Health permit requirements for Street Vendors in Clark County

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — For a street vendor to get a business license and operate in unincorporated Clark County, they must get a permit from the Southern Nevada Health District.

According to the health district's food operations manager, Larry Rogers, each permit has different requirements, and it all depends on what the vendor sells.

He said if the vendor sells pre-packaged food, the requirements will not be the same as someone who is preparing it on a cart.

"If you were you know grilling or cooking food we would want that equipment to be commercial equipment it's designed for extended use or the additional use that commercial equipment gets, and we would expect you to have a hand-washing station somewhere nearby," Rogers said.

The hand-washing station is mandatory for all health permits where food is handled.

Rogers said none of the food for sale can be prepared in a home but instead in a commercial kitchen which already meets the standards needed to prepare it safely.

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Once the food is safely prepared, storing it on a cart will also vary depending on the product.

"Since corn typically is not pre-packaged, it wouldn't be pre-packaged at a commissary, but they could potentially prepare that at a commissary, put it in the coolers, keep it at a proper temperature or use what we call a timers of control, so we have some options there."

He said so far, one sidewalk vendor has contacted the health district interested in a permit.

As for the price of an open-air vendor permit through the health district?

"Annually it's $376, there is a one-time gross of $477.38, that is our plan review fee, that is our plan review fee to get permitted, so the upfront cost is about $853 and then after that $376," Rogers said. "I think it's worth mentioning Senate Bill 92 does require that the health authority offers a payment plan for the plan review portion; we apply that to everything, so if a person comes in, they are going to owe roughly $900, and we will spread that out over three months."

The county's business license department will be hosting a workshop to go over the application, licensing, and regulations under the ordinance.

The workshop begins at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the county's government center and virtually, in both English and Spanish.