Enforcing Sisolak order, Clark County cracks down most on liquor stores

Clark County has taken more action against liquor stores than it has any other establishment while enforcing Gov. Steve Sisolak’s order to shut down nonessential businesses, according to figures it provided Friday.

In a five-day period following the order, which went into effect March 21, the county’s Business License Department issued emergency suspensions to five liquor establishments, two smoke shops and two car washes, the county said.

It also suspended licenses of a gym, a tactical apparel shop, a shoe retailer, a furniture store and a trailer sales business, while issuing citations for operating without a license to five others, according to the figures.

The county said Thursday it had suspended licenses of 18 businesses over the same period yet only provided information about 14 on Friday. County spokesman Dan Kulin said 14 was accurate and explained that some suspensions were counted more than once internally by mistake.

Emergency suspensions are effective through April 16, when Sisolak’s current order ends, according to Kulin.

“We will reassess the license status of these businesses before that date to determine whether to extend the suspensions or not,” he said in an email.

Businesses that were issued citations for operating without a license, a misdemeanor, include a cannabis dispensary, an apartment complex near UNLV, a gaming establishment, a call center and a meeting place for addiction recovery, according to the county.

Kulin later clarified that cited businesses that are deemed essential, such as the apartment complex, were allowed to remain open and instructed to get a license.

Cited nonessential businesses were told to close. Kulin said the county needed to further verify into which category each reported business fits.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.