LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Clark County’s sidewalk vendor licensing laws went into effect just over a year ago.

Since then, Las Vegas Metro police officers cited 19 people for violating the ordinance, according to records obtained by 8 News Now. Only one of those was in 2025.

8 News Now spoke to Jesse Fink, a licensed vendor, who said he has mixed feelings about the enforcement rate.

“I feel both ways for them. I kind of feel sorry for them that, you know, I know it’s tough out there and they should have the permit and it’s safer if they did,” Fink said. “But at the same time, like, I did everything I had to do, so why should they be there?”

Fink is one of only seven sidewalk vendors licensed in Clark County. He sets up his hot dog stand wherever he’s legally allowed to sell, and described starting a sidewalk stand as an uphill battle.

“I think a big part of it is the cost of starting up, I think a lot of people that are interested in doing it probably don’t have a lot of money,” he said.

It cost him around $5,000 to purchase his cart and bring it up to legal standards.

A bill Nevada lawmakers passed would have required health officials to set a standard for food carts, separating them from restaurants. It would also require them to make a website explaining the regulations. Governor Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill in June.

“While reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses is often a worthwhile goal, this bill compromises public health and safety in ways that are difficult to justify,” Lombardo said in his veto message.

He continued to explain that separating the regulations from food establishments would allow sidewalk carts to bypass rigorous health and safety requirements that restaurants face. The governor said the bill could also reduce public trust in food vendors.

Fink told 8 News Now he is frustrated by the veto.

“It’s kind of unfortunate because I think, you know, for me, starting the business, I think the single hardest thing was just getting the cart up to par and getting the permits for it and everything they wanted for it,” Fink said.

He still faces hundreds of dollars in annual fees. Maintaining a health permit costs just under $400 a year.