Nevada Short-Term Rental Hosts File Federal Lawsuit to Protect Property Rights
- Jun 30, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 11, 2025
Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association Challenges County and State Short-Term Rental Restrictions.
Monday, June 30, 2025 — Las Vegas, NV — Today, the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association (GLVSTRA) and several of its members who are, or who want to be, short-term rental hosts are joined by Airbnb in filing a federal lawsuit challenging Clark County’s restrictive short-term rental (STR) ordinance and Nevada’s Assembly Bill 363. Among other things, the County and state regulations prohibit short-term rentals from operating within a half-mile of a resort hotel, require hosts to enter a random lottery system to apply for a permit, subject hosts to warrantless searches of their homes when welcoming guests, and impose tens of thousands of dollars of fines on individual homeowners.
The lawsuit argues these regulations violate the U.S. and Nevada Constitutions by preventing Nevadans from exercising the long-established, fundamental rights of property owners to lease their properties and to welcome guests into their homes, which in turn threatens their livelihood. The lawsuit also argues that the County’s regulations impose unlawful burdens on short-term rental platforms by requiring them to share personally identifiable information of hosts without due legal process, verify short-term rental permits, and delete listings without a valid permit—even though hosts face significant, ongoing challenges in attempting to obtain permits from the County.
Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association et. al. Versus Clark County, and Aaron D Ford, in his official capacity as Attorney General for the State of Nevada
The County adopted a short-term rental permit system in September 2022 but only began issuing permits in August 2024. According to the County’s regulations, the number of permits cannot exceed 1 percent of all residential units in the unincorporated areas of Clark County, which deprives the overwhelming majority of homeowners from exercising their fundamental property rights by offering short-term rentals. And even though 1 percent translates to several thousand licenses, the County has issued less than 180 permits, more than 500 permit applications remain pending, and hundreds of hosts have been denied licenses without a clear explanation. As a result, many prospective hosts who should be eligible for and have tried to get a short-term rental permit have been unable to do so.
“Clark County commissioners have made a rule that if you are within 2,500-feet of a resort hotel, you are completely banned from renting out your private home to visitors. Meanwhile, strip clubs are allowed to operate just 1,500 feet from elementary schools. So, who is the County really trying to protect?” said Jacqueline Flores, President of the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association and a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the County. “Even people who live far from the Strip are forced to go through a complicated, expensive, and delayed licensing process just to apply for a rental permit—many homeowners have been waiting close to three years for a license decision. What’s worse, the County sends armed code enforcement officers to search people’s homes without a warrant. On major holidays, METRO officers are deployed to go door to door in neighborhoods to warn about using these rentals. This kind of government overreach is deeply un-American and violates our basic rights.”
“Being able to use our property as a short-term rental would help us pay for our grandchildren’s special education and afford cancer treatment that isn’t covered by insurance. The County’s regulations and refusal to issue permits have severely reduced the extra income we rely on,” said Debra and John Hansen, Clark County residents and plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “This lawsuit is about more than just short-term rentals, it’s about protecting fundamental property rights for homeowners across Nevada.”
“I depended on the income from my short-term rental to help care for my elderly parents when they were living and now to supplement my own health care expenses. The County’s extreme short-term rental rules unfairly benefit resorts over everyday Americans like me who are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing costs,” said Louis Koorndyk, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Through the lawsuit, the plaintiffs ask the federal court to declare the laws unconstitutional and enjoin the short-term rental restrictions imposed by Clark County and AB 363.
About the plaintiffs: The lawsuit is brought by the Greater Las Vegas Short-Term Rental Association (GLVSTRA), Airbnb, and nine Nevada hosts, including:
● Jaqueline Flores – Long-time Nevada resident, President of GLVSTRA, and STR advocate.
● Louis and Estrelita Koorndyk – A retired U.S. Navy veteran and his wife who have lived in Nevada for 45 years and depended on STR income to care for Louis’ elderly parents when they were living and now to supplement their own health care expenses, including cancer treatment.
● Debra & John Hansen – Small business owners unable to rent their home for less than 31 days because another owner whose property is within 1,000 feet of the Hansens’ property was arbitrarily given priority in the permit lottery.
● Troy Uehling – Self-employed father of four who can’t rent his home short-term because it is within 2,500 feet of a hotel.
● Tom McKannon – Retired U.S. military veteran who purchased a home for STR use but cannot operate it due to a ban on short-term rentals in Mount Charleston.
● Samuel and Lisa Hankins – A schoolteacher and accountant whose short-term rental license application was denied by the county because another host received a short-term rental license for a property located within 1,000 feet of their property.
Finally some justice against abusive government overreach!!
Yes 🙌 let’s go !