Clark County Bans Street Vendors From Selling Items on Strip Near Casinos

Posted on: October 6, 2023, 08:50h. 

Last updated on: October 9, 2023, 10:05h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Las Vegas street vendors will no longer be allowed to sell items near casinos along the Las Vegas Strip or in other select locations.

Street vendor Luis Sanchez in North Las Vegas
Street vendor Luis Sanchez in North Las Vegas, pictured above. New rules have been enacted on vendors. (Image: The Nevada Independent)

On Tuesday, the Clark County Commission unanimously approved the change in the Clark County Code. It goes into effect later this month.

That means vendors will no longer be able to sell food, beverages, and assorted merchandise (such as souvenirs) on sidewalks and pedestrian paths by these locations. Vendors specifically can’t sell items within 1,500 feet of a casino/hotel or near an athletic facility with 20K or more people (such as Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena) or a large convention center, according to Las Vegas TV station KVVU.

Localities can also prohibit the sale of items by vendors near schools, food establishments, childcare facilities, parks, recreational facilities owned by the county, places of worship, and pedestrian malls, according to the Review-Journal.

Under the ordinance, vendors are defined as someone who “sells food, beverages or merchandise upon a public sidewalk or pedestrian path from a conveyance, including, without limitation, a pushcart, stand, display, pedal-driven cart, wagon, showcase or rack.”

Licensing Costs

Under the new code, vendors must apply for and receive three permits and licenses before selling items in unincorporated Clark County, the Las Vegas Sun reported. These include a license from the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, a Southern Nevada Health District permit, and a Clark County license.

License may cost vendors as much as $800. After the first year, the health permit will cost $376. State business licenses will cost $200.

Vendors who violate the new rule can be fined up to $500 or spend as much as six months in jail, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

By next July, a second ordinance will be needed. It will list additional licensing requirements, fees, and permissible locations.

The new ordinance brings Clark County rules into compliance with a related state law that took effect on July 1. Over the summer, an unlicensed vendor selling flavored waters was apprehended near the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” iconic sign.

Conflicting Ideas

Recently, Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick noted the number of vendors selling items near the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on Las Vegas Boulevard.

I can’t wait to start enforcement because unfortunately there’s more than 10 there any given night, and I don’t think that was the intent for the Las Vegas sign,” Kirkpatrick was quoted by the Review-Journal.

Some groups are currently working to communicate these ordinate changes and help give a voice to street vendors.

Sidewalk vendors are not going anywhere. We need a system that will allow them to quickly go through the permitting process through Clark County and Southern Nevada Health District, or we will have a design created for nobody to access,” the advocacy group Make the Road Nevada said in a statement.

Make the Road Nevada is a Las Vegas-based organization that advocates on behalf of immigrants. Make the Road Nevada is currently holding town hall meetings to help street vendors navigate these changes.