Nev. Rev. Stat. » NRS: CHAPTER 244 - COUNTIES: GOVERNMENT
Nevada Revised Statutes

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345 (2026)

Dancing halls, escort services, entertainment by referral services and gambling games or devices; limitation on licensing of houses of prostitution

✓ current as of July 2026
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NRS 244.345  Dancing halls, escort services, entertainment by referral services and gambling games or devices; limitation on licensing of houses of prostitution.

      1.  Every natural person wishing to be employed as an entertainer for an entertainment by referral service and every natural person, firm, association of persons or corporation wishing to engage in the business of conducting a dancing hall, escort service, entertainment by referral service or gambling game or device permitted by law, outside of an incorporated city, must:

      (a) Make application to the license board of the county in which the employment or business is to be engaged in, for a county license of the kind desired. The application must be in a form prescribed by the regulations of the license board.

      (b) File the application with the required license fee with the county license collector, as provided in chapter 364 of NRS, who shall present the application to the license board at its next regular meeting.

Ê The board, in counties whose population is less than 700,000, may refer the petition to the sheriff, who shall report upon it at the following regular meeting of the board. In counties whose population is 700,000 or more, the board shall refer the petition to the metropolitan police department. The department shall conduct an investigation relating to the petition and report its findings to the board at the next regular meeting of the board. The board shall at that meeting grant or refuse the license prayed for or enter any other order consistent with its regulations. Except in the case of an application for a license to conduct a gambling game or device, the county license collector may grant a temporary permit to an applicant, valid only until the next regular meeting of the board. In unincorporated towns and cities governed pursuant to the provisions of chapter 269 of NRS, the license board has the exclusive power to license and regulate the employment and businesses mentioned in this subsection.

      2.  The board of county commissioners, and in a county whose population is less than 700,000, the sheriff of that county constitute the license board, and the county clerk or other person designated by the license board is the clerk thereof, in the respective counties of this state.

      3.  The license board may, without further compensation to the board or its clerk:

      (a) Fix, impose and collect license fees upon the employment and businesses mentioned in this section.

      (b) Grant or deny applications for licenses and impose conditions, limitations and restrictions upon the licensee.

      (c) Adopt, amend and repeal regulations relating to licenses and licensees.

      (d) Restrict, revoke or suspend licenses for cause after hearing. In an emergency the board may issue an order for immediate suspension or limitation of a license, but the order must state the reason for suspension or limitation and afford the licensee a hearing.

      4.  The license board shall hold a hearing before adopting proposed regulations, before adopting amendments to regulations, and before repealing regulations relating to the control or the licensing of the employment or businesses mentioned in this section. Notice of the hearing must be published in a newspaper published and having general circulation in the county at least once a week for 2 weeks before the hearing.

      5.  Upon adoption of new regulations the board shall designate their effective date, which may not be earlier than 15 days after their adoption. Immediately after adoption a copy of any new regulations must be available for public inspection during regular business hours at the office of the county clerk.

      6.  Except as otherwise provided in NRS 241.0355, a majority of the members constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business.

      7.  Any natural person, firm, association of persons or corporation who engages in the employment of any of the businesses mentioned in this section without first having obtained the license and paid the license fee as provided in this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

      8.  In a county whose population is 700,000 or more, the license board shall not grant any license to a petitioner for the purpose of operating a house of ill fame or repute or any other business employing any person for the purpose of prostitution.

      9.  As used in this section:

      (a) “Entertainer for an entertainment by referral service” means a natural person who is sent or referred for a fee to a hotel or motel room, home or other accommodation by an entertainment by referral service for the purpose of entertaining the person located in the hotel or motel room, home or other accommodation.

      (b) “Entertainment by referral service” means a person or group of persons who send or refer another person to a hotel or motel room, home or other accommodation for a fee in response to a telephone or other request for the purpose of entertaining the person located in the hotel or motel room, home or other accommodation.

      [1:50:1923; NCL § 2037] + [2:50:1923; NCL § 2038] + [3:50:1923; NCL § 2039] + [4:50:1923; NCL § 2040]—(NRS A 1959, 838; 1961, 364; 1971, 11; 1973, 923; 1975, 562; 1979, 20, 305, 511, 728, 730, 732, 733; 1989, 1899; 1991, 166; 2001, 1124; 2011, 1105)

     

