16 published records
Business licenses and permits in North Las Vegas, Nevada
The City's general Business License is mandatory (NLVMC 5.02.020) and charges a flat $30 non-refundable processing fee on every new application (5.02.035) plus a category-specific rate drawn from an alphabetical run of named-trade fee sections (5.02.110–5.02.310) — a different structure from both Las Vegas's LCAT categories and Henderson's shared gross-revenue schedule. No dedicated category or fallback rate could be confirmed for Restaurant, Coffee Shop/Cafe, Retail Store, Health & Fitness Club or Auto Repair; Veterinary is billed under a broad 'Professional Business' rate by inference from the chapter's own definitions. Child Care Facilities are licensed under their own dedicated Chapter 5.14, confirmed to exist, but its fee section's dollar figure could not be retrieved.
What are you opening in North Las Vegas?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in North Las Vegas
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning Verification Letteronly if it applies to you | City of North Las Vegas Planning and Zoning Division | $100 one-time, per request | one-time, no stated expiration | 2026-09-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of North Las Vegas Permit Application Center (Building Safety / Development Services) | No fee | one-time, no expiration | 2026-09-09 |
| Fire Prevention Business License Inspection and Permit Feesonly if it applies to you | North Las Vegas Fire Department, Fire Prevention | Under the Fire Department's 2010 Permit and Service Fee Schedule (NLVMC 8.16.065): an Annual Permit is $80.00 per category and a Temporary Permit is $100.00 per category, for any activity named in the Fire Code's list of required permits (which separately names 'Repair Garages' as its own category). A Business License Inspection carries no additional fee beyond whatever permit fees already apply — if no permit is required for the business, no fee is levied. The first and second re-inspection to verify a correction is free; the third and any later re-inspection is $80.00 each. | annual for Annual Permits; one-time for Temporary Permits and the business-license inspection itself | 2026-09-09 |
| Building Permit (Commercial) | City of North Las Vegas Permit Application Center (Building Safety / Development Services) | The base permit fee is calculated from Table 3-E (Building Valuation Data) of NLVMC 15.72.270. The Permit Application Center's own fee page states: 'Permit fees for projects based on valuation shall be per Table 3-E — Building Valuation Data, of Section 15.72.270 of Chapter 15.72 of the North Las Vegas Municipal Code and shall use the Regional Modifier for Nevada, 0.89, to determine the adjusted cost per square foot.' Table 3-E's own dollar-per-square-foot figures by occupancy and construction type sit in the code text itself rather than on that summary page and are not reproduced here. On top of that base fee: a $75.00 administrative fee per permit; a plan-check fee equal to 65% of the permit fee; a Planning/Zoning review fee equal to 10% of the permit fee; a recording fee equal to 3% of the permit fee (minimum $2.00); and a Fire Department plan-review fee of $100.00. Re-inspection and same-day inspection are each $100.00; a weekend or holiday inspection is $400.00 ($100.00 per hour, 4-hour minimum). | one-time, per project | 2026-09-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in North Las Vegas?
Zoning Verification Letter
An advisory letter confirming a property's zoning classification and permitted use, most often requested by a lender, buyer or new tenant rather than required to open every business. Requested through the Planning and Zoning Division's EnerGov portal. Double fees apply if the request follows a code-enforcement citation or compliance order.
Certificate of Occupancy
No fee is separately published for the standard, first-issuance Certificate of Occupancy: the Permit Application Center's own fee list prices only a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy at a $200.00 application fee. That fee list does not say whether the cost of a standard certificate is included in the building permit fees, so no fee is published for it. Confirm treatment for a specific project directly with the Permit Application Center (702-633-1536).
Fire Prevention Business License Inspection and Permit Fees
These figures come from the Fire Department Permit and Service Fee Schedule adopted by Ordinance No. 2559 on September 1, 2010 under the 2000 Uniform Fire Code (codified as NLVMC § 8.16.065). The department's current Fire Permit Guidelines page states that it now enforces the 2024 International Fire Code. Confirm the current fees with Fire Prevention (702-633-1000) before relying on these 2010 figures.
Building Permit (Commercial)
Applied for online through the City's Building Permit Requests portal (simpliGov) or in person at the Permit Application Center. Table 3-E's own dollar-per-valuation figures sit in the municipal code text at 15.72.270 itself rather than on the Permit Application Center's summary page; only the flat and percentage add-on fees confirmed above are recorded here. A Clark County Regional Transportation impact fee ($1,000 per residential unit, or $1.00 per commercial square foot) and a residential park impact fee ($0.36 per square foot) may also apply depending on the project.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- North Las Vegas Municipal Code Chapter 2.38 — Planning and Zoning Fees (complete application-fee table, including the $100 Zoning Verification Letter)City of North Las Vegas, codified by Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- City of North Las Vegas Permit Application Center — permit types, fee schedule (administrative, plan check, planning/zoning review, recording, fire review, re-inspection and temporary certificate of occupancy fees) and building-valuation referenceCity of North Las Vegas, Building Safety / Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
- City of North Las Vegas Ordinance No. 2559 (adopted September 1, 2010) — Fire Department Permit and Service Fee Schedule, codified as NLVMC § 8.16.065, under the 2000 Uniform Fire CodeCity of North Las Vegas, City Council (served via Municode's ordinance-archive API) · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-09
Who issues business permits in North Las Vegas?
Permitting in North Las Vegas is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
North Las Vegas issuing agencies
- City of North Las Vegas Finance Department, Business License DivisionGeneral business license · Child care facility license (NLVMC Chapter 5.14) · Mobile food vendor business license · Contractor, salon and professional-business license categories10 permits
- City of North Las Vegas Permit Application Center (Building Safety / Development Services)Commercial building permits · Sign permits · Certificates of occupancy3 permits
- North Las Vegas Fire Department, Fire PreventionFire prevention permits and inspections · Business license fire review and inspection · Fire plan review for construction2 permits
- City of North Las Vegas Planning and Zoning DivisionZoning verification letters · Planning and zoning entitlement applications1 permit
Other Nevada jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.