Las Vegas has some spectacular golf courses and wonderful communities. But if you get behind the wheel of a golf cart while under the influence of alcohol, whether on the links, in a parking lot, or on the street, you could be arrested, charged, and convicted for a Nevada DUI.

A Golf Cart is a “Vehicle” Just Like a Car

Under Nevada’s DUI law, it is illegal “to drive or be in actual physical control of a vehicle on a highway or on premises to which the public has access” while intoxicated. NRS 484C.110.

A “vehicle” as defined by Nevada law means “every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except:

1. Devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails; and

2. Electric personal assistive mobility devices as defined in NRS 482.02 (Segways)

This fairly broad definition would encompass both electric and gas-powered golf carts and therefore, if you are driving or even just sitting behind the wheel of a golf cart while intoxicated, you could be charged with DUI.

Being on a Private Golf Course Won’t Prevent a DUI Arrest

Retirement communities and other private neighborhoods in and around Las Vegas allow golf carts to be driven on roads, but even if you are on private property such as a golf course, you can still be charged and convicted for a DUI.

Roads on private property are fair game for DUI charges if they are “on premises to which the public has access.”

As defined in NRS 484A.185, “premises to which the public has access” means

“property in private or public ownership onto which members of the public regularly enter, are reasonably likely to enter, or are invited or permitted to enter as invitees or licensees, whether or not access to the property by some members of the public is restricted or controlled by a person or a device.”

Examples of such premises as specified in the statute include:

• parking decks, parking garages, or other parking structures,
• paved or unpaved parking lots or other paved or unpaved areas where vehicles are parked or are reasonably likely to be parked,
• roads or ways that provide access to:

• • places of business;
  • governmental buildings;
  • apartment buildings;
  • mobile home parks;

• residential areas or residential communities which are gated or enclosed or the access to which are restricted or controlled by a person or a device; or
• any other similar area, community, building or structure

While you may enjoy a few beers or cocktails while on your way to the 19^th Hole, if you drive a golf cart drunk in Las Vegas, you are putting yourself at risk for a DUI charge and conviction.

Please call our experienced Las Vegas DUI defense attorneys if you find yourself charged with DUI for driving a golf cart while under the influence.