View source for Prostitution in Nevada

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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
[[File:NevadaProstitutionCountiesMap.svg|thumb|right|Legality of brothel prostitution in Nevada by county
{{legend|#008000|Prostitution permitted, at least one active brothel}}
{{legend|#FFFF00|Prostitution permitted, no active brothels}}
{{legend|#FF0000|Prostitution prohibited}}
]]
[[Nevada]] is the [[Prostitution in the United States|only U.S. state]] where [[prostitution]] is legally [[Prostitution in the United States#Legal status|permitted]] in some form. Prostitution is legal in 10 of Nevada's 17 counties, although only six allow it in every municipality. Six counties have at least one active [[brothel]], which mainly operate in isolated, rural areas.<ref name="DSW Nevada" /> The state's most populated counties, [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark]] (which contains [[Las Vegas]]) and [[Washoe County, Nevada|Washoe]] (which contains [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]), are among those that do not permit prostitution. It is also illegal in Nevada's capital, [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]], an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]].

The vast majority of prostitution in Nevada takes place illegally in the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno. About 66 times more money is spent by customers on illegal prostitution in Nevada than in the regulated brothels.<ref name=Flowers2011/>

== History ==
[[File:Shady Lady Ranch 2, brothel, Nye County, Nevada 045.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Shady Lady Ranch]] in [[Nye County, Nevada]].]]
Prostitution has been present in Nevada since the early days of statehood. Historically, Nevada's legislature considered prostitution a local issue, leaving it up to counties and cities to regulate, with only minimal regulation at state level, namely prohibiting brothels near schools or churches.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://knpr.org/show/nevada-yesterdays/2021-02-27/nevada-yesterdays|title=A brief history of brothels in Nevada|website=Nevada Public Radio &#124; KNPR}}</ref> In 1937, a law was enacted to require weekly health checks of all prostitutes. In 1942, President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] issued an order to suppress prostitution near military bases—affecting the [[red-light district]]s of [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]] and [[Las Vegas]]. When this order was lifted in 1948, Reno officials tried to shut down a brothel as a public nuisance; this action was upheld by the [[Nevada Supreme Court]] in 1949. In 1951, both Reno and Las Vegas had closed their red-light districts as public nuisances, but brothels continued to exist throughout the state.<ref name=Alexa/>

In 1971, [[Joe Conforte]], owner of a brothel called [[Mustang Ranch]], near [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]], in [[Storey County]], convinced county officials to enact an ordinance which would provide for the licensing of brothels and prostitutes, thus avoiding the threat of being closed down as a public nuisance.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Rocha |first1=Guy |date=August 4, 1999 |title=Nevada State Library and Archives |url=http://www.bunnyranch.com/news/history/Nevada_State_Library_and_Archives/ |access-date=October 2, 2012 |publisher=Bunny Ranch}}</ref>

Officials in Las Vegas, afraid that Conforte would use the same technique to open a brothel nearby, convinced the legislature, in 1971, to enact legislation prohibiting the legalization of prostitution in counties with a population above a certain threshold, tailored to apply only to [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark County]].<ref name=NRS244/>

In 1977, county officials in [[Nye County, Nevada|Nye County]] tried to shut down Walter Plankinton's [[Chicken Ranch (Nevada)|Chicken Ranch]] as a public nuisance; brothels did not have to be licensed in that county at the time, and several others were operating. Plankinton filed suit, claiming that the 1971 state law had implicitly removed the assumption that brothels are public nuisances ''per se''. The [[Nevada Supreme Court]] agreed with this interpretation in 1978,<ref>{{Cite court | litigants=Nye County v. Plankinton |vol=94 |reporter=P.2d |opinion=739 |pinpoint=421 |court=Nev |date=1978 }}</ref> and so the Chicken Ranch was allowed to operate. In another case, brothel owners in [[Lincoln County, Nevada|Lincoln County]] protested when the county outlawed prostitution in 1978, having issued licenses for seven years. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled, however, that the county had the right to do so.<ref name="Kuban">{{cite court |litigants=Kuban v. McGimsey |vol=96 | opinion=105 |pinpoint=110 |court=Nev |date=1980 |url=http://www.nevadaindex.com/kuban.pdf |access-date=October 2, 2012 }}</ref>

A state law prohibiting the advertising of brothels in counties which have outlawed prostitution was enacted in 1979. It was promptly challenged on [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] grounds, but in 1981, the Nevada Supreme Court declared it to be constitutional.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1, 2005 |title=Princess Sea Industries v. State of Nevada |url=http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Princess%20Sea%20Industries%20v%20State%20of%20Nevada.htm |url-status=dead |journal=Nevada Observer |volume=2 |issue=9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118075804/http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Princess%20Sea%20Industries%20v%20State%20of%20Nevada.htm |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |access-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref>  (Princess Sea Industries, one of the parties involved in the case, was Plankinton's company that owned the Chicken Ranch.) In July 2007, the law was overturned by a U.S. District judge as "overly broad", and advertising in Las Vegas started soon after.<ref name="LVN">{{Cite web |date=August 31, 2007 |title=Chicken Ranch Brothel Finally to Advertise in Las Vegas |url=http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7013382&nav=menu102_1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223508/http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7013382&nav=menu102_1 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |website=LasVegasNow.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 29, 2007 |title=Ban lifted, Nevada's legal brothels can now advertise |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070729/news_1n29brothel.html |website=San Diego Tribune}}</ref> In March 2010, the district judge's decision was reversed back by a three-judge panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Federal court: State has right to ban brothel advertising |date=March 11, 2010 |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/11/federal-court-state-has-right-ban-brothel-advertis/ |work=Las Vegas Sun}}</ref> The ACLU appealed to the [[En banc|full Ninth Circuit Court]] in March 2010.<ref>{{Citation |title=ACLU appeals federal court decision upholding Nevada's brothel ad ban |date=March 25, 2010 |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/mar/25/aclu-appeals-federal-court-decision-upholding-neva/ |work=Las Vegas Sun}}</ref> It further appealed to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in 2011, but the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. The ban on brothels advertising therefore remains in force.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2011 |title=U.S. Supreme Court Won't Hear Ban on Brothel Advertisements |url=https://www.aclunv.org/en/news/us-supreme-court-wont-hear-ban-brothel-advertisements |access-date=May 6, 2018 |website=ACLU of Nevada |language=en}}</ref>

