Las Vegas may be best known for high-roller casinos, jaw-dropping shows and five-star hotels, but it’s also a hotspot for Airbnb rentals, with more than 22,000 listings*.
But Las Vegas Airbnb rules can seem daunting. You need to apply for a license, check your local zoning laws, live in the rental property, get insurance, and get to grips with residency rules and taxes. It can seem like a lot to manage.
But we’re here to help. In this post, we’ve outlined the most important Las Vegas Airbnb regulations and laws, and we’ve also shared our best tips on how to insure and protect your home with our dedicated risk management platform, for even easier operations and peace of mind.
Within no time, you’ll understand the Las Vegas Airbnb regulations that apply to you, know if your property is eligible, and start Airbnb-ing your home ASAP. Here’s how.
What are the registration and license requirements for Airbnb in Las Vegas?
To run an Airbnb in Las Vegas, Nevada, you first need to get a short-term rental license from the City of Las Vegas. You can do this through a dedicated short-term rentals page on the city’s official government website.
The approval process has three steps. Each step must be complete before moving on the next.
- Planning land use review. You must submit a free Conditional Use Verification (CUV) application to the city of Las Vegas Planning Division, which includes a letter explaining how the property will be used, a floor plan, and a site plan.
- Code enforcement home inspection. Applicants must then schedule a property inspection, which will check if the property is safe and complies with all building and zoning codes. They will check details such as the number of bedrooms, and any pending building permits.
- Business license application. This is the final step, and only happens once the CUV has been approved. An application costs $500 for an annual license fee. You must also prove you have sufficient liability insurance coverage (see below). You must also provide a 24-hour emergency contact, and post this outside the property. Plus, you must tell the City all of the platforms (e.g. Airbnb) on which you will list the property.
More information on exactly what your application should contain at every stage (e.g. exactly what to include on the floor plan and site plan, such as doorways, bathroom location, and which bedroom belongs to the owner-occupier) can be seen at the Las Vegas government website here.
Once you have successfully obtained your license, you must add your registration details to your listing pages on Airbnb. Each separate listing needs to display this information.
To be considered a short-term rental in Las Vegas, your property must also:
- Be rented out for less than 31 days in a row.
- Be ‘owner-occupied’ throughout the rental period. This means the owner must live on site during the guests’ entire stay. This must be made clear in your listings.
- Have no more than three bedrooms, including the homeowner’s own bedroom.
What zoning laws do Airbnb hosts need to know about in Las Vegas?
Las Vegas short-term rental regulations include zoning laws, which require there to be a 660-foot density limit between short-term rentals for all single-family and multi-family homes. This means that a short-term rental must be located at least 660 feet (201 meters) from any other short-term rental, and 2,500 feet (762 meters) from a resort hotel.
Similarly, short-term rentals may only be used for dwelling, lodging, or overnight accommodation. Commercial events that are typically held at larger facilities like hotels or banqueting halls — such as parties, weddings, and receptions — are not allowed at short-term rentals in Las Vegas.
The law also states that the property must be in a zoning area that allows short term rentals overall.
The City of Las Vegas provides an interactive map that shows:
- Every location for which a short-term rental business license is currently granted.
- The 660-foot short-term rental buffer zone around each rental.
- Downtown and urban areas in which short-term rentals are not allowed.
- Areas in which short-term rentals are prohibited for code land use reasons.
- Areas in which short-term rentals are prohibited due to the proximity of a resort hotel.
- Areas with Homeowners Associations (HOA).
You can zoom in to this map to check the location of your property, to determine if there are any restrictions that could affect it.
What taxes apply to Airbnb in Las Vegas?
Nevada does not levy any state-wide taxes on short-term rentals, so any taxes are at county or City level.
Hosts do not have to report rental income if they operate their rental for 14 days or fewer per year.
However, hosts may choose to err on the side of caution, and include the additional income on their tax return, subtracting it as a 14-day adjustment. This is because Airbnb may report all income even for rentals that operate for fewer than 14 days.
For short-term rental income for more than 14 days, hosts are liable to pay the Transient Lodging Tax. In Las Vegas, this is 13% for properties located outside of the Primary Gaming Corridor, and 13.38% for properties located inside it.
If you rent on Airbnb, you will need to create a W-9 Form on your Airbnb account, and must keep receipts from all of your rental periods, as well as proof of services and upkeep such as cleaning, maintenance, and repair. Any property taxes, and travel expenses related exclusively to your rental activity, should also be included.
Using a W-9 Form enables you to gather all the information you need for tax filing from Airbnb; you do not send it to the IRS. More details on how the W-9 Form works on Airbnb is on the Airbnb website here. Airbnb will then send you a Form 1099 for reporting earnings. You can then file your taxes with the IRS.
More information on how to fill in a W-9 Form, including detailed line-by-line instructions, are included at the bottom of the form on the IRS website here.
What are the rules for multi-unit buildings for Airbnb in Las Vegas?
Hosts in Las Vegas cannot operate several Airbnb units at once, because they must live in the listed property as their primary residence for at least 275 days per year. This is only possible to do in one property.
