Ignition interlock in Nevada

An ignition interlock is a small breath tester that gets wired into your car. It won't let the vehicle start until you blow a breath sample with an alcohol concentration under 0.02.

Since October 1, 2018, every device installed in Nevada has to come with a camera. Nevada's Committee on Testing for Intoxication, the state body that decides which models are allowed, must also sign off on the device.

There's no Nevada law that forces every driver to use an interlock. Whether you need one comes down to your own court order or license letter, so check that paperwork first.

How long you need it depends on what your test showed when you got the DUI. If it's a first or second DUI and your result was under 0.18, the court will order an interlock for a minimum of 185 days, unless that would create an undue hardship. If your result was 0.18 or higher, the period runs from a minimum of 12 months up to 36 months.

Your required period doesn't begin on the install date. It begins once the Nevada Department of Public Safety either grants you a restricted license or restores your driving privilege.

Before the DMV issues a restricted license, you have to prove the interlock is installed in every vehicle you drive. So the installation comes first, and that two-week wait for an appointment matters.

The court may make an exception in these situations. Each one needs to be raised with the court, so don't assume it applies automatically:

• A physician or advanced practice registered nurse states in writing that you can't provide a deep lung breath sample.
• Your home is more than 100 miles away from the manufacturer of the device or its agent.

Separately, you may drive an employer-owned vehicle without an interlock if your job requires it, you notify your employer, and you keep proof of that notice.

Installation, inspection and removal fees all fall on you. Nationally, MADD gives the usual range as $70 to $150 to install the device plus $60 to $80 per month while you have it.

Using MADD's averages, a 6-month period comes to about $430 to $630 in total, and 12 months to about $790 to $1,110. Your own quote may differ, so the installer can give you exact numbers.

Each company sets its own prices, so ask about the monthly rate and the installation, inspection and removal fees when your appointment is set up.

While your required period is running, the device has to be inspected at least once every 90 days. Put your inspection dates on the calendar as soon as your device is in.

Nevada treats an interlock violation as a serious matter. The punishment is jail time between 30 days and 6 months, or 60 days to 6 months of residential confinement, which is a court-ordered stay in a set place instead of jail.

If you break the rules during your required period, your driving privilege gets revoked for 3 years on a first offense or 5 years on a second. The easiest way to stay clear of this is to get installed early and keep every inspection.