Clark County holds short-term rental lottery, adds hotline

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Clark County held its lottery for short-term rental owners to proceed with the process to get a license, and everyone who applied was selected.

The County also added a business hotline for applicants to get questions answered on business licensing.

Out of more than 10,000 illegal rentals across Nevada, 1,306 owners submitted a pre-application to have their name entered into a lottery, Clark County officials said. In the live drawing, 1,306 owners were selected.

The order matters, according to the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association: the number you receive indicates your turn to have your application reviewed. Clark County code prevents short-term rentals from operating within 1,000 feet of each other. If there are others within 1,000 feet that are approved first, a spokesperson said that further applications may be disqualified.

“I’m feeling pretty good about number 279. I may very well not even get to an inspection process if there’s a short-term rental within 1000 feet of me,” said owner Melissa Cassidy, who watched the process live on YouTube. “I was a super host, I hosted over 1000 reservations. I want to get back to that,” she said.

Clark County issued the following statement:

1. 1,306 pre-applications were entered into the random number generator and were issued a priority order for consideration.
2. Next, our Geographic Information Systems staff will review the pre-applications to determine if they meet the criteria to move on to the next stage of the application process. For example, they will be screened for jurisdiction, distance separation from resort hotels, and to ensure that 1% of available housing stock per township is not exceeded.
3. Once this step is completed, pre-applicants will be notified if they are able to move forward in the application process.
4. Those who are notified that they qualify to submit an application and choose to proceed with the process will have 30 days to submit the completed application.

The Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association is proceeding with its lawsuit against Clark County, bringing its appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court. A court allowed Clark County to proceed with its licensing process, with some modified rules. The group is asking for an expedited hearing.

“[Clark County] said that they were going to issue 2,800 licenses. That discouraged a lot of people to apply,” said Jackie Flores of the GLVSTRA.

Cassidy tells FOX5, she’ll spend $1,500 on fees prior to operating her short-term rental, and explains her opinions on why so many others did not apply: they wanted to keep business going.

“They’re up and operating now. If they gave Clark County all of their information, then they could be subject to inspections. And so they’re probably scared,” Cassidy said.

FOX5 told you how Metro Police were enforcing code ordinances with illegal short-term rentals.

Clark County issued details on a business license phone line. A license is required for all short-term rental owners.

The Clark County Department of Business License today launched a dedicated customer service telephone line. Calls to that line go directly to a Business License staff member. Previously, calls were routed to a phone tree with options. Officials expect the change to improve the customer service experience.

The line at (702) 455-4340 will be answered by staff during office hours, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. A voicemail is available after hours and holidays for a return call the next business day.

The addition of a dedicated customer service line will help constituents get their questions answered quickly and conveniently. Additionally, customers may email the department at chap@ClarkCountyNV.gov.

More information about the department may be found at //www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/businesslicense.

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