Nevada Cities Hold Off on Cocktail Delivery Despite New State Law

A new Nevada law allowing qualified bars and restaurants to sell and deliver sealed cocktails took effect on Oct. 9. However, several local jurisdictions — including North Las Vegas, Henderson, Clark County, and Las Vegas — are still working through their own regulatory processes to authorize the service. This means businesses must continue waiting for local approval before they can begin operating under the new legislation.

The statewide law, known as AB 375, establishes rules for alcohol delivery and introduces a 50-cent surcharge per cocktail, expected to generate around $11 million annually for DUI prevention and enforcement programs. Data also shows a recent decline in DUI-related deaths from 54 to 31.

Restaurant owners say the program could provide much-needed financial relief amid inflation, tariffs, and reduced tourism. "As we all know, it's been like really tough times for everyone, so having this extra revenue for the restaurant is just huge, and we are so happy," said Regina Simmons, co-owner of Tacotarian.

Nevada Restaurant Association Senior Government Affairs Manager Peter Saba noted that other states with similar programs have seen 10–15% increases in restaurant revenue. "Tariffs, inflation, drop in tourism have been hurting our restaurants. We expect from what we see from data from the 30 other states that have implemented this program — those restaurants there have been able to boost their revenue 10-15%," Saba said. "They [restaurants] are very frustrated that it's still not in effect because they've been wanting to do this for quite some time," he said.

The City of Henderson stated, "With the recent passing of AB 375, the City of Henderson is evaluating what this code change would look like for our liquor code and has not been placed on any upcoming council agenda."

Saba added that allowing cocktail delivery could improve public safety and fund enforcement programs. "Drinking too much and going to the liquor store and picking up more, or you could just order it for delivery at your home, that's going to be saving a lot of lives," he said. "Not only is it going to decrease DUI with that, but with the 50-cent surcharge, it's $11 million a year that that will put to DUI prevention programs, more cops on the streets to look for that stuff, more money for training and rehab for prior offenders," Saba said.