Clark County building department

Clark County Building & Fire Prevention reviews plans, issues building and fire permits, and inspects construction in unincorporated Clark County, including outlying communities such as Laughlin and Moapa Valley that have their own satellite offices. Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite and Boulder City run their own building departments, and a “Las Vegas” mailing address does not mean the parcel is in the city. The department links to the County’s jurisdiction map for checking which agency covers an address.

Office hours and locations

The main office at 4701 W. Russell Road is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed Friday through Sunday. The Permit Application Center, records counter and Field Services inspection counter all work from this building. Two satellite offices serve outlying areas:

Office	Address	Phone	Hours
Laughlin	Regional Government Center, 101 Civic Way, Laughlin	(702) 218-9773	Mon–Fri 6:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Moapa Valley	Community Center, 320 N. Moapa Valley Blvd., Overton	(702) 397-8087	Mon–Fri 6:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., closed noon–1 p.m.

Direct lines from the department contact list include Building Plans Exam (702) 455-8011, Fire Prevention plan review (702) 455-7316, fire inspection scheduling (702) 455-7139, records (702) 455-3029, and Zoning plan check (702) 455-4314.

Adopted codes

Building permit applications filed on or after January 11, 2026 (other than standard plans) must meet the 2024 editions: IBC, IRC, IEBC, IECC and ISPSC, the 2024 Uniform Plumbing and Uniform Mechanical Codes, and the 2023 National Electrical Code. Each comes with Southern Nevada amendments posted on the department’s code library page. One local amendment that affects small commercial projects: under the Southern Nevada amendments, new buildings of any occupancy need automatic sprinklers once building area exceeds 5,000 square feet, subject to listed exceptions. The 2018 Building Administrative Code of Clark County (Title 22) remains the administrative code.

Work that does not need a building permit

Section 22.02.190 of the Building Administrative Code exempts, among other items:

• One-story detached sheds, playhouses and similar non-occupiable buildings accessory to a house, up to 200 square feet, with no plumbing or mechanical. A single lighting or power circuit is allowed, but it still needs an electrical permit.
• Fences: “Type A” fencing up to 6 feet that is not part of a pool barrier, and “Type B” fencing or retaining walls up to 24 inches.
• Platforms, walks and driveways no more than 30 inches above grade.
• Re-roofing with materials other than tile, if no structural repair is needed and no more than 64 square feet of sheathing is replaced.
• Block wall repairs on walls 6 feet tall or less, up to 20 linear feet.
• Drywall repairs up to 30 square feet with no framing work; same-size door and window replacements outside fire-rated assemblies.
• Painting, flooring, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work.

Plumbing, electrical and mechanical work have separate exemption lists in the same chapter, and work inside a manufactured home is permitted and inspected by the Nevada Manufactured Housing Division at (702) 486-4135.

Applying for a permit

All permits go through Citizen Access (Accela). You need an account to submit, view or pay for a permit. Plans and documents must be unsecured, flattened PDFs up to 500 MB. Use “Amendment” for revisions and “Resubmit” only for requested corrections. The County is moving electronic plan review to a new ePermitHub plan room.

Simple Online Permits need no plan review and are issued when you finish the online application. They are limited to items such as a same-size panel replacement, one water heater, water softener, reverse-osmosis unit, gas re-tag, residential re-pipe, or one A/C or furnace replacement per permit (A/C under 5 tons). These permits cannot be renewed once they expire.

Contractors and owner-builders

A contractor pulling a permit needs an active Nevada State Contractors Board license and an active multi-jurisdictional business license number, obtained from a local jurisdiction such as Clark County or one of the valley cities. If the contractor uses a DBA, the name must match on both licenses. Fees must be paid from the contractor’s Citizen Access account, and that account must be linked to the license number (email [email protected] to link it). Owner-builder permits go only to the owner shown in Assessor records, and owner-built plans need the owner’s name on the cover sheet plus the forms required by NRS 278 and NRS 624.

Fees

The department’s online fee calculator gives estimates only. Staff calculate the final fees, and a plan review fee is due when you submit plans. Other charges collected before permit issuance are not building fees: the residential construction (park) tax, transportation tax, MSHCP desert tortoise mitigation fee, and the State water impact fee. Some master-planned areas also have PFNA or traffic mitigation fees.

Inspections

You can schedule an inspection as soon as the permit is issued, up to five days ahead, in three ways:

• Online: through Citizen Access or the bulk inspection page.
• By phone: the automated line at (702) 455-3000, option 1-1-1, available 24/7. You need the phone-system number printed at the top of the permit.
• In person: at the Field Services counter.

To cancel by phone, use option 1-1-2. To get your inspector’s name and number on the day of the inspection, use option 1-1-3 after 7:30 a.m.

• Saturday residential inspections run 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Request them by 2 p.m. the Friday before at (702) 455-8040. They are not offered on holiday weekends.
• Video inspections cover rooftop solar, water heaters and softeners, residential re-pipes, A/C change-outs, detached sheds up to 600 square feet, signs and cell sites. You need a 4G smartphone with Google Duo.
• A “DP” (Disapproved with Penalty) result carries a $105 re-inspection fee. You have to pay it at the Russell Road office before you can schedule more inspections.
• Permits expire 180 days after issuance or after the last approved inspection.
• If you disagree with an inspector’s call, the Second Opinion Program guarantees a supervisor review by the end of the next work day.

New buildings usually need clearances from other agencies before the building final. These can include Public Works Development Review (drainage, FEMA, off-sites), Clark County Water Reclamation District or City of Las Vegas sewer, Las Vegas Valley Water District, the Southern Nevada Health District (septic), and the Clark County Fire Department. Temporary Certificates of Occupancy are available only for commercial and multi-tenant residential buildings, not single-family homes or townhomes.