Work Card / Work Permit Laws in Las Vegas, Nevada

Work cards are required in Nevada for certain occupations, such as bartenders, child care workers, and adult entertainers. In Las Vegas, employers provide work card applications to employees.

Workers then have to get fingerprinted and possibly background checked at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Fingerprinting Bureau. Work permits last for five years before they need to be renewed.

In this article, our Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys discuss:

• 1. What jobs require work cards?
• 2. How do I get a work card in Las Vegas?
• 3. What are the fees?
• 4. Why would my work card application be denied?
• 5. How long are work cards good in Las Vegas?
• 6. Is it a crime to work without a work card?

1. What jobs require work cards?

In Las Vegas, work cards (a.k.a. sheriff’s cards) are generally required to work as:

• bartenders or employees in package stores
• exotic dancers, escorts, and outcall entertainers
• private security guards
• dealers or cage workers in casinos
• child care workers
• locksmiths
• pawnbrokers
• mobile food vendors
• carnival and traveling show workers
• peddlers and temporary merchants¹

2. How do I get a work card in Las Vegas?

Prospective employers provide prospective employees a work card application. Workers can usually get the application from the employer’s Human Resources department.

Workers should then complete the application form and have their employer sign it. (Here is a sample work card application.)

Workers must then go to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) Fingerprinting Bureau:

400 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Bldg. C

Las Vegas, NV 89106

(702) 828-3271

Open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and weekends and holidays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Workers must bring two forms of identification, and one must have a photograph. Acceptable IDs are:

• a state-issued driver’s license,
• U.S. passport,
• social security card,
• state-issued ID,
• military ID,
• naturalization certificate,
• baptismal certificate,
• alien ID card, or
• DD214.

Workers not born in the U.S. must show either a naturalization certificate, U.S. Passport, U.S. Birth Certificate, or INS authorization to work. And workers under 26 years of age have to show a copy of their certified birth certificate.

The LVMPD will then use the fingerprint cards to run an FBI background check if the job requires it. Work cards are usually issued the same day.

Note that security guards must apply for a work card here, not at the LVMPD. And applicants in the gaming industry who require a gaming card should contact the Nevada Gaming Control Board.²

3. What are the fees?

The LVMPD work card fee is $55. The fingerprinting fee is $34. And the FBI background check (if necessary) is $40.25.

The LVMPD accepts these forms of payments:

• Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard or Discover)
• Debit Card
• Cash
• Cashier’s check payable to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
• Money order payable to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department³

4. Why would my work card application be denied?

Depending on the occupation, the LVMPD may deny issuing work cards to people with felony or gross misdemeanor convictions on their criminal history record. And work cards will not issue to people with outstanding arrest warrants or bench warrants.

People denied work cards may appeal the denial. The LVMPD will give them instructions on the appeals process.⁴

See our related articles on quashing bench warrants and sealing criminal records in Nevada.

5. How long are work cards good in Las Vegas?

LVMPD-issued work cards last for five years. The renewal fee is $55.⁵

6. Is it a crime to work without a work card?

Depending on the occupation, working without a current and valid work card is a misdemeanor in Las Vegas. The penalties include:

• Up to 6 months in jail, and/or
• Up to $1,000 in fines⁶

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