Panel weighs SB 373 to create model ordinances and multi-jurisdiction business licenses in Clark County region

Carson City — The Assembly Government Affairs Committee heard Senate Bill 373 on May 26, 2025, a measure from Sen. John Steinbeck that would require boards of county commissioners and city governing bodies to adopt model ordinances enabling regional multi-jurisdiction business licenses for specified business categories.

Sen. John Steinbeck told the committee the bill is intended to reduce administrative burdens for businesses that operate across multiple local jurisdictions and to promote interoperability among local business-license systems. "This is a practical solution to a long standing challenge faced by businesses operating in multiple jurisdictions across Nevada," he said.

Joanna Jacob of Clark County and officials from participating cities described an ongoing integration effort with the Secretary of State called Project Orion (work to upgrade the SilverFlume state portal) that would support a one-stop, multi-jurisdictional licensing system. Clark County representatives said they have already used interlocal agreements to add sidewalk vendors and contractors to multi-jurisdiction pilot licensing and that the next category under consideration is mobile food vendors.

Under a session amendment, the bill was narrowed to apply to counties with populations over 700,000; witnesses said that change reduced fiscal notes and reflected the technical readiness of large jurisdictions. Participating entities named in testimony included Clark County, the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas; witnesses said they hope to add smaller jurisdictions later.

Committee members asked whether a multi-jurisdiction license would change fee totals; witnesses said the regional license would represent the combined fees of the participating jurisdictions and be distributed to each jurisdiction in the agreed amounts. Joanna Jacob and Mike Cathcart (City of Henderson director of business license) emphasized that the bill is intended to streamline application and distribution processes, but that individual code enforcement and permitting authority would remain with each jurisdiction.

Support testimony came from multiple business groups and local governments. Clark County and city officials urged the committee to pass the bill to formalize and accelerate integration already underway and to reduce the time small businesses spend navigating separate licensing systems.

The committee did not vote on SB 373 during the hearing; sponsors said they intend to continue outreach and add additional categories over time.