{"id":785,"date":"2015-04-30T10:54:12","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T14:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/?post_type=article&#038;p=785"},"modified":"2020-03-26T18:22:02","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T18:22:02","slug":"boating-and-alcohol-laws-in-virginia","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.boatsmartexam.com\/knowledge-base\/article\/boating-and-alcohol-laws-in-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia&#8217;s Boating and Alcohol Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Boating and Alcohol: The Laws<\/h2>\n<p>Virginia&#8217;s boating and alcohol regulations state that it is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, drugs or any combination thereof.<\/p>\n<p>In Virginia, a person is considered to be under the influence if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They have a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of 0.08 or higher.<\/li>\n<li>They are under the age of 21 and have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.02% or higher, or are under the influence of alcohol and\/or drugs which have impaired their ability to operate the vessel safely<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to Virginia&#8217;s boating and alcohol laws, a person who is convicted of operating a boat while under the influence will be subject to the following penalties:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A fine of up to $2,500.<\/li>\n<li>Up to 12 months imprisonment.<\/li>\n<li>The loss of the privilege to operate a boat for 12 months (upon a first conviction, or 3 years upon a second or later conviction).<\/li>\n<li>The requirement to attend an Alcohol Safety Action Program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><strong>\u00a0<a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/scene5OverheadviewSplash11.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-722\" data-original=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/04\/scene5OverheadviewSplash11.jpg\" alt=\"Boating and Alcohol\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Implied Consent<\/h2>\n<p>Any person operating a boat on Virginia waters is deemed to have given consent to a breath and\/or blood test to determine if they are impaired by drugs and\/or alcohol. \u00a0Refusal to submit to testing can result in the revocation of the privilege to operate on the waters of the Commonwealth.<\/p>\n<h2>Virginia&#8217;s Law Enforcement Authority<\/h2>\n<p>Boating laws in Virginia are enforced by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Conservation Police Officers employed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.<\/li>\n<li>The Coast Guard on federal waters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Officers have full power and authority to stop and board boats at any time to check for proper registration and required safety equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","article-category":[10],"article-tag":[247,268,42,124,125],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Virginia&#039;s Boating and Alcohol Laws and Regulations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The laws around boating and alcohol in Virginia. 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