The brothel first opened in 1955 as the Moonlight Ranch. There is a historical marker on the premises, found just inside of the property's original main gate, as the ranch is located near a stop on the original
Pony Express. It operated discreetly until 1971, when Nevada began regulation of houses of prostitution. Dennis Hof, a frequent customer, purchased the business in 1992 for $700,000 and invested another $500,000 in upgrading the facilities and décor.
Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler and
Governor of Minnesota, wrote in his 1999 autobiography ''I Ain't Got Time to Bleed'' that he visited the Bunny Ranch in the 1970s, had sex there, and received $10 in return for a belt he had made of empty rifle shell casings. In July 2003,
Mötley Crüe singer
Vince Neil was charged with battery after a sex worker at the ranch alleged that he grabbed her around the throat and threw her against a wall. In February 2009, a new main entrance to the Moonlite Bunny Ranch with direct access to
U.S. 50 opened to traffic. Constructed by the
Nevada Department of Transportation as a business access road, the new street was officially named Bunnyranch Boulevard by
Lyon County. Dennis Hof subsequently purchased another nearby brothel, then known as Madame Kitty's Fantasy Ranch, located about one mile (1.6 km) away. To better capitalize on his brand name, he rechristened it Bunny Ranch Two in 2004. Hof renamed it again in June 2008 as
The Love Ranch. In early 2009, due to
the recession, State Senator
Bob Coffin (D) proposed legalizing prostitution statewide for tax purposes. Hof was prominently featured in a number of media reports saying he would expand into
Las Vegas given the opportunity. However, the
Nevada lawmakers refused to consider the proposal of statewide legal prostitution during that legislative session. In May 2017, a man backed a stolen
semi-trailer truck through the front door of the brothel, causing extensive damage but no injuries. Hof died on October 16, 2018. As of February 2020, company madam and financial officer Suzette Cole runs the brothel as trustee of Hof's estate. The State of Nevada shut down all brothels in March 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Sex workers at the Bunny Ranch sued Governor
Steve Sisolak in October, asking that the brothel be reopened or that
remote work be allowed. At least one suit was dismissed on the grounds that workers as contractors have no standing, and only brothel owners could file a petition. ==In the media==