Here are just a few of Nevada’s laws that will leave you scratching your head…
You can’t pawn while intoxicated
Nevada law 646.060 prohibits a pawnbroker from accepting property from certain classes of persons. One category is people who are intoxicated.
So, instead of going and pawning that collection of baseball cards your grandfather left you in his will after a night of having a “Vegas” experience, you may want to hold off a bit and get a tattoo instead. Well, at least until you have sobered up because all pawn brokers in the state of Nevada must turn all intoxicated, born to be rich!, customers away.
You couldn’t let your camel roam the highway
Nevada is in the desert. Specifically, the “high desert” of America. But unlike the other deserts that may come to mind like Sahara or Gobi, you won’t find many camels or camel riding folks trotting to the nearest 7-11 for a Big Gulp.
However, back in the 1800’s – camel traffic was a big deal. Apparently. So, in 1875 the state of Nevada wanted to help other commuters in the dire straits of camel collisions by making it illegal to let camels run loose on the public highways. (The law was repealed in 1899.)
The camel law is long gone, so technically you could ride your camel to get that Big Gulp. But if your favorite store is in Summerlin and you’re in Henderson, we’d still recommend the back streets.
You can’t hula hoop on Fremont Street
There are a lot of things you can, but probably shouldn’t, do on Fremont St. in Las Vegas, Nevada.
You can zipline over the heads of the purveyors of cocktails below, get yourself included in a mosh pit that you never intended to join, enjoy second-hand cannabis while ordering a heart attack sandwich, but you can never, and I mean never, hula hoop on the street if your hula hoop is more than four feet in diameter.
Why? Well, the city council thought that hula hoop rentals were impeding pedestrian traffic. The Las Vegas municipal code section 11.68.100 prohibits hula hoops within the pedestrian mall on Fremont Street if they are over four feet in diameter.
Never mind the countless tourist kiosks you will need to meander around to get to one of the stages to see a show or the endless nearly fallen over intoxicated 1am crowd that will, unintentionally, get close and personal to you. Nope, it’s those darn hula hoop show-offs that are cluttering this city street.
You can’t swear on the streets of Las Vegas
The Las Vegas strip is a family affair with many wholesome and family orientated things to do, places to see, and people to meet.
Said no one ever.
However, if you head downtown you will need to mind your P’s and Q’s when it comes to having a potty mouth, because City of Las Vegas ordinance 10.40.030 says you can’t say anything vile, obscene or profane on a public street, alley or highway in the city – Sin City. (Fun fact: most of the Strip actually sits outside city limits, in unincorporated Clark County.)
That’s right. So the next time you are getting one of those fancy cocktails in a plastic looking horn and they tell you the price, refrain from the gut reaction of saying “Holy Sh…!”
But don’t worry too much about it though, if you let it slip out. This law is rarely enforced. Apparently, even law enforcement can’t believe the price either.
You can’t drive your cars on sidewalks
According to this law, all cars are not to be driven on the sidewalks in Nevada.
You’ll have to live out your James Bond or Jason Bourne car chasing on sidewalk dreams somewhere else.
Apparently, there were so many drivers using sidewalks as a means of avoiding or getting around traffic conditions, and there are a lot of those here, that it was needed to pass a law in the state of Nevada that prohibits the driving of cars on public sidewalks. This includes the attempts to make a U turn in a very tight-fitting street.
Now, don’t despair, there are some loopholes to this law. According to NRS 484B.117, it is illegal to drive any vehicle on a sidewalk, except to cross it at a driveway or alley entrance. The only other exception is for small three-wheeled electric vehicles used on duty by emergency responders, police or security guards. All others must wait in the traffic like the rest of us.
Violation of this statute can result in fines and/or other criminal penalties.
So the next time you are planning your visit to Nevada, whether it be for a hula hoop competition or to test drive your new Ferrari F40 on the Las Vegas strip, remember these laws and keep it safe out there or your friends may need to pawn your Rolex to bail you out of jail – well, when they sober up that is.