LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Every cell phone line and landline from a Clark County resident will get a $0.50 surcharge, all to fund critical 911 upgrades and prevent outages.
The Clark County Commission passed an amended ordinance to impose an initial $0.50 surcharge starting April 1 in 2026; the fee will increase by $0.10 every year to eventually reach $1 per line, according to Clark County Fire Chief Billy Samuels.
It will be up to your phone provider to pass on the surcharge to your bill.
The fee will be directed to lines with billing addresses based in Clark County. Phone numbers with different area codes that have a local billing address will be subject to the surcharge, according to county officials.
“Trunk” lines, often used by businesses or offices, will be charged $5 per “trunk” or switchboard. Many businesses have questions about costs; if you have to dial “9″ to make a phone call, your company operates on a “trunk” or switchboard system, according to business licensing officials with the County. The Palazzo operates on two switchboards, according to County officials.
Last February, FOX5 told you about the plans for the upgraded system called NextGeneration 911. Many states nationwide have started the integration or even completed it.
The proposed surcharge funds the 5-Year Master Plan for enhancing 911 infrastructure, which estimates valleywide costs at more than $177,802,596 from 2026-2030. The surcharge can be lowered after benchmarks for revenue are reached, according to county officials.
An April 2024 outage in Nevada and other states prompted Valley leaders to finally look into needed upgrades and implement an option for a 911 surcharge. The outage was caused by a crew in Missouri that cut a fiberoptic line; the incident impacted an out-of-state regional communications center that routes calls to the Valley’s analog-based or “legacy” 911 system.
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