That was one of several reports of "party houses" that ended up on the desks of Las Vegas City Council members Lois Tarkanian and Steve Wolfson. But under the current city code, there is little that can be done when residential neighborhoods have unwelcome house guests.

Las Vegas leaders are now looking at a ban on "short-term vacation rentals" -- in this case, renting a residence for "dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes" for fewer than 31 days -- in residential zones.

A subcommittee of the City Council will review the proposal today. A council vote has yet to be scheduled.

The ordinance would be similar to restrictions passed in Henderson and Clark County, where officials have found that while enforcing the ban can be tricky, it at least offers a way to respond when problems pop up.

"There has been a proliferation of these party houses," said Wolfson, who represents Ward 2. "If you lived next door or across the street, and you've got dozens of people going in or out, and you've got party buses that park in your neighborhood, that's disturbing."

Tarkanian blamed much of the problem on out-of-state owners who rent their houses by the week or weekend.

"The problem is, when you rent for a weekend to individuals who are having big parties or something like that, you're commercializing a residential area and you're causing parking problems and you're causing situations," she said.

Short-term rentals are already not allowed in city code, according to a staff report. But it's hard to enforce that without language specifically banning that type of rental.

The city of Henderson found itself in that same boat a few years ago, and in July 2006 banned rentals of single-family homes for fewer than 30 days. Henderson's ban doesn't apply to multifamily housing such as apartments or condominiums.

"We had gotten some complaints in neighborhoods concerning weekend rentals, concerning traffic and parking," said Mark Zalaoras, deputy city attorney. "It's to preserve the neighborhood character as a single-family neighborhood."

Enforcement has been mixed. There have been successes, but in other cases the property owners have taken steps to disguise what they're doing.

And, as a check of Craigslist or sites like vacationhomes.com shows, people are still renting out their homes to visitors in spite of the bans.

There usually has to be a complaint filed before any action is taken, said Zalaoras and Rob Warhola, a deputy district attorney for Clark County.

The county has a longer enforcement record, having passed its ban in 1998. Most reports are handled by the Clark County Public Response Office, which did not have enforcement numbers immediately available.

The worst of the worst, though, go to Warhola, who said he's handled half a dozen of the cases over the years.

Perhaps the biggest case came out of a gated community where a property owner was renting out more than a dozen homes that he owned, "a multimillion dollar operation," Warhola said.

In another case, a woman owned three houses on a cul-de-sac and was angling for a fourth one.

"They're willing to fight for that," he said. "If they're making enough money, they're going to do whatever it takes to get around that ordinance."

Prosecuting a violator can be tricky.

Neighbor reports help: People next door, for instance, can testify about noise, rowdy behavior and the fact that different cars are parked at the house every weekend. Internet ads marketing the house can be a part of the case, too.

What seals the prosecution is usually documents, Warhola said.

In the case of the gated community, logs kept by the security guard helped prove that guests were rotating in and out of the houses. The most valuable documents, though, are overlapping leases.

In past cases, he's found landlords who "lease" the property for a month, but include a clause allowing the lease to be terminated easily. Sometimes, there will be several month-long leases for the same house in the same month, Warhola said.

"It's just a big problem, or it can be," he said, and not just because of noise, traffic problems, and limos arriving with "ladies who look like prostitutes getting out."

The houses don't meet fire and safety guidelines for commercial enterprises, and often the operators don't have business licenses.

Neighbors of the party houses, though, are more concerned about home life than regulations.

Las Vegas resident Keri DeMattia began agitating for a change in city policies after last Thanksgiving, when she arrived home to find a full-size tour bus parked in front of the house next door that was partially blocking her driveway.

It was the final straw.

"Every Thursday to Sunday is a different turnover of people, said DeMattia, who lives near the intersection of Buffalo and Oakey.

"We pick up their beer bottles, and clean up their garbage, and listen to their parties. ... I don't know who's there. I have two small kids. It puts a damper on the way we live."

Southwest Las Vegas resident Anna Williams and her neighbors experienced more than a damper earlier this year. One night, organizers of a party on their street actually blocked access to all vehicles except tour buses arriving with guests.

There are two houses on her block that have been used for visiting revelers, Williams said.

"They were dropping off loads and loads of people," she said. "They had a party that just threw the neighborhood for a loop."

It was a heckuva party indeed, said Anne Caddick, who lives in between the two raucous houses on a street near Buffalo and West Sahara. There were spotlights, four full tour buses, valet parking, a red carpet at the entrance and a live band out back.

"I don't have any objections to neighbors throwing a party," she said. "But it's a commercial event. ... I don't think that's something for a family or friends. It's nuts."

They called police, Caddick said, and while the officers were sympathetic, the party's organizers apparently had the permits needed to hold the event.

In fact, Caddick is a little worried that the ordinance under consideration won't apply to her street's situation. The houses there appear to be used for events, not lodging.

"It might not even cover that; they're using it to hold parties," she said. "It would be great if the ordinance does help, or at least puts a damper on their activities so it's not as easy to do it."

DeMattia said she's looking forward to the enactment of some kind of restriction.

"I sure hope that something comes to be," she said. "We paid a lot of money to live in a nice neighborhood so I don't have to worry about my kids playing outside."