LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A new Clark County proposal aims to speed up application processing times for short-term rental licenses following years of backlogs and an ongoing federal court case.
The proposed ordinance changes were introduced Tuesday at the County Commission meeting; county officials recently said proposed changes would be forthcoming following a recent ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on a District Court injunction against the County.
County staff said in various documents that the proposals would simplify the application process and remove some of the obstacles to obtaining a license.
Some of the following changes include a 45-day period for application review, barring various restrictions (such as another short-term rental in 1,000 feet proximity to the property).
The proposed ordinance changes would end the lottery system for application review; in March 2023, prospective applicants had their names drawn in a County-run short-term rental lottery, all to determine an order for applications to be reviewed and licenses to be granted. More than 1,300 names were drawn at the time.
The county has faced plenty of criticism for processing times; a Spring 2025 presentation disclosed that County officials processed six applications per week.
“People have been waiting for more than four years for their license application to be processed. That’s just ridiculous,” said Jackie Flores of the Greater Las Vegas Short-term Rental Association. “A lot of people are frustrated because they do want to comply with the county law and the ordinance, but the county is making it difficult to do so.”
Flores raises concerns about language to “add short-term rentals as a conditional commercial use in certain zoning districts,” as county documents state; could that add more red tape to restrict locations for short-term rentals?
The language for short-term rentals is “recognizing its commercial use” in residential areas, county documents state.
County officials have explained efforts to address “quality of life” concerns among residents; residents have voiced concerns to FOX5 about the community impact of numerous STRs in one neighborhood.
The proposed ordinance changes are set for a public hearing and possible vote on November 3.
Documents from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals indicate, per the judges in their ruling, that the County could finally reopen the application portal if the federal injunction could be narrowed. FOX5 asked County officials when that application portal could reopen following the forthcoming passage of the proposed ordinance changes.
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