While brothels and prostitutes are subject to [[Income tax in the United States|federal income tax]] and also pay local fees, Nevada has no [[state income tax]], and brothels are exempt from the state entertainment tax and do not pay any other state taxes. In 2005, brothel owners lobbied to be taxed in order to increase the legitimacy of the business, but the legislature declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hennessy |first1=Kathleen |date=May 13, 2005 |title=Brothels want to be taxed; Legislature not that greedy |url=http://archive.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2005/05/13/news/brothels.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106010848/http://archive.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2005/05/13/news/brothels.html |archive-date=January 6, 2015 |access-date=July 24, 2007 |website=Pahrump Valley Times}}</ref> Brothels pay taxes to their respective counties. [[Lyon County, Nevada|Lyon County]] receives approximately $400,000 to $500,000 per year from these taxes.<ref>{{Harvnb|Goldman|2012|p=22}}</ref>

In November 2005, former prostitute and madam [[Heidi Fleiss]] said that she would partner with brothel owner [[Joe Richards (brothel owner)|Joe Richards]] to turn Richards' existing [[Cherry Patch Ranch]] brothel in [[Crystal, Nye County, Nevada]], into an establishment that would employ male prostitutes and cater exclusively to female customers, a first in Nevada. In 2009, however, she said that she had abandoned her plans to open such a brothel due to wishing to avoid having to "deal with all the nonsense in the sex business" and preferring to focus on [[renewable energy]] which would be "perfect for Nevada. That's where the money is. That's the wave of the future."<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 10, 2009 |title=Heidi Fleiss gives up on plan for brothel for women|url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/39357657.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310084421/http://www.lvrj.com/news/39357657.html |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |access-date=April 15, 2009 |website=Las Vegas Review Journal}}</ref>

On December 11, 2009, the Nevada State Board of Health unanimously agreed to add [[urethra]]l examinations to the guidelines, thus allowing male sex workers to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Marshall |date=December 11, 2009 |title=New era: Health authorities open brothels to male prostitutes |work=Las Vegas Sun |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/dec/11/new-era-health-authorities-open-brothels-male-pros/ |access-date=December 11, 2015}}</ref>

== Legal situation ==
[[File:Chicken ranch.jpg|thumb|right|[[Chicken Ranch (Nevada)|Chicken Ranch]], June 2007]]

Under Nevada state law, any county with a population of up to 700,000, as of the last decennial census<ref name="NRS0">{{Cite web |title=NRS 0.050 "Population" defined |url=http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-000.html#NRS000Sec050 |access-date=July 7, 2008 |website=Nevada Revised Statutes}}</ref> is allowed to license brothels if it so chooses.<ref name="NRS244">{{Cite web |title=NRS 244.345 Dancing halls, escort services, entertainment by referral services and gambling games or devices; limitation on licensing of houses of prostitution |url=http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-244.html#NRS244Sec345 |access-date=July 7, 2008 |website=Nevada Revised Statutes}}</ref> Incorporated towns and cities in counties that allow prostitution may regulate the trade further or prohibit it altogether.

Currently 6 out of [[List of counties in Nevada|Nevada's 17 counties]] have active [[brothels]] (these are all rural counties). As of September 2023, there are [[List of brothels in Nevada|19 active legal brothels]] in the state.<ref name="DSW Nevada" />

State law prohibits prostitution in Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), and under county or municipal law in [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]] (an [[independent city (United States)|independent city]]), and these other counties: [[Douglas County, Nevada|Douglas]], [[Eureka County, Nevada|Eureka]], [[Lincoln County, Nevada|Lincoln]], [[Pershing County, Nevada|Pershing]], and [[Washoe County, Nevada|Washoe]] (which contains Reno). The other 10 Nevada counties permit licensed brothels in certain specified areas or cities.<ref name="Alexa">{{Cite book |last1=Albert |first1=Alexa |title=Brothel : Mustang Ranch and its women |date=2001 |isbn=0-375-50331-5 |edition=First |location=New York |oclc=45283260}}</ref> All 10 of these rural counties have had at least one legal brothel in operation subsequent to 1971, but many of these brothels were financially unsuccessful or ran afoul of State health regulations. As of 2016, only seven of these counties have active brothels, while the other three ([[Churchill County, Nevada|Churchill County]], [[Esmeralda County]] and [[Humboldt County, Nevada|Humboldt County]]) no longer do.

The precise licensing requirements vary by county. License fees for brothels range from an annual $100,000 in [[Storey County, Nevada|Storey County]] to an annual $200,000 in [[Lander County, Nevada|Lander County]]. Licensed prostitutes must be at least 21 years old, except in [[Storey County, Nevada|Storey County]] and [[Lyon County, Nevada|Lyon County]] (where the minimum age is 18).

[[File:Shady Lady Ranch brothel, Nye County, Nevada.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Shady Lady Ranch]] brothel sign.]]

The brothels and their employees must register with the county sheriff and receive regular medical checkups. Brothels have existed in Nevada since the old mining days of the 1800s and were first licensed in 1971. The legendary [[Mustang Ranch]] operated from 1971 through 1999, when it was forfeited to the federal government following a series of convictions for [[tax fraud]], [[racketeering]], and other crimes.

