+ days are exempt from room tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect Clark County room tax automatically. No state income tax means federal cost-seg deductions flow through cleanly without state-level offset.

Penalties & Enforcement

Operating without a Clark County STR license: $1,000 first offense, $3,000-$5,000 escalating. The 1000-foot separation rule is enforced through the licensing GIS system — if your address falls within 1000 feet of another active STR, no new license can be issued. The county's enforcement intensity has grown through 2024-2025 with platform-data audits and complaint-response teams.

Recent Changes

Henderson and North Las Vegas have continued to refine their parallel STR ordinances, with periodic adjustments to fee structures and enforcement intensity. The 2025 Clark County review confirmed the 1000-foot rule's effectiveness at preventing density clusters. Investors entering the LV market should expect the regulatory framework to remain stable; the binding economic constraint is property-acquisition price + the 1000-foot separation availability.

Tax Strategy for Compliant Investors

Even within Las Vegas's regulatory framework, properly-licensed STR investors retain the federal tax stack. Cost segregation accelerates depreciation, the STR loophole can convert losses to active-income offsets for materially-participating owners, and 100% bonus depreciation under OBBBA applies to all reclassified 5- and 15-year assets. See cost segregation for Airbnb properties for the full playbook.

Frequently asked questions