Clark County Commissioner Asks for Review, Caps on Short-Term Rental Fines After One Renter Receives $240,500 Fine
LAS VEGAS, NV – With fines being levied against illegal short-term rental units in Las Vegas’ Clark County reaching astronomical sums – with one recent violator reportedly being hit with a whopping $240,500 penalty – a County Commissioner is calling for a review of the process behind issuing fines, and has proposed establishing a cap on them in the interest of fairness amid criticism of the county’s slow process of approving rental applications.
Clark County had passed an ordinance in June 2022 to begin the process of legalizing short-term rentals following the passage of an assembly bill that required the county to create guidelines to regulate the industry. However, as of February 2024, it remains illegal in Clark County to rent homes for a period of time less than 31 days.
In the meantime, the county continues to review the over 800 applications they have received, a process that the founder of the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association, Jaqueline Flores, says is taking far too long and costing homeowners far too much.
So, it’s absolutely ridiculous that it’s taking this long. Property owners have been left out, you know, there’s enough money here to be made for everyone, not just the resort, hotel industry,” she said. “Some homeowners are still trying to comply with the law and not rent their houses but some other ones have bills to pay, and they have no other choice, but to try to continue renting their houses.”
New reports indicate that in the first week of February alone, Clark County issued 13 citations to owners of rental properties who were illegally operating them ahead of Super Bowl LVIII this past weekend. With demand for rental properties at a high point prior to the big game, the owners of some rental units – aggravated with the delay in the issuing of licenses – decided to roll the dice and put their properties on the market via services such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
In response to news that one homeowner in particular had been slapped with a $240,500 fine, County Commissioner Ross Miller noted during a Board of Commissioners meeting that it may be time to give renters a break until the county gets its act together.
Some of those fines are massive. We’ve seen six figure fines,” he said. “Maybe there is some cap to a fine… maybe there is some period of amnesty. I’ve certainly got a number of calls about extensive fines that are being attempted to impose…they may be eligible for a license.”
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About the Author
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® and reports for independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher helps keep a keen-eye on what's happening in the Las Vegas Nevada community on behalf of Shelter Realty Inc.