Business Licensing Announcements

MOBILE FOOD VENDORS: Mobile Food Vendor business licenses, which regulate food catering trucks but not ice cream trucks, is now a general business license.  This means background investigations and special approval is no longer required.  Click here to view LVMC 6.55 which addresses regulations regarding mobile food vendors and their impacts on streets and surrounding activities and properties.

The amended version of LVMC 6.55 sets a buffer zone of 150’ from the primary entrance of any active restaurant.  Mobile food vendors parking in the right-of-way to vend must remain outside that buffer zone at all times when the restaurant is open, unless specifically allowed there as part of an approved special event.
 
Other changes were made to allow the use of truck/trailer units for mobile food vending, requiring display of the business name and license number on the truck and changing the way the license fees are calculated and billed.
 
Public right of way parking spaces will be allocated at the Regional Justice Center, at the new City Hall and at the Bonneville Transit Center.  Right to use these spaces will be awarded through a lottery open only to licensed mobile food vendors; watch this web page for future information on how to enter the lottery.

CONTRACTORS: The business licensing agencies for Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson and North Las Vegas have successfully implemented a simplified process for the way construction contractors are licensed.  This new process allows construction contractors to obtain a single local license, with a single semi-annual bill, from their primary jurisdiction.  The construction contractor’s license account is managed entirely by the primary jurisdiction of the contractor. The primary jurisdiction is determined by where the construction contractors business is officially located.

MULTIPLE GROSS LICENSES: The city of Las Vegas is continuing to simplify the licensing process by reducing the number of license categories and required paperwork.  As this process moves forward the number of licenses held by local businesses will continue to be reduced.  The goal is to reduce the number of accounts a business has and to simplify business license bookkeeping.  Most notably will be a reduction in the number of “gross” reported license types required. New licenses are being mailed out to businesses when accounts are consolidated.  Businesses should expect to receive new licenses periodically as this project progresses.  Please remember to remove your old license and post your new license once it arrives.    

City Of Las Vegas and Lionel Sawyer & Collins To Host Free Seminar Series On Business Legal Issues: Workshops begin March 5 and run through April 16

The city of Las Vegas and Lionel Sawyer & Collins will present a series of free seminars focusing on legal issues for businesses beginning Tuesday, March 5. The seminars will all be held at the Historic Fifth Street School, located at 401 S. Fourth St., and they will all start at 8 a.m. and end at 9:30 a.m.

The March 5 seminar will feature Lionel Sawyer & Collins Associate Mohamed Iqbal Jr. speaking about contract negotiations.

The series is co-sponsored by the city’s Economic and Urban Development Department. Other seminars in the series include:

• March 12 – Business Formation and Tax Laws
• March 19 – Small Claims Court
• March 26 – Trademarks, Trade Names , Service Marks and E-Commerce
• April 2 – Zoning and Business Licensing
• April 9 – Labor and Employment
• April 16 – Trusts and Estate Planning

Those interested in attending should RSVP to Darren Harris or 229-6862. For more information about the speakers or the programs contact Sharon Allen of Lionel Sawyer & Collins at sallen@lionelsawyer.com.

SECONDHAND DEALERS:  Antique and collectible businesses have been removed from LVMC 6.74 and are no longer regulated as part of the Secondhand Ordinance. Antique and collectible businesses are now included in the broader classification of General Retail Sales and are required to maintain a valid license for such activity.  Scrap Metal dealers are now licensed in accordance with LVMC 6.74 as a Class I-C secondhand dealer.  For all secondhand dealers the bond amount has changed from a defined amount of $5,000 to an amount to be determined by the Director.

PRIVILEGE LICENSE INVESTIGATION FEES:  Fees required for background investigations can now be paid directly to the city of Las Vegas. Applicants for privilege licenses are no longer required to submit  a cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Metropolitan Police Department for background investigations.

Impacting Youth Access to Alcohol and Reducing Crime in Las Vegas
Clark County, Nevada, is home to the city of Las Vegas and approximately 71 percent of Nevada’s population, including 80 percent of the state’s underage population. Alcohol is available 24/7 and the enforcement of liquor laws is the responsibility of local law enforcement agencies. Despite these challenges, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has achieved impressive results in reducing youth access to alcohol and crime in hot spots of the city.  Under the leadership of Captain Chris Jones and Lieutenant James Seebock, officers, conducted high visibility enforcement in areas with high priority calls and high alcohol retailer density. This success story, describing Nevada’s effective use of mapping software and policing resources, can be read in its entirety by visiting http://www.udetc.org/documents/success_stories/NV0213.pdf