Clark County Approves New 650-Capacity Animal Shelter

Clark County has unanimously approved initiating the design process for a new supplemental animal shelter, marking a significant expansion of sheltering capacity in Southern Nevada. The project is intended to relieve overcrowding at the county's open-admission Animal Foundation facility, which currently takes in an average of about 90 animals per day.

The planned shelter will be located near Tropicana Avenue and the 215 Beltway. It is expected to span approximately 45,000 square feet and accommodate about 650 animals. County officials say the added space will help decentralize sheltering services while improving outcomes for animals entering the system.

TSK Architects will design the facility in partnership with Animal Arts, a firm specializing in animal well-being and shelter operations. Design work will begin immediately, with construction to follow. The shelter is currently anticipated to open in August 2028.

"We are excited to advance this important project, which will help address the increasing animal population of Clark County," said Michael Naft, Chair of the Clark County Commission. "Our supplemental shelter will add capacity while also decentralizing sheltering services. In partnership with Animal Arts, a team of professionals focused on animal well-being and shelter operations, the design process will move forward proficiently to help meet the needs of our community."

Local animal advocate Bryce Henderson praised the decision and emphasized its impact on existing facilities. "It's a huge win for Las Vegas, and all of our animals," local animal advocate Bryce Henderson said.

"That means there's going to be more spaces open at the Animal Foundation," Henderson said. "It just means they're going to have more time to find a new home or find their current owners, so that could mean thousands of lives saved every year."

Henderson also pointed to the long gap in shelter development amid rapid population growth. "It'd been 29 years since any new open admission shelter space had been built, so it was long overdue," Henderson said. "Over 800,000 people have moved here in that time period, yet no new shelter space had opened — the municipalities just weren't keeping up with demand."