Southern Nevada business owners take note – the process for business licensing has taken a step towards simplification with the recent introduction of a multijurisdictional contractors license by Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County (Mesquite and Boulder City maintain separate contractors licensing for their jurisdictions). The multijurisdictional license means that a contractor who conducts business in more than one of these jurisdictions no longer has to apply for separate business licenses or make separate annual renewal payments to each entity. Now they can apply for a single license that is good in up to all four jurisdictions, with a single renewal fee that they pay to only one of the municipalities – their "primary" location - each year in November. That primary location, which is determined as either the location in which the business has a bricks and mortar presence or the initial jurisdiction in which a mobile business filed for their business license, will allocate the proper share of fees to the other municipalities in which the business is licensed.

 

This program saw its soft rollout on June 17, 2012. To prepare for this new offering, the municipalities created a central database that allows them to share business license data and a payment system that will allow contractors' license and renewal fees to be distributed among them.

 

Consolidation, however, does not mean that all functions of a license can be executed at each of the four participating municipalities. For example, only your primary license location can print a hard copy of your business license. License and renewal payments will be made to your primary location. And any updates or changes to your license, such as a change of ownership, a change of key employee, a change of officers, etc., must be processed through your primary location.

 

Although a multijurisdictional license is only available to contracting businesses during this initial rollout, the municipalities are looking to expand this program to other business license categories in the future. Potential targets include landscapers and mobile car washes – businesses that, like contractors, often operate in more than one of these jurisdictions and have historically required separate licensing in each.

 

 

 

 

Jennifer DiMarzio is an attorney with the firm’s Gaming and Regulatory Law Department and Government Relations team. She represents clients before the Nevada Legislature, various professional and licensing boards and state and local tax authorities. Jennifer also represents clients on matters involving First Amendment law, public records and open meeting law, election law and regulatory agency actions.

 

 

Nevada’s largest law firm, Lionel Sawyer & Collins offers a full range of legal services, including

gaming and regulatory law, litigation, government relations, commercial transactions, labor and employment law, environmental, bankruptcy, banking, trusts and estates, health care and corporate law.  Celebrating its 45^th year, Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ Nevada offices include Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City. For more information about Lionel Sawyer & Collins’ practice and attorneys, please visit www.lionelsawyer.com.

 

© 2012 Lionel Sawyer & Collins.