Nevada law requires that registered brothel prostitutes be tested weekly (by a cervical specimen) for [[gonorrhea]] and [[Chlamydia infection|Chlamydia]] trachomatis, and monthly for [[HIV]] and [[syphilis]];<ref name="nrs441A">{{Cite web |title=Testing of prostitutes; prohibition of certain persons from employment as prostitute (NAC 441A.800(3)(b)) |url=http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-441A.html#NAC441ASec800 |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Leg.state.nv.us}}</ref> furthermore, [[condom]]s are mandatory for all [[oral sex]] and [[sexual intercourse]]. Brothel owners may be held liable if customers become infected with [[HIV]] after a prostitute has tested positive for the virus.<ref name="NRS041">{{Cite web |title=NRS 41.1397 Liability of owner or operator of house of prostitution for employment of prostitute tested positive for exposure to human immunodeficiency virus |url=http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-041.html#NRS041Sec1397 |access-date=July 7, 2008 |website=Nevada Revised Statutes}}</ref>  Women work a legally mandated minimum of nine days for each work period.<ref name="rj2008-07-07">{{Cite news |last1=Levitan |first1=Corey |date=July 7, 2008 |title=Stark Raving Madam |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |url=http://www.lvrj.com/living/24004354.html |access-date=July 7, 2008}}</ref>

Nevada has laws against engaging in prostitution outside of licensed brothels, against encouraging others to become prostitutes, and against [[pimping|living off the proceeds of a prostitute]].

In June 2009, then-Nevada Governor [[Jim Gibbons (U.S. politician)|Jim Gibbons]] signed the most stringent punishments nationwide for child prostitution and pandering. Assembly Bill 380, which allows for fines of $500,000 for those convicted of trafficking prostitutes younger than 14 and $100,000 for trafficking prostitutes ages 14 to 17. Both the House and the Senate unanimously approved the bill, which went into effect October 1, 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Pope |first1=Jeff |date=June 22, 2009 |title=New law levies harsher child prostitution punishment |work=Las Vegas Sun |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/22/new-law-levies-harsh-punishments-child-prostitutio/ |access-date=July 4, 2009}}</ref>

===Overview===
====State legislation====
* Prostitution is only legal in licensed brothels.<ref name="nts201">{{Cite web |title=NRS: CHAPTER 201 - CRIMES AGAINST PUBLIC DECENCY AND GOOD MORALS |url=https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-201.html |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.leg.state.nv.us}}</ref>
* Brothels are prohibited in counties with more than 700,000 inhabitants.<ref name="nrs 244" />
* The use of condoms by prostitutes is mandatory.<ref name="nac441">{{Cite web |title=NAC: CHAPTER 441A - INFECTIOUS DISEASES; TOXIC AGENTS |url=https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-441A.html#NAC441ASec805 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.leg.state.nv.us}}</ref>
* Prostitutes must be tested for STIs weekly/monthly.<ref name="nrs441A" />

