Clark County Sports and Special Events (SSE) is your initial point of contact for obtaining approval to host certain events within unincorporated Clark County. SSE provides preliminary approval and guidance on the necessary permits and licenses required. In some cases, specific conditions may require a hearing before the Board of County Commissioners (Board) before preliminary approval can be granted. 

Preliminary Approval Explained 
Clark County Sports and Special Events provides only preliminary or initial approval. This means the Event Organizer must obtain all required licenses, permits, and inspection approvals from other departments (e.g., Business License, Zoning, Parks and Recreation, Fire Department) and external agencies (e.g., Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Southern Nevada Health District, Regional Transportation Commission). 

Events that May Require Approval by the Board 
The applicant may be required to appear before the Board for a public hearing if any of the following conditions exist:

1. The Special Event will require a road closure of the Las Vegas Boulevard and/or the Special Event will have significant impact on the roadways as determined by the Director.
2. The Special Event will require significant resources from any Clark County Department or other agency, including but not limited to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Southern Nevada Health District.
3. The Special Event estimates the attendance of more than 15,000 participants, attendees, or spectators at one time.
4. The Special Event has the potential to cause disorder, disturbances, excessive loitering, nuisances, or other activities which endanger the health or safety of the patrons or disrupt the peace or order of the neighborhood.
   
5. The Special Event has multiple activations across Clark County.
6. The Special Event and/or the Event Organizer has had previous compliance issues associated with events; or 
7. Any other reason the Board determines the applicant needs to show cause as to why the Special Event should not be denied.

In such cases, a staff member will notify the Event Organizer by email with the date, time, and venue for the scheduled hearing. Once a decision is reached, SSE will mail the approval or denial letter within 15 calendar days. 

The Steps 

1. Verify the event will occur in unincorporated Clark County.  Visit our Jurisdiction Locator Tool, enter the location address of the event. 
2. Check if the planned event requires one of these permits. 
3. Submit the Special Events application online. 
4. If the expected number of attendees is 5,000 or more per day, the Event Organizer must also fill the online Large Gathering Event Notification form. 
5. The staff will review the application and contact the Event Organizer, if any clarification is needed. If the expected number of attendees is 5,000 or more per day, staff will review the Large Gathering Event Calendar for any conflicts. This is to ensure that there are enough resources to support the gathering.
6. An SSE team member will be assigned to the Event Organizer who will communicate the requirements and next steps. The liaison will also provide a list of the departments and agencies that the Event Organizer needs to contact. 
7. If the event warrants Board approval, the Event Organizer will be notified by the SSE team member via email. More information on events that may require Board approval may be found here. 

Forms 

Application must be submitted no less than 60 calendar days before event date.
To access and submit the preliminary approval form online, please visit this page.
To see the full list of forms and packets for specific licenses and permits required by Clark County's Business License Department, please visit https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/business/doing_business_with_clark_county/divisions/special_events/special_event_forms.php.