Las Vegas building department

The City of Las Vegas Building & Safety Department permits and inspects construction inside Las Vegas city limits only. A Las Vegas mailing address does not by itself put a property in the city, so the department asks applicants to confirm the address is in city jurisdiction with the Clark County Jurisdiction Finder. Unincorporated parcels go to Clark County Building & Fire Prevention instead.

Codes in effect

Las Vegas adopted the 2024 IBC, IRC, IEBC, ISPSC, IECC, IFC and IWUIC, the 2024 Uniform Plumbing and Uniform Mechanical Codes, and the 2023 NEC, effective January 2026. Each has local amendments posted on the Building & Safety Resources page. The 2019 City of Las Vegas Administrative Code (Ordinance 6769) remains in effect and sets permit rules, exemptions and many fees.

When a permit is not required

Section 301.4.1 of the 2019 Administrative Code exempts, among other work:

• Detached one-story residential sheds, playhouses and similar accessory buildings up to 200 square feet. Zoning rules still apply.
• Fences up to 7 feet high, except fences in the front setback of a single-family home and pool or spa barriers.
• Walls, including retaining walls, up to 30 inches that do not hold back a surcharge or flammable liquids.
• Platforms, walks, driveways and flatwork no more than 30 inches above grade that are not part of an accessible route.
• Re-roofing with materials other than tile when no structural repair is needed and no more than 64 square feet of sheathing is replaced.
• Stucco repairs up to 32 square feet with no framing work.
• Block wall repairs on walls 6 feet tall or less, up to 20 linear feet, with no footing damage.
• Insulation added to an existing single-family home when no other permit is needed.

Applying

All new commercial, residential and civil plans must be submitted electronically through the City’s online dashboard. Only a Nevada-licensed contractor may obtain a permit for commercial construction.

Permits issued online without plans

These permits are issued at the end of the online application: re-roofing (tile-to-tile, or more than 64 square feet of sheathing), exact-match HVAC change-outs, same-for-same water heaters (including tankless), water softeners, water piping replacement, gas line repair or tag, meter tags and panel or service changes, minor electrical work of 12 devices or fewer, building sewer and water repairs with no new connection, pool excavation only, construction trailers, and residential stucco repairs over 32 square feet. Anything else needs a plan review.

Review times and express options

The City lists these typical first-review times:

Review	Typical time
Building, structural and non-structural	3 weeks
Land Development (building permits, civil, utilities)	2 weeks
Fire review for building permits	3 weeks

Building Express Plan Review puts the owner and builder team in a room with plans examiners until the permit is ready. It costs a nonrefundable $550 administrative fee plus $660 per hour on top of regular plan review fees, and pre-review appointments start at $176 per hour. Civil Express carries a $300 application fee, a $54 admin fee and a $500 minimum plan check fee. Regular plan check and permit fees come from the City’s 2020 Building User Fees tables, which set charges by occupancy type and square footage.

The year-round amnesty program lets homeowners disclose unpermitted or non-code-compliant work in their homes without penalty fees on the required plan review and permit (call 702-229-6251).

Inspections

Inspections run 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The approved plans and permit card must be on site for every inspection. Contractors need a six-digit PIN to schedule any inspection. To set one up, email a letter on company letterhead signed by the principal listed with the Nevada State Contractors Board, with a copy of the principal’s ID, to [email protected]. Fire inspections use a separate PIN; Fire Prevention is at (702) 229-0366.

All special-time inspections below are booked through Dispatch at (702) 229-6914:

Service	Fee
Express (same-day or set time)	$186/hour, 1-hour minimum
Overtime (after 5 p.m.)	$276/hour, 1-hour minimum
Callout (evenings, weekends, holidays)	$421 for 3 hours
Holiday callout	$842 for 3 hours
City-performed special inspection	$368 for 2 hours

Common inspection codes include 231 for a service change, 240 for an electrical final or meter tag, 227 for residential solar, and 239 for temporary construction power.