====County legislation====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! County !! Prostitution legality !! Legislation !! Number of brothels (as of February 2018) !! Notes
|-
| [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]] || {{na}} || County Code, Title 8, Chapter 8.04.110<ref name="proconleg">{{Cite web |title=US Federal and State Prostitution Laws and Related Punishments |url=https://prostitution.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000119#3 |website=ProCon.org}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Churchill County, Nevada|Churchill County]] || {{ya}} || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5.20<ref name="churchillcc">{{Cite web |title=Churchill County Title 5 |url=https://prostitution.procon.org/sourcefiles/ChurchillCountyTitle5Chap520.pdf |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=ProCon}}</ref>|| 0 || The last brothel license was surrendered in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 8, 2004 |title=Only Brothel License In Churchill County Surrendered |url=http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/761572.html |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Kolo8 |language=en}}</ref> No licenses have been issued since.
|-
| [[Clark County, Nevada|Clark County]] || {{na}} || Nevada Statue NRS 244.345<ref name="nrs 244">{{Cite web |title=NRS: CHAPTER 244 - COUNTIES: GOVERNMENT |url=https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-244.html#NRS244Sec345 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.leg.state.nv.us}}</ref><br />County Code, Title 12, Chapter 12.08<ref name="proconleg" />|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Douglas County, Nevada|Douglas County]] || {{na}} || County Code, Title 9, Chapter 9.20<ref name="douglascc">{{Cite web |title=County Codes |url=http://dcnvda.org/CountyCodes.aspx |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=dcnvda.org}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Elko County, Nevada|Elko County]] || {{partial|Prostitution only legal in the incorporated communities of [[Elko, Nevada|Elko]], [[Carlin, Nevada|Carlin]], [[West Wendover, Nevada|Wendover]] and [[Wells, Nevada|Wells]]}} || County Code, Title 7, Chapter 1.6<ref name="elkocc">{{Cite web |title=Elko County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=569 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Sterling Codifiers, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>|| Carlin: 2<ref name="Nevada Brothel List">{{Cite web |title=Nevada Brothel List |url=https://nevadabrothellist.wixsite.com/list |access-date=March 7, 2019}}</ref><br />Elko: 4<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /><br />Wells: 2<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || 
|-
| [[Esmeralda County, Nevada|Esmeralda County]] || {{ya}} || Ordinance 154<ref name="proconleg" /> || 0 || 
|-
| [[Eureka County, Nevada|Eureka County]] || {{na}} || County Code, Title 6, Chapter 60<ref name="eurekacc">{{Cite web |title=Eureka County Title 6 County Code |url=http://www.co.eureka.nv.us/county%20code/Title%206%20(Health%20and%20Welfare).pdf |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Eureka County Nevada}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Humboldt County, Nevada|Humboldt County]] || {{partial|Prostitution only legal in the incorporated community of [[Winnemucca, Nevada|Winnemucca]], Last brothel closed in 2017, and demolished per outlined NRS Chapter 201 in effect since 2021. According to local county regulations, ''a brothel may not be declared to a specific zone, as it does not apply'' as stated in paragraph B, 2nd section of CC Title 5; Chapter 8.}} || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5.08<ref name="humboldtcc">{{Cite web |title=Humboldt County Code |url=http://www.codepublishing.com/NV/HumboldtCounty/#!/HumboldtCounty05/HumboldtCounty0508.html#5.08.020 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.codepublishing.com |language=en}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Lander County, Nevada|Lander County]] || {{ya}} || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5.16<ref name="proconleg" /> || [[Battle Mountain, Nevada|Battle Mountain]]: 1<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || 
|-
| [[Lincoln County, Nevada|Lincoln County]] || {{na}} || County Code, Title 7, Chapter 2<ref name="lincolncc">{{Cite web |title=Lincoln County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=612 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.sterlingcodifiers.com |language=en}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Lyon County, Nevada|Lyon County]] || {{partial|Prostitution only legal in [[Mound House, Nevada|Mound House]]}}<ref name="yerington">{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2016 |title=Yerington Monday: Prostitution |url=http://yeringtonmondays.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/yerington-monday-prostitution.html |access-date=May 2, 2018 |website=Yerington Mondays |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hidalgo |first1=Jason |date=April 5, 2018 |title=Petition filed to ban Bunny Ranch, all brothels in Lyon County |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/05/petition-filed-ban-bunny-ranch-all-brothels-lyon-county/491575002/ |access-date=May 6, 2018 |website=Reno Gazette Journal |language=en}}</ref> || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 3<ref name="lyoncc">{{Cite web |title=Lyon County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=536 |website=www.sterlingcodifiers.com |language=en}}</ref>|| Mound House: 4<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || No more than 4 brothel licenses may be issued.<ref name="lyoncc" />
|-
| [[Mineral County, Nevada|Mineral County]] || {{ya}} || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5<ref name="mineralcc">{{Cite web |title=Mineral County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=625 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Sterling Codifiers, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>||[[Mina, Nevada|Mina]]: 1<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || For the purposes of licensing, Mineral County is divided into 2 geographical areas: Mina district and Hawthorne district. Licenses are limited to no more than 2 in each area<ref name="mineralcc" />
|-
| [[Nye County, Nevada|Nye County]]|| {{ya}} || County Code, Title 9, Chapter 9.20<ref name="nyecc">{{Cite web |title=Nye County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=648 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Sterling Codifiers, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>|| Amargosa Valley: 1<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /><br />[[Crystal, Nye County, Nevada|Crystal]]: 1<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /><br />[[Pahrump, Nevada|Pahrump]]: 2<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || No more than one brothel license can be issued for [[Amargosa Valley, Nevada|Amargosa Valley]].<ref name="nyecc" />
|-
| [[Pershing County, Nevada|Pershing County]] || {{na}} || County Code, Title 9, Chapter 9.08<ref name="pershingcc">{{Cite web |title=Offenses Against Public Decency |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/getBookData.php?chapter_id=44964 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Sterling Codifiers, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>|| 0 || 
|-
| [[Storey County, Nevada|Storey County]] || {{ya}} || County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5.16<ref name="storeycc">{{Cite web |title=Storey County Code |url=http://www.codepublishing.com/NV/StoreyCounty/#!/StoreyCounty05/StoreyCounty0516.html#5.16 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=www.codepublishing.com |language=en}}</ref>|| near Sparks: 1<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || 
|-
| [[Washoe County, Nevada|Washoe County]] || {{na}} || County Code, Chapter 50.238, 53.170.25<ref name="proconleg" /> || 0 || 
|-
| [[White Pine County, Nevada|White Pine County]] || {{partial|Prostitution only legal in the incorporated city of [[Ely, Nevada|Ely]]<ref name="whitepinecc" />}} || County Code, Title 10, Chapter 10.36; Title 17, Chapter 17.60<ref name="whitepinecc">{{Cite web |title=White Pine County Code |url=http://www.sterlingcodifiers.com/codebook/index.php?book_id=1043 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=Sterling Codifiers, Inc. |language=en}}</ref>|| Ely: 2<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> || 
|}

== Legal brothels ==
{{Location map many
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As of February 2018, 21 legal brothels exist in the state<ref name="Nevada Brothel List" /> employing about 200 women at any given time.<ref name="bloomberg.com">{{Cite web |last1=Vekshin |first1=Alison |date=August 28, 2013 |title=Brothels in Nevada Suffer as Web Disrupts Oldest Trade |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/brothels-in-nevada-shrivel-as-web-disrupts-oldest-trade.html |access-date=December 15, 2013 |publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2025}} In some locales, there exist multi-unit complexes of several separate brothels run by the same owner. These include "The Line" in [[Winnemucca, Nevada|Winnemucca]], and [[Mustang Ranch]] in Storey County.

As of September 2023, only 19 legal brothels remain open in the state, located in just 6 rural counties.<ref name="DSW Nevada">{{Cite web|title=Nevada Prostitution Laws: Where is prostitution legal in Nevada?|date=April 20, 2020 |url=https://decriminalizesex.work/Nevada-prostitution-laws/|publisher=Decriminalize Sex Work|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>

Mandatory HIV testing began in 1986 and a mandatory condom law was passed in 1988. A study conducted in 1995 in two brothels found that condom use in the brothels was consistent and sexually transmitted diseases were accordingly absent. The study also found that few of the prostitutes used condoms in their private lives.{{sfn|Albert|Warner|Hatcher|1998|pp=643–646}}

