Clark County Business License: Apply, Fees and Renewal

September 25, 2026

Last verified: November 5, 2026

Clark County licenses businesses that sit in unincorporated Clark County, so the first question is whether yours does. The county says six agencies license businesses inside its borders (the county itself, plus Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas) and that a Las Vegas mailing address can belong to unincorporated county land. Settle the jurisdiction first, then work through the state license, the county application and the renewal cycle in that order. If you are in Paradise, Spring Valley or Enterprise, our unincorporated Clark County neighborhood guide covers the same county license from the neighborhood side.

Quick answer:

Who issues it: the Clark County Department of Business License, for addresses in unincorporated Clark County. City addresses go to the city.
How to apply: online for general licenses, by appointment at 702-455-4340, or by tracked mail.
Fees: a one-time $45 non-refundable application fee plus the license fee for your category, which is either a flat fee or based on gross revenue.
Renewal: every year for flat-fee licenses, every six months for gross-fee licenses, every quarter for liquor and gaming.
Timing: most general licenses are issued within 45 days after the county receives a complete application.

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Which Licensing Agency Covers Your Address?

Clark County has six business licensing jurisdictions, each with its own agency: unincorporated Clark County and the cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. According to the county's guide, the primary location of your business decides which agency you file with. Do not go by the mailing address. Run your street address through the Clark County Jurisdiction Locator.

Here is how to route the result:

The locator says a city: start with that city's license. Our guides cover Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite.
The locator says unincorporated Clark County: this page is the right one. Paradise, Spring Valley, Enterprise and Laughlin are not among the five city agencies the county lists, so they fall under the county license.
You are based in a city but work in unincorporated areas: the county says a Clark County license may be required on top of your city license, and it processes that application once your primary license is in place.

Do the State License and DBA Before the County Application

The county's guide lists three prerequisites ahead of its own application, and it says incomplete applications are terminated with no refund of the application fee. Finishing them first protects the $45.

State business license: The Nevada Secretary of State issues it, not the county and not the Department of Taxation. NRS 76.100 sets the fee at $200, or $500 for a corporation organized under chapter 78, 78A or 78B or a foreign corporation that files lists under chapter 80. Entities pay it when they file the initial or annual list. The county's guide still links nvsilverflume.gov, which now redirects to the Secretary of State's ORION business portal. Our Nevada business license guide covers the state side.
Department of Taxation registration: The county's guide asks you to register online or together with your entity and state license filing. See the Nevada Department of Taxation: start and run a business page. A sales tax permit costs $15 per location.
Fictitious firm name (DBA): If you trade under any name other than the owner's legal name or the exact entity name on file with the Secretary of State, file with the Clark County Clerk: fictitious firm name. The owner name on the certificate must exactly match the entity name on your state business license, and advertising under more than one name requires more than one business license. The clerk charges $25 for a new or renewed certificate, which includes one uncertified copy (see the Clark County Clerk: fee schedule).

If you operate under your own legal name or the exact name of your LLC or corporation, skip the DBA.

Step-by-Step: Applying for a Clark County Business License

Step 1: Confirm Jurisdiction and Zoning

Clark County Comprehensive Planning confirms whether your address is in unincorporated Clark County and whether your business activity is allowed in that zoning district. Email [email protected] or call 702-455-4314. Home-based businesses should read our Nevada home-based business guide first: the county's review of home occupation applications skips Fire Prevention.

Step 2: Finish the Prerequisites

Have the state business license, Department of Taxation registration and, if you use a fictitious name, the DBA certificate in hand. The county's guide says steps one through four must be complete before you submit.

Step 3: Find Your License Category and Fee

The county has more than 400 business activity categories, and the activity you perform decides the fee. If you provide more than one service, more than one license may be required. Open the Clark County: List of License Categories and Fees (PDF) (revised September 2024, 65 pages), search your activity or its NAICS code, and note the license type (general, regulated or privileged), the fee and the renewal period.

Step 4: Submit the Application and Pay

You have three routes for a general license:

Online: use the Clark County business license online application.
By appointment: book through Clark County: appointment services or call 702-455-4340.
By mail: send the printable general application form, the $45 application fee and the license fee to Clark County Department of Business License, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, 3rd Floor, Box 551810, Las Vegas, NV 89155. The county recommends tracked mail and says it is not responsible for lost items without tracking.

Over-the-counter payments are accepted by check, money order, cashier's check, debit card or exact cash. Mailed payments must be a check, money order or cashier's check made out to Clark County Department of Business License.

