On The Water
NRS 488.400 — no vessel, water skis or surfboard operated recklessly, or while intoxicated or under the influence
Not intoxicated, not under the influence. Nobody in Nevada may operate a vessel, or manipulate water skis, a surfboard or a similar device, while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, unless it is taken as a lawfully issued prescription directs.
Nor may anyone operate a vessel or manipulate those devices in a reckless or negligent manner that endangers anyone's life or property.
The blood and breath alcohol figures and the penalties are in sections the Legislature prints in two versions, one in force until and one from the repeal of a federal highway funding law, and the reader that saved these pages does not choose between them, so they are not reproduced here. Applying any of it to a particular stop on the water is for a court and a licensed Nevada attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- NRS 488.400 — Operation of vessel or manipulation of water skis or surfboard recklessly or while intoxicated or under influence of controlled substance prohibited
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Nevada attorney.