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Unpermitted Vendors

Unpermitted vendors include any person selling food without a health permit and business license. This can occur from a residence, a vehicle, a shopping cart, a table in a park or on a street corner.

Street vendors typically stand on a neighborhood street corner and sell food. Apart from some exemptions, street vendors are illegal everywhere in Clark County. Purchasing from unpermitted vendors is a health risk.

To report an unpermitted vendor, call the Southern Nevada Health District’s Environmental Health Division at (702) 759-0523, or to speak with someone in Spanish please call (702) 759-0674.

Frequently Asked Questions

SNHD has been conducting unpermitted vending complaint investigations for many years, since the early 2000s.  The opening of these larger stadiums and venues has given the unpermitted vendors more of an opportunity to illegally sell their food and merchandise than before.  The number of complaints submitted to the SNHD in the surrounding areas and other locations around these large venues has increased.  Complaints in residential areas have also increased.

Information can be found on the SNHD website.  The SNHD food plan review webpage, www.snhd.info/plan-review, details the various types of permits, equipment, documents, and other permitting requirements.  Related fees may be found on the Environmental Health section, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/programs/environmental-health/. Permitting information can also be found in the 2010 SNHD Food Regulations, chapter 8 Compliance and Enforcement, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/food-establishment-regulations/chapter-8-compliance-and-enforcement/, specifically section 8-2 Permit to Operate.

During the permitting process, there are initially two fees that must be paid, the plan review fee and the permit fee.  Both the plan review and permit fees are paid at the time of the plan review, but the permit fee is also paid annually during each fiscal year.  The assessed fees are dependent upon the type of permit the individual is seeking to obtain.  The plan review and permit fees are available on the SNHD Environmental Health website, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/programs/environmental-health/.

The SNHD does not criminalize street vendors. During unpermitted food vendor complaint investigations, if an SNHD inspector observes a vendor selling food without a valid health permit, the food will be confiscated and destroyed.

The SNHD inspectors respond to unpermitted food vendor complaints according to information obtained from members of the public that submit the complaints. Therefore, investigations are conducted anytime when the unpermitted vendors are selling food. The SNHD does not target or harass unpermitted food vendors, but vendors are made to pack up and leave without any further consequences from the SNHD. The SNHD may conduct unpermitted food vending complaint investigations at any time, day or night.  Complaints are submitted by members of the public via phone (702-759-0523) or through the SNHD online portal, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/environmental-health-online-complaint-submission-form/.

Law enforcement does not accompany inspectors for all unpermitted food vendor complaint investigations. Most normal, routine investigations are conducted with only two SNHD inspectors. However, law enforcement may accompany SNHD inspectors on investigations where large number of vendors will be selling food without valid health permits.

Education and guidance are provided about permitting during complaint investigations. Specifically, when vendors are encountered during complaint investigations, handouts are given to the vendors that detail who to contact, i.e., food plan review, in order to begin the permitting process.  The plan review website (www.snhd.info/plan-review), phone number (702-759-1258), and building address (2830 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89104) are included on the handout. These handouts include both English and Spanish languages.

The SNHD, in the past and recently, has received information from the Metropolitan Police Department that some unpermitted food vendors have been victims of trafficking.  However, the SNHD is not the authority on human trafficking.  The SNHD defers to law enforcement and social services for matters surrounding human trafficking.

During the permitting process, the individual seeking a permit must fill out and submit an application. The application details all the supplemental documentation required to be submitted for review.  An initial plan review meeting will be conducted on the submitted documents, and a final plan review inspection is also be conducted.  The applicant will receive feedback from food plan review.

If an individual does not meet all permitting requirements, permit fees may be refunded since the individual did not complete the permitting process and did not obtain a health permit.  However, plan review fees are not returned as a service (plan review meeting and inspection) has already been conducted.

There are a great deal of food safety educational items that are available on the SNHD website. This information can be found on the Food Establishment Resource Library (FEFL) website, www.snhd.info/ferl, on the Food Handler Safety Training Card website, www.snhd.info/foodhandler, and in the 2010 SNHD Food Regulations, https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/permits-and-regulations/food-establishment-regulations/. These items include documents, such as handouts, booklets, logs, signs, videos, etc.  This information is available in many different languages, like English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, Russian, Japanese, French, etc.

Downloads

Contact Information

Phone: (702) 759-0523

Email: environmentalhealth@snhd.org

 

Updated on: July 20, 2023

2023-07-20T08:05:16-07:00
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