Sidewalk vendors can’t just set up anywhere in Las Vegas — city maps show possibilities
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A map that shows where sidewalk vendors won’t be allowed in Las Vegas shows the challenges ahead for someone who wants to pay the $150 license fee and give it a go.
The regulations in the city’s proposed ordinance are daunting, but they provide a path forward for enterprising businesses under a new state law approved during the 2023 Nevada Legislature. Democratic Senator Fabian Doñate sponsored the bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Now, the City of Las Vegas is another step closer to voting on the regulations at an upcoming city council meeting. The ordinance could come to a vote in February.
Nick Geick said he’s seen vendors sprawled around various parts of the city and during late night hours.
“On my way to work, usually in parking lots and at night most of the time,” Geick said. “It makes it harder for them especially. They’re scared. You don’t know if you’re going to be able to survive or feed your family the next day.”
The city’s maps start with prohibitions within 1,500 feet of a resort hotel. That eliminates just the Fremont Street corridor, pretty much all the way from Maryland Parkway and into Symphony Park. There are also areas carved out around the STRAT, Palace Station, Suncoast, Rampart, Santa Fe Station, the Wildfire on Rancho Drive and an area near Red Rock Resort — even though the resort is across Charleston Boulevard from city boundaries.
An interactive map is posted here.
But beyond that, the 1,000-foot buffer around schools will have vendors watching the clock for appropriate hours. They won’t be allowed starting an hour before school starts and ending an hour after classes are over.
There’s also a 1,000-foot buffer around city recreation facilities or pools.
And they can’t set up shop outside a food establishment. There’s a 150-foot rule, centered around the primary entrances of restaurants or other qualifying food establishments.
The $150 annual business license fee comes along with a $50 processing fee. And you’ll need a health card and a health permit. Don’t forget the sales tax permit. Rules also state that any signs advertising the business should be attached to the cart — not on the sidewalk.
While Giancarlo Cazarin understands the restrictions, he’s worried about the pushback this could create for vendors.
“I’ve had people close to me in that exact situation and they end up working in places where they want to be selling what they have to offer, but they can’t,” explained Cazarin. “They can’t afford it or they can’t get themselves in a situation where they can afford these licenses, so the restrictions are unfortunate.”
Sidewalk vendors can’t work past 11 p.m. and not before 7 a.m.
Doñate’s mission to pass SB92 succeeded, although Las Vegas and the county are working hard to keep sidewalk vendors out of tourism’s way. Doñate sought to protect people’s rights to operate in neighborhoods and to create a path to business licensing.
The county and the city have yet to finish the process initiated by SB92, but they’re getting closer.
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