If your property is within a multi-unit building, you must comply with all the licensing requirements (listed above), including zoning distance laws, and (if applicable) get HOA permission.
You must also comply with all nuisance rules (such as on noise and disruption) to ensure that your short-term rental does not disturb other residents in the building (see the “Resident complaints” section below for more details.)
We also have a couple of articles dedicated to STR regulations in other spots of the world:
- San Francisco Airbnb Rules
- Denver Airbnb Rules
- San Diego Short Term Rentals Laws
- New Rules for Holiday Lets in the UK
- Barcelona Airbnb Ban
- STR Regulations Global Overview
What are the insurance requirements for Airbnb in Las Vegas?
To successfully apply for a short-term rental license, hosts are required to provide proof of liability insurance coverage with a $500,000 minimum amount.
Airbnb’s Host Liability insurance satisfies this requirement. However, this will only apply for stays organized through Airbnb. If you list or rent your property on any other website (or take direct bookings), Airbnb’s Host Liability does not apply.
Similarly, Airbnb’s Host Liability is not considered the same as having short-term rental property insurance. Instead, responsible short-term rentals hosts are advised to have a separate insurance policy or coverage that adds extra safety and protection for renters and hosts.
For example, Superhog’s services are specially designed for short-term rentals, to put your mind at ease, and protect your property. They also comply with Las Vegas’ US $500,000 insurance minimum.
Superhog’s services include:
- Short-term rental protection of up to US $5,000,000 for all verified bookings.
- ID verification for guests (including ID checking and biometric screening), so you know exactly who is staying at your home.
- Extra guest screening, including sex offender databases, to prevent fraud and criminal activity, and reduce your risk of hosting bad guests who will cause problems.
- Damage deposit facility, to automate the collection and remittance of a guest security deposit.
- Damage waiver facility, to cover small guest damages, and create a new line of revenue for you.
What other rules or requirements do hosts need to be aware of to operate an Airbnb in Las Vegas?
Other rules and conditions of hosting short-term rentals in Las Vegas include:
Permission
If applicable to your property, you must have written permission from your Homeowners Association (HOA) to list your space as a short-term rental.
Inspections
Hosts of short-term rentals in Las Vegas can expect their properties to be inspected by the City, as part of the Conditional Use Verification (CUV) Permit approval process.
An inspector will visit and check details such as:
The number of bedrooms in the house
This must match the number of bedrooms and occupants stated in your listing, and must be considered reasonable and safe for the property. The maximum allowed is three, including the homeowner’s bedroom.
Safety requirements
To prepare for your inspection, you can consult this longer list, compiled by the City, of the main reasons that inspections fail.
Inspectors will check for aspects such as:
- Fire alarm connectedness.
- Sufficient fire extinguishers in easy-to-access places.
- Carbon monoxide detectors.
- A secure front door with safe locks, and secured windows
- A fire exit route and visible emergency plan
- Safety card including details of the 24-hour emergency contact, how to contact emergency services, and the location of the nearest hospital
- Trash management
- Electrical safety
- Evidence of regular maintenance, including plumbing, and hazard avoidance
- Pool safety (if applicable).
Resident complaints
Residents who live in your neighborhood are allowed to complain to the City on a 24-hour hotline (the number is 702-229-3500) if they believe a short-term rental is causing disturbances or breaking any rules. They can report issues including:
- Noise complaints. Noise must not be heard 50 feet or more from the source. Some areas impose quiet hours, which are usually from 10pm to 7am.
- Excessive number of tenants. The number of guests must match the maximum allowed on the listing, and the number of bedrooms. The typical allowance is two people per double bed, plus an extra two people (who may, for example, sleep on a double sofa bed).
- Large, disruptive parties. This includes, but is not limited to, noise.
- Excess trash, or trash in the wrong place. This is especially considered to be a problem if it is left in public view, except in proper containers.
- Parking problems. This includes short-term rental guests parking anywhere but in the property driveway or in the property’s designated spaces. Similarly, guests and residents must not block other residents, or community mailboxes.
Staff who answer this line are authorized to send officials to check the complaint, so it is important for your business and guests that everyone is aware of the rules, and complies with them.
Las Vegas Airbnb laws: The bottom line
Las Vegas Airbnb restrictions present a host of challenges for property owners, including a three-step licensing process, strict zoning laws, and a requirement to meet owner-occupancy rules.
Additional hurdles for starting Airbnb in Las Vegas include requirements to have sufficient insurance coverage, meet safety standards through inspections, and abide by nuisance rules to avoid resident complaints.
And while these regulations may seem like a lot of hoops to jump through, hosts can gain greater peace of mind by employing a dedicated short-term rental risk management platform like Superhog to manage safety and insurance.
Plus, because Superhog meets the $500,000 insurance requirement, it makes it more likely that your Las Vegas short-term rental application will be successful.
Superhog helps hosts meet Las Vegas protection requirements by offering damage waiver and protection services, guest screening (to ensure compliance with all neighborhood rules), and damage deposit processing.
This offers extra peace of mind for hosts, so you can operate your short-term rental operation in Las Vegas smoothly. Play on!*Airbnb.com, 2024.