== Illegal prostitution ==
Illegal prostitution is the most common form of prostitution in Nevada; the offense is a [[misdemeanor]]. The cities of Las Vegas and Reno have worked to expand their tourism base by attracting families to the hotels and casinos. Accordingly, the state legislature has made prostitution illegal in Clark County, and law enforcement agencies have tried to eliminate the once-rampant street prostitution, enacting legislation against it in 1971. Nevertheless, prostitutes continue to work in casinos, where they wait in bars and attempt to make contact with potential clients.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schwartz |first1=David G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ofeAAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 |title=Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=9781136757402 |pages=59–61}}</ref> Of all the prostitution business in Nevada, only about 10% is legal, and 90% of illegal prostitution occurs in Las Vegas.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chase |first1=Linda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhRyput1LlUC&pg=PA99 |title=Picturing Las Vegas |publisher=Gibbs Smith |year=2009 |isbn=9781423604884 |page=99}}</ref> The vast majority of prostitution in Nevada takes place illegally in the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SKBvqXL0jTQC&pg=PR27 |title=Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work |year=2006 |isbn=9780313329692 |editor-last1=Ditmore |editor-first1=Melissa Hope |volume=1 |pages=xxvii, 254|publisher=Greenwood Publishing }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kuo |first1=Lenore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pYs7wGbPAnUC&pg=PA86 |title=Prostitution Policy: Revolutionizing Practice Through a Gendered Perspective |publisher=NTY Press |year=2005 |isbn=9780814747919 |page=86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Driggs |first1=Don W. |url=https://archive.org/details/nevadapoliticsgo00drig_0 |title=Nevada Politics & Government: Conservatism in an Open Society |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=1996 |isbn=9780803217034 |page=[https://archive.org/details/nevadapoliticsgo00drig_0/page/9 9] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Legal prostitution in Nevada grosses about $75&nbsp;million per year while illegal prostitution in the Las Vegas area grosses about $5&nbsp;billion per year.<ref name="Flowers2011">{{Cite book |last1=Flowers |first1=Ronald Barri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYA7FJxisMIC&pg=PA42 |title=Prostitution in the Digital Age: Selling Sex from the Suite to the Street |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2011 |isbn=9780313384608 |page=42}}</ref> Some 300–400 prostitutes are arrested each month by the Las Vegas police.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Flowers |first1=Ronald Barri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNB0G7f4CsC&pg=PA33 |title=The Prostitution of Women and Girls |publisher=McFarland |year=1998 |isbn=9780786404902 |page=33}}</ref>

[[Escort service]]s offering sexual services euphemistically as 'entertainment' or 'companionship' are ubiquitous, with a reported 104 pages of a Las Vegas [[yellow pages]] directory devoted to "entertainers".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=William Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9eNVovFFMoC&pg=PA340 |title=Gambling in America:An Encyclopedia of History, Issues, and Society |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2001 |isbn=9781576071595 |page=340}}</ref> Flyers are dispensed to tourists and others along the Las Vegas Strip by freelance workers. These flyers also graphically depict female 'personal' entertainers or escort services. Despite the attempt to make the Las Vegas Strip more family-friendly, such advertising for these services continues.<ref name="UGLV2007">{{Harvnb|Sehlinger|2007|p=269}}</ref>

In 2009 Las Vegas was identified by the FBI as one of 14 cities in the U.S. with high rates of [[child prostitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Whaley |first1=Sean |title=State Lawmaker Plans To Continue Mission In 2011 To Combat Child Prostitution In Nevada |url=http://www.nevadanewsbureau.com/tag/child-prostitution/ |access-date=October 3, 2011 |website=Nevada News Bureau}}</ref>  Las Vegas police claimed that "roughly 400 children are picked off the streets from prostitution each year."<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2009 |title=New Law Expands Crackdown on Child Prostitutes |url=http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10575169 |access-date=March 10, 2010 |website=Las Vegas Now |publisher=KLAS TV, CBS Channel 8}}</ref>

The [[United States Justice Department|U.S. Justice Department]] has also named Las Vegas among the 17 most likely destinations for [[human trafficking]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Skolnik |first1=Sam |date=January 29, 2007 |title=Do we have a human trafficking problem? |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2007/jan/29/do-we-have-a-human-trafficking-problem/ |website=Las Vegas Sun}}</ref>

== Criticism ==
{{Summarize section}}
The brothels in [[Nevada]]'s rural counties have been criticized by law enforcement professionals, journalists, sex worker activists, feminists, social and religious conservatives and politicians.

[[File:Sheri's Ranch.JPG|thumb|[[Sheri's Ranch]] in [[Pahrump, Nevada|Pahrump]]]]
Columnist [[Bob Herbert]] wrote: {{blockquote|A grotesque exercise in the dehumanization of women is carried out routinely at Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel about an hour's ride outside of Vegas. There the women have to respond like [[Ivan Pavlov|Pavlov]]'s dog to an electronic bell that might ring at any hour of the day or night. At the sound of the bell, the prostitutes have five minutes to get to an assembly area where they line up, virtually naked, and submit to a humiliating inspection by any prospective customer who has happened to drop by".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Herbert |first1=Bob |date=2008-01-15 |title=Politics and Misogyny |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/opinion/15herbert.html?_r=1 |access-date=2010-05-22}}</ref>}}

During the 1970s and early 1980s, several towns had enacted rules prohibiting local brothel prostitutes from frequenting local bars or casinos or associating with local men outside of work. After a lawsuit was filed in 1984, these regulations had to be abandoned, but as a result of collaboration between [[sheriff]]s and brothel owners, they remain in effect unofficially. Most brothels do not allow the prostitutes to leave the premises during their work shifts of several days to several weeks.<ref name=Alexa/>

In 2009, prostitution researcher Melissa Ditmore wrote in ''[[The Guardian]]'' that brothels "impose some extraordinary restrictions on commercial sex workers" in order to "separate sex workers from the local community": some places forbid prostitutes to leave the brothels for extended periods of time, while other jurisdictions require the prostitutes to leave the county when they are not working; some places do not allow the children of the women who work in the brothels to live in the same area; some brothel workers who have cars must register the vehicle with the local police, and workers are not permitted to leave the brothel after 5pm; in some counties registered sex workers are not allowed to have cars at all.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ditmore |first1=Melissa |date=April 16, 2009 |title=Sex and taxes |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/apr/03/nevada-prostitution-tax |access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref>