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases, 1978–2017 · leading case: Kuban v. McGimsey, 605 P.2d 623 (Nev. 1980).
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Kuban v. McGimsey, 605 P.2d 623 (Nev. 1980). · cites it 20× “It is not clear from a reading of NRS 244.345 and 269.175 that the legislature intended to preempt the field of brothel regulation.”
United States v. Maldonado-Burgos, 869 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2017). · cites it 2× “See Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345 ; Michael Martinez, What to Know About Nevada's Legal Brothels, CNN (Oct.”
Posadas De Puerto Rico Assocs. v. Tourism Co. of Puerto Rico, 478 U.S. 328 (1986). · cites it 2× “, Nev. Rev. Stat. §§ 244.345 (1), (8) (1986) (authorizing licensing of houses of prostitution except in counties with more than 250,000 population), §§ 201.”
Princess Sea Indus. v. STATE, CLARK CTY., 635 P.2d 281 (Nev. 1981). · cites it 12× “See NRS 244.345; see also Nye County v. Plankinton, 94 Nev.”
Nye Cnty. v. Plankinton, 587 P.2d 421 (Nev. 1978). · cites it 12× “After careful consideration of the matter, the district court concluded that NRS 244.345 had repealed the common law rule that a house of prostitution was a nuisance.”
Repub. Ent., Inc. v. Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd., 672 P.2d 634 (Nev. 1983). · cites it 6× “3 NRS 244.345(1)(a) provides, in pertinent part: 1.”
Ford v. State, 262 P.3d 1123 (Nev. 2011). “) Ford’s encounter with Fazal occurred in a Las Vegas casino in Clark County, where all prostitution is illegal, given NRS 244.345(8), which, as amended in 2011, prohibits licensing houses of prostitution in counties with populations of more than 700,000.”
Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd. v. Simon & Tucker, Inc., 787 P.2d 782 (Nev. 1990). · cites it 2× “The court issued the writ, ordering the Board to grant the gaming licenses. The Board appeals.”
IDK, Inc. v. Cnty. of Clark, 599 F. Supp. 1402 (D. Nev. 1984). · cites it 2× “Nev.Rev.Stat. § 244.345 (1981); Nev.Rev. Stat.”
Unknown, 598 F.3d 592. · cites it 6× “Even if we agreed with Nevada, the fact remains that Nevada's position on the legality of prostitution in much of the state is essentially agnostic: county governments are free to license or prohibit brothels at their option.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(1) — 2 cases
Kuban v. McGimsey, 605 P.2d 623 (Nev. 1980). “It is not clear from a reading of NRS 244.345 and 269.175 that the legislature intended to preempt the field of brothel regulation.”
Nye Cnty. v. Plankinton, 587 P.2d 421 (Nev. 1978). “After careful consideration of the matter, the district court concluded that NRS 244.345 had repealed the common law rule that a house of prostitution was a nuisance.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(1)(a) — 1 case
Repub. Ent., Inc. v. Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd., 672 P.2d 634 (Nev. 1983). “3 NRS 244.345(1)(a) provides, in pertinent part: 1.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(1)(b) — 2 cases
Kuban v. McGimsey, 605 P.2d 623 (Nev. 1980). “It is not clear from a reading of NRS 244.345 and 269.175 that the legislature intended to preempt the field of brothel regulation.”
Princess Sea Indus. v. STATE, CLARK CTY., 635 P.2d 281 (Nev. 1981). “See NRS 244.345; see also Nye County v. Plankinton, 94 Nev.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(3)(c) — 1 case
Repub. Ent., Inc. v. Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd., 672 P.2d 634 (Nev. 1983). “3 NRS 244.345(1)(a) provides, in pertinent part: 1.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(7) — 1 case
Repub. Ent., Inc. v. Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd., 672 P.2d 634 (Nev. 1983). “3 NRS 244.345(1)(a) provides, in pertinent part: 1.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(8) — 5 cases
Kuban v. McGimsey, 605 P.2d 623 (Nev. 1980). “It is not clear from a reading of NRS 244.345 and 269.175 that the legislature intended to preempt the field of brothel regulation.”
Nye Cnty. v. Plankinton, 587 P.2d 421 (Nev. 1978). “After careful consideration of the matter, the district court concluded that NRS 244.345 had repealed the common law rule that a house of prostitution was a nuisance.”
Princess Sea Indus. v. STATE, CLARK CTY., 635 P.2d 281 (Nev. 1981). “See NRS 244.345; see also Nye County v. Plankinton, 94 Nev.”
Ford v. State, 262 P.3d 1123 (Nev. 2011). “) Ford’s encounter with Fazal occurred in a Las Vegas casino in Clark County, where all prostitution is illegal, given NRS 244.345(8), which, as amended in 2011, prohibits licensing houses of prostitution in counties with populations of more than 700,000.”
Unknown, 598 F.3d 592. “Even if we agreed with Nevada, the fact remains that Nevada's position on the legality of prostitution in much of the state is essentially agnostic: county governments are free to license or prohibit brothels at their option.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(l)(a) — 1 case
Repub. Ent., Inc. v. Clark Cnty. Liquor & Gaming Licensing Bd., 672 P.2d 634 (Nev. 1983). “3 NRS 244.345(1)(a) provides, in pertinent part: 1.”
— Nev. Rev. Stat. § 244.345(l)(b) — 1 case
Princess Sea Indus. v. STATE, CLARK CTY., 635 P.2d 281 (Nev. 1981). “See NRS 244.345; see also Nye County v. Plankinton, 94 Nev.”
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