Renters With Pets in Las Vegas: The Numbers

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How Many Las Vegas Renters Have Pets?

By The Rental Lister · Published November 11, 2026 · Data: Census Bureau and HUD, American Housing Survey 2021; Zillow; Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative

About 38% of renter households in the Las Vegas metro had a pet in 2021, the same as the national rate. Yet only 45% of Las Vegas rental listings on Zillow allowed pets in 2024, the 5th-lowest share of the 50 metros in Zillow’s table.

Key Numbers

• 38.1%of Las Vegas-area renter households had a pet in 2021; U.S. 38.3%Census and HUD, American Housing Survey 2021
• 45%of Las Vegas rental listings on Zillow allowed pets in 2024; U.S. 57%Zillow, July 2, 2025
• 3 daysfaster: the median time pet-friendly Las Vegas listings took to rent on Zillow in 2024 (8 days faster nationally)Zillow, July 2, 2025
• $34a month: average pet rent at U.S. apartment properties that allow pets; 77% of them charge itPet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, 2025 (national)

Phoenix

70%

United States

57%

Las Vegas

45%

San Jose

44%

Hartford

43%

Providence

43%

Houston

38%

Source: Zillow, July 2, 2025, analysis of more than 11 million Zillow rental listings in 2024. Metros shown: Las Vegas, the four metros below it in Zillow’s table of 50, and Phoenix for comparison.

Las Vegas Renters Own Pets at the National Rate

In the Census Bureau and HUD’s American Housing Survey for 2021, 38.1% of renter households in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metro that answered the question had at least one pet: about 152,700 homes, with a margin of error of about ±5.7 points (our calculation). Nationally the figure was 38.3%. The survey counts foster pets and leaves out service animals and livestock. 2021 is the only year the survey’s pets table covers.

The any-pet shares are of renter households that answered. The dog and cat shares are of all renter homes, as the survey table gives them. Las Vegas renters were less likely than renters nationally to have a cat, a gap larger than the margin of error; the dog gap is about the size of it. Source: AHS 2021, Household Pets, Las Vegas renters and U.S. renters.

Fewer Listings Say Yes, and Pet-Friendly Ones Rent Faster

Zillow’s analysis of more than 11 million rental listings found that 57% of U.S. listings allowed pets in 2024, and that pet-friendly listings rented a median 8 days faster and drew 9% more views. In Las Vegas only 45% allowed pets, and pet-friendly listings rented a median 3 days faster (Zillow, July 2, 2025).

Apartment data tells a different story. 87% of rental properties in Nevada allowed pets in a May 2025 snapshot of apartment communities (Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, Pets & Housing Data 2025, Smart Apartment Data), and RentCafe puts the share of its Nevada listed properties at 92.16% (RentCafe, October 2025). Those sources count apartment communities, which nearly all take pets for a fee. Zillow counts individual listings, which in Las Vegas include many houses and condos. Our reading is that a renter with a pet who wants a house, not an apartment, has far fewer choices.

What Pets Cost Renters

These figures are national. In Zillow’s 2025 survey of renters, 31% of recent renters paid a pet fee or pet rent, and the most common amount among those who paid was $40 to $59 (45% of them); the survey table does not say whether the amounts are monthly (Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025). Among U.S. apartment properties that allow pets, 77% charge pet rent, 65% a one-time fee and 52% a pet deposit, averaging $34 a month, $318 and $325 (Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, 2025, Smart Apartment Data, May 2025). In a March 2025 survey of 523 pet-owning renters by the same group, 69% said pet-related fees made finding housing difficult.

Two Ways to Count Renters With Pets

Zillow’s online surveys of renters find a much higher share with pets: 59% in both 2023 and 2025. The surveys differ in method, year and wording. The American Housing Survey is a government household survey asked in 2021, and it leaves out service animals; Zillow’s own footnote says the 2021 Census figures are “likely systematically low” because pet ownership rose during the pandemic. We use the Census survey for the Las Vegas figure because it is the only one with a Las Vegas sample, and quote Zillow’s as a national survey of renters.

Assistance Animals Are Not Pets

Nevada law treats an animal that helps a person with a disability differently from a pet. Under NRS 118.105, a landlord may not refuse to rent a home to a person with a disability solely because an animal that “assists, supports or provides service” to that person will live there. The landlord may ask for proof, which can be a statement from a health care provider. The federal Fair Housing Act’s duty to make reasonable accommodations has not changed.

What has changed is federal guidance. HUD withdrew its 2020 notice on assistance-animal requests (FHEO-2020-01), effective September 17, 2025 (Federal Register notice, published April 6, 2026). In a May 22, 2026 memo, HUD said it will now find cause and recommend charges only in cases involving animals trained to provide disability-related help (HUD enforcement memo). That is a change in how HUD enforces the law, not in the law itself, and Nevada’s statute is unchanged. This is a description, not legal advice.

Nevada Rules Owners Should Know

• The lease must cover pets. A written rental agreement must address occupancy by pets (NRS 118A.200).
• Deposits are capped. All deposits and surety bonds together, including the last month’s rent, may not exceed 3 months’ rent (NRS 118A.242(1)). The statute does not mention pet deposits by name, so whether one counts toward the cap is a question for a Nevada attorney.
• No mid-lease surprises. A new house rule cannot take away a right to keep a pet that the tenant already has under the lease before the lease ends (NRS 118A.320).
• Local limits. In unincorporated Clark County, no more than three dogs and three cats over four months old may live at one residence without a permit (Clark County Animal Protection Services). The cities have their own codes.

What This Means for Owners

• A no-pets rule shuts out a large share of renters. Nearly two in five Las Vegas renter households have a pet.
• Saying yes can shorten vacancy. Pet-friendly Las Vegas listings on Zillow rented a median 3 days faster in 2024.
• Write the terms down. Pet limits, charges and responsibilities belong in the lease, and the total of all deposits has to stay within Nevada’s cap. Our guide to pet policies for Las Vegas rentals covers the choices.
• Handle assistance-animal requests separately from your pet policy, and take advice on the current rules before you decide one.

Method and Sources

The Las Vegas and U.S. pet ownership figures are from the 2021 American Housing Survey table “Household Pets”, filtered to renter households, read on November 11, 2026. The Las Vegas margin of error is our approximation from the published count and its margin, at the 90% level. The listing figures are from Zillow’s July 2, 2025 release; the rank is our count from its table of 50 metros. Fee figures are national. Survey and vendor figures are labeled with who collected them.

• American Housing Survey 2021, Household Pets, Las Vegas metro renters: www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/interactive/ahstablecreator.html?areas=29820&year=2021&tablename=TABLES17&bygroup1=1&bygroup2=1&filtergroup1=02&filtergroup2=00&show=SO
• Zillow, “Saying yes to pets pays off for landlords”, July 2, 2025: zillow.mediaroom.com/2025-07-02-Saying-yes-to-pets-pays-off-for-landlords
• Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025, renters: www.zillow.com/research/renters-housing-trends-report-2025-35647/
• Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, Pets & Housing Data 2025: www.petsandhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Pets-and-Housing-Data-2025-Edition.pdf
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 118 (NRS 118.105): www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-118.html#NRS118Sec105
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 118A: www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-118A.html
• HUD, withdrawal of FHEO guidance documents, Federal Register, April 6, 2026: public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-06624.pdf

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