The Nevada brothel system has also been criticized by activists in the [[Sex worker movements|sex worker rights movement]], who are otherwise supporters of full [[decriminalization of prostitution]].<ref name="anderson">{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=L |year=1994 |title=Working the Nevada Brothels |url=http://www.bayswan.org/Laura.html |journal=Gauntlet |volume=1 |issue=40 |page=42}}</ref><ref name="brents-haus-2001">{{Cite journal |last1=Brents |first1=BG |last2=Hausbeck |first2=K |year=2001 |title=State sanctioned sex: Negotiating informal and formal regulatory practices in Nevada brothels |url=http://faculty.unlv.edu/brents/research/socpersp.pdf |journal=[[Sociological Perspectives]] |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=307–332 |doi=10.1525/sop.2001.44.3.307 |s2cid=144728259}}</ref> Organizations and individuals supporting the [[Sex workers' rights|rights of prostitutes]] typically favor deregulation and oppose Nevada-style regulation, mainly for three reasons:<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Laura |title=Working In Nevada |url=http://www.bayswan.org/Laura.html}}</ref>
* the licensing requirements create a permanent record which can lead to discrimination later on;
* the large power difference between brothel owner and prostitute gives prostitutes very little influence over their working conditions;
* while prostitutes undergo legal and health background checks, their customers do not; the regulations are thus designed to protect customers, not prostitutes.

Teri, a prostitute who has worked in a Nevada brothel (and who would like prostitution to be decriminalized), stated that "The brothel owners are worse than any pimp. They abuse and imprison women and are fully protected by the state".<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 26, 2000 |title=Sexwork Cyber Resource Center |url=http://www.sexwork.com/legal/NevPimpHouses.html |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Sexwork.com}}</ref>

Another former prostitute who worked in four Nevada brothels attacked the system, saying, "Under this system, prostitutes give up too much autonomy, control and choice over their work and lives" and "While the brothel owners love this profitable solution, it can be exploitative and is unnecessary". She described how the women were subject to various exaggerated restrictions, including making it very difficult for them to refuse clients, not being allowed to read books while waiting for customers, and having to deal with doctors who had a "patronizing or sexist attitude" (the brothels discouraged and in many cases forbade prostitutes to see doctors of their own choosing).<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 21, 1995 |title=Working In Nevada |url=http://www.bayswan.org/Laura.html |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Bayswan.org}}</ref>

In an article published in ''The Guardian'' in 2007, anti-prostitution campaigner, [[Julie Bindel]] wrote: "If you believe their PR, Nevada's legal brothels are safe, healthy – even fun – places in which to work. So why do so many prostitutes tell such horrific tales of abuse?"<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bindel |first1=Julie |date=September 7, 2007 |title=It's like you sign a contract to be raped |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/07/usa.gender |access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref>

In her 2007 report, ''Prostitution and trafficking in Nevada: making the connections'',  anti-prostitution activist [[Melissa Farley]] presents the results of numerous interviews with brothel owners and prostitutes, she says that most brothel prostitutes are controlled by outside [[pimps]] and that they suffer widespread abuse by brothel owners and customers.<ref name="curtis">{{Cite web |last1=Curtis |first1=Lynnette |date=September 6, 2007 |title=Outlaw industry, ex-prostitutes say |url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/9612332.html |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Waite |first1=Mark |date=September 7, 2007 |title=Panel: Brothels aid sex trafficking |url=http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Sep-07-Fri-2007/news/16519321.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217174035/http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Sep-07-Fri-2007/news/16519321.html |archive-date=December 17, 2007 |website=Pahrump Valley Times}}</ref> Farley said that "What happens in legal brothels is [[sexual harassment]], sexual exploitation and sometimes [[rape]]";<ref name="lvrj.com">{{Cite web |title=Outlaw industry, ex-prostitutes say |url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/9612332.html |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Lvrj.com}}</ref> she also said more than 80% of the women she had interviewed told her they wanted to leave prostitution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's Like Signing a Contract to be Raped": Work in Nevada's Brothels |url=http://mostlywater.org/its_signing_contract_be_raped_work_nevadas_brothels |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Mostly Water}}</ref>

Alexa Albert, a [[Harvard]] medical student who has conducted a public-health study inside one of Nevada's brothels, and authored ''Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bing Shopping Home – Shop online, compare prices and read reviews |url=http://shopping.msn.com/prices/brothel-mustang-ranch-and-its-women/itemid2636730/?itemtext=itemname:brothel-mustang-ranch-and-its-women |access-date=June 18, 2011 |website=Bing Shopping}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> wrote in her book that the brothel owners used to require the prostitutes to have outside [[pimp]]s, because the pimps were thought to make the women work harder: "The involvement of pimps enabled brothel owners to leave discipline to men who wouldn't hesitate to keep their women in line."<ref name="eastbayexpress.com">{{Cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Toni |date=May 25, 2001 |title=The Business of Desire |url=https://eastbayexpress.com/the-business-of-desire-1/ |url-access=registration |access-date=December 6, 2022 |website=East Bay Express}}</ref>

[[Bob Herbert]] also stated that many brothel prostitutes are controlled by outside pimps: "Despite the fiction that they are "independent contractors," most so-called legal prostitutes have pimps — the state-sanctioned pimps who run the brothels and, in many cases, a second pimp who controls all other aspects of their lives (and takes the bulk of their legal earnings)."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Herbert |first1=Bob |date=September 11, 2007 |title=Fantasies, Well Meant |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/opinion/11herbert.html}}</ref>

In 1998, pimps from [[Oregon]] managed to place at least four underage girls in Nevada's legal brothels; they were arrested and convicted.<ref name="reviewjournal.com">[http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1998/Jan-21-Wed-1998/news/6806375.html LAS VEGAS RJ:NEWS: Searching for teen prostitutes]. Reviewjournal.com (January 21, 1998). Retrieved on June 18, 2011.</ref><ref name="pimps">[http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/1998/jan/21/pimps-force-underage-girls-to-work-in-nevada-broth/ Pimps force underage girls to work in Nevada brothels, Oregon police say – Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998 | 4:39 a.m.]. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved on June 18, 2011.</ref>

