Prohibitions

Las Vegas Municipal Code tit. 10, div. IV, ch. 10.42, art. I

in effect

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.010 Definitions.

10.42.010 - Definitions. As used in this Article, the words set out in this Section mean as follows: (A) "Knowingly" means having general knowledge of, or reason to know, or a belief or ground for belief which warrants further inspection or inquiry of the character and content of any material described in this Article. (B) "Material" means any book, magazine, leaflet, pamphlet, newspaper, or other printed or written material or any picture, drawing, photograph, film, negative, motion picture or other pictorial representation or any statue or other figure, or any recording, transcription or mechanical, chemical or electrical reproduction or any other articles, equipment, machines or materials. (C) "Obscene" means any material which: (1) The average person, applying contemporary community standards would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in sex; and (2) The work depicts or describes patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sex acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, or patently offensive representations or descriptions of masturbation, excretory functions or lewd exhibition of the genitals or genital area; and (3) The work taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. (D) "Promote" means to produce, direct, perform in, manufacture, issue, sell, give, provide, lend, mail, deliver, transfer, publish, distribute, circulate, disseminate, present, exhibit, or advertise or offer to agree to do any of these things. (Ord. 1652 § 2, 1973: Ord. 1641 § 1, 1973: Ord. 1381 § 2, 1969: Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-1)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.020 Promotion.

10.42.020 - Promotion. (A) It shall be unlawful for any person within the City to promote any obscene material. (B) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this Section or fails or refuses to comply with the provisions hereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than the maximum fine allowed by law for the commission of a misdemeanor or by imprisonment in the City Jail for not more than six months, or any combination of such fine and imprisonment. Every day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense. (C) Upon notification that any person has violated this Section or any Federal law or statute of the State which relates to the exhibition, sale, distribution or transportation of obscene materials, the Board of Commissioners may suspend the license of such person to operate the business in connection with which such conviction was obtained for a period of not less than five days nor more than sixty days or may institute other appropriate disciplinary action against such person in accordance with Section 6.02.330 et seq. (Ord. 2228 § 3, 1981: Ord. 1639 § 1 (part), 1973: Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-2)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.030 Exhibition of motion pictures, slides or exhibits.

10.42.030 - Exhibition of motion pictures, slides or exhibits. (A) It shall be unlawful for any person who operates a business in the City, and for any employee, including but not limited to a ticket seller, ticket taker, usher, motion picture machine operator, or any other person, or any independent contractor or agent, connected with or employed by such person, to exhibit or show, or to aid or assist in the exhibition of, any obscene motion picture, slide or exhibit in the City. (B) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this Section or fails to comply with the provisions hereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than the maximum fine allowed by law for the commission of a misdemeanor or by imprisonment in the City Jail for not more than six months, or any combination of such fine and imprisonment. Every day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense. (C) Upon notification that any person has violated this Section or any Federal law or statute of the State which relates to the exhibition, sale, distribution or transportation of obscene materials, the Board of Commissioners may suspend the license of such person to operate a movie theater within the City for a period of not less than five days nor more than sixty days or may institute other appropriate disciplinary action against such person in accordance with Section 6.02.330 et seq. (Ord. 2228 § 4, 1981: Ord. 1639 § 1 (part), 1973: Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-3)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.040 Requiring acceptance by businesses.

10.42.040 - Requiring acceptance by businesses. Every person who, knowingly, as a condition to a sale, allocation, consignment, or delivery for resale of any paper, magazine, book, periodical, publication or other merchandise, requires that the purchaser or consignee receive any obscene matter or who denies or threatens to deny a franchise, revokes or threatens to revoke, or imposes any penalty, financial or otherwise, by reason of the failure of any person to accept obscene matter, or by reason of the return of such obscene matter, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-4)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.050 Placing in public view.

10.42.050 - Placing in public view. Every person who shall place, mark, post, draw or cause to be placed, posted, marked or drawn upon any fence, billboard, building, door, wall, pavement, or other surface exposed to public view, any obscene, indecent, offensive or profane word, writing, picture, representation or drawing, is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-6)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.060 Live sex acts.

10.42.060 - Live sex acts. It shall be unlawful to engage in any live sex act, including but not limited to sexual intercourse, oral copulation, or sodomy, or any said sex act by implication or simulation before an audience, whether it be between a male and female, male and male, female and female, human being and an animal, or through the means of using an artificial device to simulate any sexual act of any kind whatsoever. (Ord. 1625 § 1, 1973: prior code § 6-11-12)

Las Vegas Municipal Code § 10.42.070 Destruction by court order.

10.42.070 - Destruction by court order. Upon the conviction of the accused, the court may, when the conviction becomes final, order any matter or advertisement, in respect whereof the accused stands convicted, and which remains in the possession or under the control of the City Attorney, or any law enforcement agency, to be destroyed, and the court may cause to be destroyed any such material in its possession or under its control. (Ord. 1162 § 2 (part), 1964: prior code § 6-11-5)

Source: City of Las Vegas, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/nv/las_vegas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT10PUPEMOWE_DIVIVOFAGPUDE_CH10.42OBMA_ARTIPRFetched: 10/28/2026