Las Vegas, NV Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

Any income-producing activity based in a Las Vegas dwelling unit needs a Home Occupation Permit before it opens, per LVMC 19.16.180(A). The Section defines a home occupation as an incidental use "so located that the average neighbor, under normal circumstances, would not be aware of its existence," and bars using a residential unit for business without the permit. Music lessons, academic tutoring and religious instruction are exempt from the permit requirement outright, but only if no more than two students are present at once, per 19.16.180(B).

Applications go to the Director, who can approve, approve with conditions, or deny the request; a denial can be appealed to the Planning Commission under 19.16.180(C). Tenants leasing the home must first get written authorization from the property owner or manager and submit it with the application, per 19.16.180(D).

Before approving a permit, the Director must find the proposed use compatible with surrounding residential uses and consistent with the Section's Operational Standards in 19.16.180(G). Those standards limit the business to occupants of the dwelling (no employees may report to work there or be dispatched from the property), cap the activity to 25 percent of the floor area of all enclosed structures on the lot (5 percent for stock-in-trade storage), allow only one business vehicle and one trailer parked at the residence, and require at least two on-site parking spaces to remain available. The Director issues written notice of the decision, including any conditions imposed.