On underage girls being trafficked to Nevada's brothels, Oregon Detective Greg Harvey said, "It's happening right now, it's amazing how many girls are shipped from here to different brothels in northern and southern Nevada. Many are underage." Another detective, Sgt. Pete Kerns, supported Harvey's claims. "Never buy the line that nobody under 18 works in (Nevada brothels)," Kerns said. "It's happening."<ref name="pimps" />

Former [[Nye County]] Commissioner Candice Trummell, director of the Nevada Coalition Against Sex Trafficking, said, "It is way past time for Nevada to be the last state in the United States of America to finally stand against all forms of [[slavery]]."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Curtis |first1=Lynnette |date=September 6, 2007 |title=Outlaw industry, ex-prostitutes say |work=Las Vegas Review Journal |url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/9612332.html |access-date=October 4, 2011}}</ref>

Assemblyman [[Bob L. Beers]] said, "A brothel owner is somebody who, when it gets down to the very essence, is nothing more than a slave-owner."<ref name="lvrj.com" />

Some brothel owners have been involved in criminal activities: in March 2009, a Nye County brothel owner pleaded guilty to fraud charges for paying bribes to a former Nye County Commissioner;<ref>[http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/mar/16/brothel-owner-pleads-guilty-fraud-charges/ Brothel owner pleads guilty to fraud charges – Monday, March 16, 2009 | 3:53 p.m.]. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved on June 18, 2011.</ref> in 2008, a former brothel owner was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on two [[child pornography]] charges;<ref>[http://www.lvrj.com/news/25644904.html Former brothel owner gets 15 years in child porn case – News – ReviewJournal.com]. Lvrj.com. Retrieved on June 18, 2011.</ref> and in 1991, [[Joe Conforte]] fled to [[Brazil]] in order to avoid a conviction on tax fraud charges.

== Politics ==
[[File:Donna's Ranch.JPG|thumb|Donna's Ranch brothel in [[Wells, Nevada|Wells]].]]
Occasionally, lawmakers attempt to introduce legislation outlawing all prostitution in Nevada. These efforts are typically supported by owners of [[casino]]s and other large businesses, claiming that legalized prostitution harms the state's image. The Nevada Brothel Owners' Association, led by George Flint of Reno, lobbies against these laws.<ref>[http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Dec-22-Mon-2003/news/22784560.html Prostitution lobbyist faithful to cause], ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', December 22, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780449006580&view=excerpt Brothel Mustang Ranch and Its Women], ''[[Random House]]''</ref> Rural lawmakers normally oppose these laws as well, despite the fact that legal brothel prostitution does not provide a significant amount of income for counties.

A noted opponent of legalized prostitution in Nevada was John Reese. Initially arguing on moral and religious grounds, he switched to health hazard tactics, but had to back down in the face of a threatened libel suit. In 1994, he tried to get a license for a gay brothel in a thinly veiled attempt to galvanize opposition against all brothels. Five years later, he staged his own kidnapping near the Mustang Ranch.<ref>Swenson, Brooke. (2004), [https://web.archive.org/web/20070403002421/http://www.slweekly.com/editorial/2004/feat_2_2004-09-16.cfm A Pilgrimage of Lust"], ''[[Salt Lake City Weekly]]'', 2004-09-16, Retrieved on June 18, 2008.</ref> His efforts to collect enough signatures to repeal the prostitution laws have so far failed.

[[File:182223678 ce63558dfc o.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Moonlite Bunny Ranch]] in [[Mound House, Nevada|Mound House]] near [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]].]]
Nevada politicians can (and generally do) play both sides of the prostitution dispute by declaring that they are personally opposed to prostitution but feel it should be up to the counties to decide.  As almost three-quarters of the population of Nevada lives in a single county (Clark County, where prostitution is illegal), county control over local matters is a hot-button issue. Legislators from the northern counties will often reflexively oppose what is seen as "meddling" from the majority in the south, and the legislators from the south have been too divided on the issue to push through a state-wide ban.

Since 2003, Las Vegas mayor [[Oscar Goodman]] has repeatedly stated that he favors legalization of prostitution in the city, perhaps turning East Fremont Street into a ''little Amsterdam''.  Goodman said there are pragmatic reasons to back legalized prostitution. Those include the acknowledgement that illegal prostitution is occurring and that brothels could provide safer, regulated and revenue-generating sex, he said.<ref>[http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Oct-24-Fri-2003/news/22438503.html Legalized Prostitution: Vegas brothels suggested], ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'', October 24, 2003</ref><ref>[http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/9676117.html Geoff Schumacher: Goodman's brothel views aren't irresponsible], ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'', September 9, 2007</ref>

The brothel owners' organization, supported by Democratic State Senator [[Bob Coffin]], has been pushing for taxation of the brothels, to increase the industry's legitimacy. The proposal, which would have instituted a $5 tax per act of prostitution, with the proceeds partly being used for a sex worker counseling agency,<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102314296 Prostitution Tax Proposed In Nevada], ''NPR'', March 24, 2009</ref> was voted down in the Taxation Committee in April 2009.<ref>[http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/09/nevada-senate-panel-kills-prostitution-tax-bill/ Senate committee kills prostitution tax bill], ''Las Vegas Sun'', April 9, 2009</ref>

In February 2011, U.S. Senator [[Harry Reid]] suggested that brothels be made illegal in Nevada.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 22, 2011 |title=Reid: Time To Ban Brothels |work=Huffington Post |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/22/harry-reid-ban-brothels-nevada_n_826734.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Berzon |first1=Alexandra |date=February 23, 2011 |title=Senator Calls for Ban on Nevada's Brothels |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704071304576160723859827168}}</ref>

