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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>60579</law_id><section_number>29.1-738.2</section_number><catch_line>Consent to blood or breath test</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-1627</reference><reference>16.1-260</reference><reference>19.2-392.12</reference><reference>29.1-738</reference><reference>29.1-738.3</reference><reference>46.2-382</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="29.1">Wildlife, Inland Fisheries and Boating</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="7">Boating Laws</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Boating Safety</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Any person who <span class="dictionary">operates</span> a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway upon <span class="dictionary">waters of the Commonwealth</span> shall be deemed thereby, as a condition of such operation, to have consented to have samples of his blood, breath, or both blood and breath taken for a chemical test to determine the alcohol, drug, or both alcohol and drug content of his blood, if such person is arrested for operating a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway in violation of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons under age twenty-one operating watercraft after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty" href="/29.1-738.02/">29.1-738.02</a>, or of a similar <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> of any county, city or town, within three hours of the alleged <span class="dictionary">offense</span>. Any person so arrested for a violation of clause (i) or (ii), or both, of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons under age twenty-one operating watercraft after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty" href="/29.1-738.02/">29.1-738.02</a>, or of a similar <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, shall submit to a breath test. If the breath test is not available, or the person is physically unable to submit to the breath test, a blood test shall be given. The <span class="dictionary">accused</span> shall, prior to administration of the test, be advised by the person administering the test that he has the right to observe the process of analysis and to see the blood-alcohol reading on the equipment used to perform the breath test. If such equipment automatically produces a written printout of the breath test result, this written printout, or a copy thereof, shall be given to the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> in each case. <a id="paragraph-221441" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/29.1-738.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> Any person, after having been arrested for a violation of clause (iii), (iv), or (v) of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons under age twenty-one operating watercraft after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty" href="/29.1-738.02/">29.1-738.02</a>, or of a similar <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, may be required to submit to a blood test to determine the drug or both drug and alcohol content of his blood. When a person, after having been arrested for a violation of clause (i) or (ii), or both, of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, submits to a breath test, in accordance with subsection A of this section, or refuses to take or is incapable of taking such a breath test, he may be required to submit to tests to determine the drug or both drug and alcohol content of his blood if the <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer has reasonable cause to believe the person was operating a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> under the influence of any drug or combination of drugs, or the combined influence of alcohol and drugs. <a id="paragraph-221442" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/29.1-738.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If a person, after being arrested for a violation of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons under age twenty-one operating watercraft after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty" href="/29.1-738.02/">29.1-738.02</a>, or of a similar <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> of any county, city or town and after having been advised by the arresting officer that a person who <span class="dictionary">operates</span> a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway upon the <span class="dictionary">waters of the Commonwealth</span> shall be deemed thereby, as a condition of such operation, to have consented to have a sample of his blood and breath taken for a chemical test to determine the alcohol or drug content of his blood, and that the unreasonable refusal to do so constitutes grounds for a <span class="dictionary">court</span> to <span class="dictionary">order</span> him not to <span class="dictionary">operate</span> a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway upon the <span class="dictionary">waters of the Commonwealth</span>, then refuses to permit the taking of a sample of his blood or breath or both blood and breath samples for such tests, the arresting officer shall take the person arrested before a committing <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span>. If the person is unable to be taken before a <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> because the person is taken to a medical facility for treatment or evaluation of his medical condition, the arresting officer at a medical facility, in the presence of a <span class="dictionary">witness</span> other than a <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer, shall again advise the person, at the medical facility, of the <span class="dictionary">law</span> requiring blood or breath samples to be taken and the <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> for refusal. If he again so refuses after having been further advised by such <span class="dictionary">magistrate</span> or by the arresting officer at a medical facility of the <span class="dictionary">law</span> requiring a blood or breath sample to be taken and the <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> for refusal, and so declares again his refusal in writing upon a form provided by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia, or refuses or fails to so declare in writing and such <span class="dictionary">fact</span> is certified as prescribed in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Refusal of tests; penalties; procedures" href="/18.2-268.3/">18.2-268.3</a>, then no blood or breath sample shall be taken even though he may thereafter request same. <a id="paragraph-221443" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/29.1-738.2/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> When any person is arrested for operating a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway in violation of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a> or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Persons under age twenty-one operating watercraft after illegally consuming alcohol; penalty" href="/29.1-738.02/">29.1-738.02</a>, the procedures and requirements of &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Chemical testing to determine alcohol or drug content of blood; definitions" href="/18.2-268.1/">18.2-268.1</a> through <a class="law" title="Substantial compliance" href="/18.2-268.11/">18.2-268.11</a> shall apply, <span class="dictionary">mutatis mutandis</span>, to this section. <a id="paragraph-221444" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/29.1-738.2/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> If the <span class="dictionary">court</span> or <span class="dictionary">jury</span> finds the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> guilty of unreasonably refusing to permit a blood or breath sample to be taken, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall <span class="dictionary">order</span> such person not to <span class="dictionary">operate</span> a watercraft or <span class="dictionary">motorboat</span> which is underway for a period of 12 months for a first <span class="dictionary">offense</span> and for 24 months for a second or subsequent <span class="dictionary">offense</span> of refusal within five years of the first or other such refusal. However, if the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> pleads guilty to a violation of subsection B of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Operating boat or manipulating water skis, etc., in reckless manner or while intoxicated, etc" href="/29.1-738/">29.1-738</a>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may dismiss the refusal warrant. <a id="paragraph-221445" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/29.1-738.2/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1989, c. 726; 1990, cc. 825, 929; 1992, c. 830; 1995, c. 130; 1996, c. 631; 2001, c. 779; 2005, c. 616; 2007, c. 168.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
