1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, whenever any law enforcement officer finds a vehicle standing upon a highway in violation of any of the provisions of chapters 484A to 484E, inclusive, of NRS, the officer may move the vehicle, or require the driver or person in charge of the vehicle to move it, to a position off the paved, improved or main-traveled part of the highway.
2. Whenever any law enforcement officer finds a vehicle, the cargo of a vehicle or other property unattended, disabled or spilled upon any highway, bridge or causeway, or in any tunnel, where the vehicle, cargo or property constitutes an obstruction to traffic, interferes with the normal flow of traffic or otherwise endangers public safety, the officer or the law enforcement agency employing the officer, in coordination with unified command, if applicable, may provide for the immediate removal of the vehicle, cargo or property to a position where the vehicle, cargo or property no longer constitutes an obstruction to traffic, interferes with the normal flow of traffic or otherwise endangers public safety.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, any law enforcement officer may, subject to the requirements of subsection 4, remove any vehicle or part of a vehicle found on the highway, or cause it to be removed, to a garage or other place of safekeeping if:
(a) The vehicle has been involved in a crash and is so disabled that its normal operation is impossible or impractical and the person or persons in charge of the vehicle are incapacitated by reason of physical injury or other reason to such an extent as to be unable to provide for its removal or custody, or are not in the immediate vicinity of the disabled vehicle;
(b) The person driving or in actual physical control of the vehicle is arrested for any alleged offense for which the officer is required by law to take the person arrested before a proper magistrate without unnecessary delay; or
(c) The person in charge of the vehicle is unable to provide for its custody or removal within:
(1) Twenty-four hours after abandoning the vehicle on any freeway, United States highway or other primary arterial highway.
(2) Seventy-two hours after abandoning the vehicle on any other highway.
4. Unless a different course of action is necessary to preserve evidence of a criminal offense, a law enforcement officer who wishes to have a vehicle or part of a vehicle removed from a highway pursuant to subsection 3 shall, in accordance with any applicable protocol such as a rotational schedule regarding the selection and use of towing services, cause the vehicle or part of a vehicle to be removed by a tow car operator. The tow car operator shall, to the extent practicable and using the shortest and most direct route, remove the vehicle or part of a vehicle to the garage of the tow car operator unless directed otherwise by the officer. The tow car operator is liable for any loss of or damage to the vehicle or its contents that occurs while the vehicle is in the possession or control of the tow car operator.
5. A person or entity, including a law enforcement officer, the law enforcement agency employing the law enforcement officer, unified command or a tow car operator who provides for the removal of a vehicle, the cargo of a vehicle or other property pursuant to subsection 2:
(a) Is not liable for any loss of or damage to the vehicle, the contents of the vehicle, the cargo or the property that is removed; and
(b) Must make a reasonable attempt, as soon as practicable, to notify the owner of the vehicle, cargo or property as to the location of the vehicle, cargo or property if the owner of the vehicle or property is not present at the time of removal and the owner of the vehicle, cargo or property is ascertainable by the officer.
6. All costs incurred under the provisions of subsection 2 must be borne by the owner of the vehicle, cargo or property.
7. As used in this section:
(a) "Traffic incident" has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 484B.607.
(b) "Unified command" means a group of law enforcement officers or other persons organized to provide a coordinated response to a traffic incident which requires two or more responding entities within a jurisdiction or which requires responding entities from two or more jurisdictions. The responding entities may include, without limitation, police, fire or emergency medical personnel, a tow car operator, or a state or local governmental entity responsible for roadway or other infrastructure repair or maintenance.
(Added to NRS by 1969, 1503; A 1975, 775; 1983, 849; 1997, 2798; 2003, 1962; 2015, 1636; 2017, 1294)—(Substituted in revision for NRS 484.397)
Structure Nevada Revised Statutes
Chapter 484B - Rules of the Road
NRS 484B.007 - "Administrative roadblock" defined.
NRS 484B.010 - "Business district" defined.
NRS 484B.017 - "Electric bicycle" defined.
NRS 484B.018 - "Electric scooter" defined.
NRS 484B.020 - "Flammable liquid" defined.
NRS 484B.023 - "Freight curb loading zone" defined.
NRS 484B.027 - "House coach" defined.
NRS 484B.029 - "Mobile carrying device" defined.
NRS 484B.030 - "Parking meter" defined.
NRS 484B.033 - "Passenger curb loading zone" defined.
NRS 484B.037 - Person with a disability of moderate duration" defined.
NRS 484B.040 - Person with a permanent disability" defined.
NRS 484B.043 - Person with a temporary disability" defined.
NRS 484B.047 - "Railroad sign" and "railroad signal" defined.
NRS 484B.050 - "Railroad train" defined.
NRS 484B.053 - "Residence district" defined.
NRS 484B.057 - "Safety zone" defined.
NRS 484B.060 - "School crossing zone" defined.
NRS 484B.063 - "School zone" defined.
NRS 484B.067 - "Taxicab stand" defined.
NRS 484B.070 - "Temporary roadblock" defined.
NRS 484B.073 - "Two-directional highway" defined.
NRS 484B.077 - "U-turn" defined.