== Public opinion ==
The opinions of Nevada residents vary, but the majority appears to support the status quo of prostitution: they support laws allowing licensed brothels in the rural areas, but oppose the legalization of prostitution in Las Vegas. A poll conducted in Nevada in 2002<ref>Hagar, Ray.,  [http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2002/09/15/23806.php "Poll: Just over half oppose outlawing brothels"], ''[[Reno Gazette-Journal]]'', 2002-09-15, Retrieved on July 24, 2007.</ref> found that 52% of the 600 respondents favored the existing legal and regulated brothels, while 31% were against laws that allow prostitution and the remainder were undecided, preferred fewer legal constraints on prostitution, or did not offer an opinion. In 2003, nearly 60% of Nevada residents opposed the legalization of brothels and prostitution in Las Vegas (59% opposed this idea, 35% supported it and 6% did not know or did not answer). Again, support was stronger in the rural areas (where most people were born in Nevada) and weaker in Clark County and Washoe County; women were more opposed to the idea than men.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Lake |first1=Richard |date=October 30, 2003 |title=Majority opposes legalizing prostitution in Las Vegas |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Oct-30-Thu-2003/news/22479540.html |access-date=September 10, 2007}}</ref>

In 2004, after the closure of the last brothel in Churchill County, a county [[ballot initiative]] to permanently ban prostitution in that county was defeated by a 2–1 margin.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=GARCIA |first1=MARLENE |date=July 31, 2007 |title=Shuttered brothel destroyed in 'suspicious' blaze |url=http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20070731/NEWS/107310034 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517021426/http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20070731/NEWS/107310034 |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |website=Lahontan Valley News}}</ref>

A July 2011 [[Public Policy Polling]] survey found that 56% of Nevada voters thought that prostitution should be legal, while only 32% thought it should be illegal and 12% were not sure.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 5, 2011 |title=NV supports prostitution, gay marriage, but not online poker |url=http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NV_0805.pdf |access-date=August 10, 2011 |website=Public Policy Polling}}</ref>

A June 2012 [[Public Policy Polling]] survey found that 64% of Nevada voters thought that brothels should be legal in the state, while only 23% thought they should be illegal, and 13% were not sure.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 15, 2012 |title=Nevadans on Adelson, Brothels, Ensign, Etc. |url=http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_NV_615.pdf |access-date=June 15, 2012 |website=Public Policy Polling}}</ref>

[[2018 Nevada elections|In 2018]], [[Lyon County, Nevada|Lyon County]] voted by a 3-to-1 margin to reject Question 1, which would have repealed the county's brothel ordinance and closed four brothels in [[Mound House, Nevada|Mound House]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Alonzo |first1=Amy |date=November 7, 2018 |title=Lyon County voters say keep brothels -- question now goes before commissioners |work=[[Reno Gazette-Journal]] |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/news/local/mason-valley/2018/11/07/lyon-county-voters-say-keep-brothels/1917221002/ |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref>

== Museum ==
[[Crystal, Nye County, Nevada]], had a brothel art museum associated with two local brothels. Visitors have reported it was primarily newspaper clippings. As of 2020 both Crystal brothels were closed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 20, 1999 |title=The Louvre of Libido |url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Jun-20-Sun-1999/news/11390100.html |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Nevada|Law|United States}}
*[[List of brothels in Nevada]]
* [[Prostitution in the United States]]
<br>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=A E |last2=Warner |first2=D L |last3=Hatcher |first3=R A |date=1998 |title=Facilitating condom use with clients during commercial sex in Nevada's legal brothels |journal=American Journal of Public Health |volume=88 |issue=4 |pages=643–646 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.88.4.643 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=1508424 |pmid=9551009}}
* {{Cite report |url=http://erepository.law.shu.edu/student_scholarship/13/ |title=You Can't Get Rid of It So You Might As Well Tax It: The Economic Impact of Nevada's Legalized Prostitution |last1=Goldman |first1=David |publisher=Seton Hall University |access-date=September 2, 2012 |year=2012}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Sehlinger |first1=Bob |url=https://archive.org/details/unofficialguide000bobs |title=The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2007 |publisher=Wiley |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-471-79033-4 |url-access=registration}}

== Further reading ==
* Brents, Barbara G. and Kathryn Hausbeck, "Violence and Legalized Brothel Prostitution in Nevada: Examining Safety, Risk and Prostitution Policy", ''Journal of Interpersonal Violence'', 20(3): 270–295, 2005
* Brents, Barbara G. Crystal Jackson and Kathryn Hausbeck, The State of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland. NY: Routledge Press, 2010.
* Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale and Jacqueline Lewis, [http://www.walnet.org/csis/papers/lewis-escorts.html "Escort Services In A Border Town"], Literature and Policy Summary Windsor: University of Windsor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, 1999. Study containing a section on prostitution in Nevada.
* [[Melissa Farley|Farley, Melissa]]. ''Prostitution and trafficking in Nevada: making the connections''. San Francisco: Prostitution Research and Education, 2007. {{ISBN|0-615-16205-3}}
* Hausbeck, Kathryn and Barbara G. Brents, "Nevada's Legal Brothels", pp.&nbsp;255–281 in Ronald Weitzer, ed., ''Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography and the Sex Industry''. (2nd Edition) NY: Routledge, 2010.
* {{Cite book |last1=McAndrews |first1=Marc |title=Nevada Rose: Inside the American Brothel |publisher=Umbrage |year=2011 |isbn=9781884167157}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Reynolds |first1=Helen |title=The Economics of Prostitution |publisher=CC Johnson |year=1986 |isbn=9780398051617}}
*Shaner, Lora, ''Madam: Inside a Nevada Brothel'', Bloomington, Ind.: 1stBooks, 2001.
*Vogliotti, Gabriel R., ''The Girls of Nevada'', Secaucus, NJ: The Citadel Press, 1975.

== External links ==
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*{{Commons category-inline|Prostitution in Nevada}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031223214241/http://nvbrothels.net/ NVBrothels.net] (Archived version on the [[Internet Archive]], December 23, 2003) – Directory and some historic information on legal Nevada brothels.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090302101906/http://www.nevadacoalition.org/ Nevada Coalition Against Sex Trafficking]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223556/http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7029088 "Former Prostitutes Wage War Against Prostitution"] by Edward Lawrence,

{{Prostitution in the United States|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Prostitution in Nevada| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Nevada]]
[[Category:Nevada law]]