Step 5: Wait for Review

After processing, the county sends your application to Comprehensive Planning, which reviews it within 5 working days. Except for home occupation applications, it then goes to Fire Prevention and any other agency your activity touches, such as the Southern Nevada Health District, Air Quality, Animal Protection Services, the Solid Waste Management Authority or the Clark County Water Reclamation District. Most general licenses are issued within 45 days after the county receives a complete application. Plan your opening date around that window, not around the day you submit.

Clark County Business License Costs and Fees

The county charges in two parts. Every application carries a one-time $45 non-refundable application fee on top of each license fee, per the county's Business License Fees page. The license fee then depends on your category:

Flat-fee license: a flat rate, or a rate per unit such as vehicles or hotel rooms. The amount and how often you pay vary by business type.
Gross-fee license: the renewal fee depends on gross revenue, paid every six months on the sliding scale in Clark County Code 6.12.995. Under Code 6.04.005, gross revenue is all revenue from sales, service and other business transactions, minus returns, refunds, collected fuel or retail sales tax, and discounts.

Item	Cost	Where to confirm
Application fee	$45, one time, non-refundable, on top of each license fee	Clark County: Business License Fees
Locksmith (regulated, flat fee)	$150 per year	Clark County: List of License Categories and Fees (PDF)
Insurance adjuster (general, flat fee)	$200 per year	Clark County: List of License Categories and Fees (PDF)
General contractor (county general license, separate from the state board license)	$100 every six months	Clark County: List of License Categories and Fees (PDF)
Gross-fee categories, for example other insurance services	Percent of gross revenue, every six months	Clark County: billing and payments FAQ
State business license	$200, or $500 for corporations	Nevada Legislature: NRS chapter 76
Fictitious firm name (DBA)	$25	Clark County Clerk: fee schedule

We could not read the gross-revenue sliding scale in Clark County Code 6.12.995 from here, so this page quotes no gross-fee amounts. The renewal form carries the schedule. Ask the department what applies to your category before you budget, and confirm any figure in the table against the current county list before you pay.

How to Search for a Clark County Business License

The county's business license search offers six lookups: by business name, owner, address, parcel number, category and ZIP code with license date, or license number. A separate search covers contractor and multi-jurisdictional licenses. The address and parcel lookups are the quickest way to see what is already licensed at a location you are thinking of leasing.

This search is not a name-availability check. To see whether an entity name is taken, use the Secretary of State's Nevada business entity search.

Renewals, Late Payments and Closing a License

Renewal periods depend on the license category: monthly for room tax, quarterly for gaming and liquor, every six months for gross-fee licenses and annually for flat-fee licenses. The county mails a renewal before each license expires, but failing to receive the notice does not waive payment or penalties. If nothing arrives at least two weeks before the expiration date, contact the Revenue and Compliance Unit at 702-455-3557 or [email protected].

Online renewal: the county mails a letter with a unique user ID and password for the Clark County online renewal system. Card and debit payments carry a non-refundable convenience fee.
Changed address: tell the department. The county lists an outdated location or mailing address as a reason a license never arrives in the mail.
Closing the business: submit the county's out-of-business form. If you do not, renewals keep arriving.
State license: it renews separately. Under NRS 76.130 an entity that files an annual list pays with the list, and a late entity pays a $100 penalty on top of the fee. See our annual list and license renewal guide.

Late county payments can bring penalties under Clark County Code. We did not verify the amounts, so ask the Revenue and Compliance Unit what you owe before paying.

When the Standard License Is Not Enough

Regulated licenses: some activities need a separate packet and extra requirements. The county's fee list notes, for example, that Code 6.12.650 requires locksmiths to work from a physical location with at least 300 square feet of commercial space. Start with the Clark County: regulated business license guide.
Liquor and gaming: these are privileged licenses handled by the county, paid quarterly, and listed as in-person applications. See the Clark County: liquor and gaming license guide.
Health permits: the county forwards applications to the Southern Nevada Health District: environmental health where your activity requires review. Food businesses should plan for that agency separately.
Contractors: the county general license does not replace a state license. Contact the Nevada State Contractors Board and read our Nevada contractor license guide.

Where This Guide Stops

We have not read the gross-revenue fee scale or the late-payment penalty amounts, and this page does not cover city licenses. For those, call the Department of Business License at 702-455-4340 or use the city guides linked above.

Disclaimer

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm fees, forms and deadlines with the Clark County Department of Business License before you apply or renew.