NRS 484B.103 - Rights and duties of person riding animal or driving vehicle drawn by animal.
NRS 484B.110 - Driving through safety zone prohibited.
NRS 484B.113 - Limitations on backing.
NRS 484B.120 - Driving on defiles, canyons or mountain highways.
NRS 484B.123 - Coasting prohibited in certain circumstances.
NRS 484B.153 - Boarding or alighting from vehicle; opening door of vehicle.
NRS 484B.167 - Riding in house trailer.
NRS 484B.220 - One-way highway; rotary traffic island.
NRS 484B.250 - Vehicle approaching or entering intersection.
NRS 484B.253 - Vehicle turning left.
NRS 484B.257 - Vehicle entering intersection marked stop or yield.
NRS 484B.260 - Vehicle entering highway from private way.
NRS 484B.263 - Vehicle entering or exiting controlled-access highway: Duty to yield right-of-way.
NRS 484B.293 - Direction of movement on crosswalk.
NRS 484B.310 - Flashing signals.
NRS 484B.353 - Overtaking and passing school bus: Duties of driver; exceptions; penalties.
NRS 484B.360 - Maximum speed of school bus.
NRS 484B.400 - Required position and method of turning at intersections.
NRS 484B.407 - Turning on curve or crest of grade prohibited in certain circumstances.
NRS 484B.410 - Starting parked vehicle.
NRS 484B.413 - Requirements for turning on highway; signal for stopping or decreasing speed.
NRS 484B.417 - Signal by hand and arm or signal lamp or device authorized.
NRS 484B.420 - Methods of giving signals by hand and arm.
NRS 484B.440 - Stopping, standing or parking outside of business or residence district.
NRS 484B.447 - Preservation of criminal evidence when vehicle is removed from highway.
NRS 484B.450 - Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places; exceptions.
NRS 484B.453 - Prohibited parking in front of theaters, hotels and other buildings.
NRS 484B.460 - Parking at angle designated by devices permitting angle parking.
NRS 484B.473 - Parked vehicle at nighttime: Reflectors; lights.
NRS 484B.477 - Stopping, standing or parking in alley.
NRS 484B.480 - All-night parking.
NRS 484B.483 - Parking for certain purposes prohibited.
NRS 484B.487 - Parking adjacent to school.
NRS 484B.490 - Parking on narrow highway.
NRS 484B.493 - Standing or parking on one-way street.
NRS 484B.497 - Standing or parking on one-way roadway.
NRS 484B.500 - Stopping, standing or parking near hazardous or congested place.
NRS 484B.503 - Stopping, standing or parking in zone for loading passengers at curb.
NRS 484B.507 - Stopping, standing or parking in zone for loading freight at curb.
NRS 484B.510 - Stopping, standing or parking in restricted parking zone.
NRS 484B.513 - Stopping, standing and parking of bus or taxicab.
NRS 484B.517 - Restricted use of bus and taxicab stands.
NRS 484B.520 - Regulation of stopping, standing or parking by local authority.
NRS 484B.523 - Stopping, standing or parking in metered parking zone; unlawful tampering with meter.
NRS 484B.530 - Unattended motor vehicle: Stopping engine, locking ignition and removing key.
NRS 484B.533 - Unattended motor vehicle: Standing on grade.
NRS 484B.557 - Stop required at certain railroad grade crossings.
NRS 484B.563 - Moving heavy equipment at railroad grade crossing.
NRS 484B.570 - Administrative roadblock: Establishment; minimum requirements.
NRS 484B.573 - Temporary roadblock: Establishment; minimum requirements.
NRS 484B.577 - Authority of police officers not limited by provisions relating to roadblocks.
NRS 484B.580 - Failure to stop at roadblock; penalties.
NRS 484B.607 - Duties of driver when approaching traffic incident; penalty.
NRS 484B.623 - Slow driving; establishment of minimum speed limit.
NRS 484B.633 - Special limitations on speed.
NRS 484B.703 - Driving through funeral or other procession.
NRS 484B.707 - Driving in procession.
NRS 484B.710 - Following fire apparatus prohibited.
NRS 484B.740 - Fusee: Limitation on color.
NRS 484B.743 - Reflective material required for person directing or controlling traffic near school.
NRS 484B.757 - Use of flashing amber warning lights by private patrol officer.
NRS 484B.773 - Attaching to vehicle upon roadway prohibited.
NRS 484B.777 - Operating bicycle, electric bicycle or electric scooter on roadway.
NRS 484B.780 - Carrying articles on bicycle, electric bicycle or electric scooter.
NRS 484B.803 - "Department" defined.
NRS 484B.807 - "Disability" defined.
NRS 484B.810 - "Gender identity or expression" defined.
NRS 484B.813 - "Law enforcement agency" defined.
NRS 484B.817 - "Law enforcement officer" defined.
NRS 484B.820 - "Profiling" defined.
NRS 484B.823 - "Sexual orientation" defined.
NRS 484B.827 - "Traffic stop" defined.
NRS 484B.903 - Putting glass or other injurious substance on highway prohibited.
NRS 484B.910 - Motor must be shut off when supply tank being filled with fuel.