Moving to Las Vegas: your home setup guide

Last checked October 29, 2026

Who to call, by area

Gas in the Las Vegas valley is Southwest Gas. If you're not sure whether your address is in the City of Las Vegas or unincorporated Clark County, check your closing papers or ask your title company. It changes who bills your sewer.

Watch for fake utility sites. Search results include lookalike "start service" pages that aren't NV Energy. Only use nvenergy.com, and type it in yourself.

Power: NV Energy

• How: the online Moving Center at nvenergy.com/move (open 24/7), or call (702) 402-5555.
• When: ask at least a week ahead. NV Energy says service is usually connected within 24 hours, weekdays only.
• Deposit: may be required. NV Energy's own documents give different amounts (its guide says a flat $100 at addresses with no history; its rules allow up to 150% of an average bill). It can be waived with a good-credit letter from your last utility, and many groups are exempt, including people on Social Security or disability income, active military, veterans, and anyone on bank-draft autopay.
• No-deposit option: FlexPay, NV Energy's prepaid plan, has no credit check or deposit.

Summer power bills here are big because AC runs for months. Read NV Energy explained for how rates and the daily demand charge work.

Gas: Southwest Gas

• How: online, in the app, or 877-860-6020 (weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
• When: turn-on appointments come in 2 or 4 hour windows. Southwest Gas suggests booking about 2 weeks ahead for a timed window, or at least 5 working days ahead for an all-day slot.
• Cost: a $25 service establishment charge, or $40 expedited. The southern Nevada residential basic service charge is $10.80 a month.
• Deposit: a credit letter from a regulated gas or electric utility can waive it. We couldn't confirm the standard deposit amount.

Water and sewer

• LVVWD (City of Las Vegas and unincorporated county): start online through My Account or call 702-870-4194. Have your date of birth, the last 4 of your SSN and your old address. $10 turn-on fee ($15 more for same day, $70 after hours). Deposit of at least $150, or 2.5 times the home's highest monthly bill in the past year, whichever is more.
• Henderson: call 702-267-5900 or go to City Hall at 240 S. Water St. Deposit of at least $150, credited back after 14 months of on-time payments.
• North Las Vegas: $150 deposit for renters, who need to show the full lease. New homeowners who give their escrow info don't pay a deposit.
• Boulder City: call 702-293-9244, option 2, at least one working day ahead ($50 for same day). $25 account setup fee. Deposit of 1.5 times the average bill, at least $100 for owners or $125 for renters, half for people over 62, and waived with a 12-month clean credit letter from your last utility.
• Sewer in unincorporated Clark County: the Water Reclamation District bills the legal owner once a year (you can pay quarterly). It's $307.16 for a single-family home from July 1, 2026. New owners should allow about 2 weeks after the deed records, then contact the District. Unpaid sewer can end up on your property taxes.
• Sewer in the City of Las Vegas: billed quarterly by the city. It goes up 8.2% on January 1, 2027.

Trash and recycling

• Republic Services covers Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County.
• Trash and recycling are picked up weekly, and bulky items every other week. Some rural service areas get recycling every two weeks.
• Bulky items go at the curb: 6 feet long or less, branch bundles under 50 pounds, nothing with Freon (fridges and AC units) and no loose trash.
• In unincorporated Clark County, trash is billed quarterly in advance, and the owner owes it even if a renter lives there.

First-week checklist for a Vegas home

1. Set your water softener to 16 grains. LVVWD puts valley water at 280 ppm, or 16 grains per gallon, and says to set softeners to that. Hard water shortens water heater life. See water heaters and hard water.
2. Find your watering group. Sprinklers run on assigned days only and never on Sunday. Use the watering day lookup.
3. Check the AC's age. The date is on the outdoor unit's label. A local company puts split systems at 10 to 15 years here. Get a tune-up before May. See repair or replace.
4. Know the yard rules. New homes can't add irrigated grass, and new pools are capped at 600 square feet. If you want desert landscaping, Nevada law says an HOA can't ban it in your own yard, but you need to submit plans first. And the water authority will pay you to remove grass.
5. Return the Assessor's 3% postcard. A primary home's property tax increase is capped at 3% a year (other property can go up to 8%). The Clark County Assessor mails new owners a postcard after July 1. Send it back or you can lose the lower cap.
6. Think about a homestead declaration. Recorded with the Clark County Recorder and notarized, it protects up to $605,000 of home equity from general creditors (not from mortgages, taxes or contractor liens).
7. Test for radon. University of Nevada, Reno Extension says about 1 in 4 Nevada homes tested were at or above the EPA action level. That's a statewide number, and we couldn't confirm the Clark County rate. UNR offers test kits.
8. Read the solar contract if the home has leased panels. Nevada solar leases have to spell out what happens when the home is sold. See solar and batteries.

Your first summer

• No shutoffs in extreme heat. Under Nevada rules, power can't be shut off for nonpayment when the forecast is 105°F or hotter in southern Nevada. For elderly or disabled customers it's 103°F, or 100°F in mobile homes built before 2000. You still owe the bill.
• Medical delay. With a doctor's statement, a shutoff can be put off 30 days, and extended once.
• Stay cool. The health district's advice: stay in air conditioning, close blinds on sunny windows, and never leave kids or pets in a car. Fans alone don't cool the air.
• If the AC dies, read the first 24 hours before you call anyone.

Unconfirmed: we couldn't open Valley Electric Association's site for Pahrump start-service steps, NV Energy's current start fees, or Southwest Gas's standard deposit. Check those directly.

Common questions

Sources

Rules, rebates and prices change. If something here is out of date, tell us on the share page and we'll fix it.