1. A person commits the offense of operating a motorboat or sailboat while intoxicated if the person operates a motorboat or sailboat on the navigable waters of this state in any of the following conditions:

 a. While under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or other drug or a combination of such substances.
 b. While having an alcohol concentration of .08 or more.
 c. While any amount of a controlled substance is present in the person, as measured in the person’s blood or urine.

Attorney's Note

Under the Iowa Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class B felonyup to 25 years
Class D felonyup to 5 yearsbetween $1,025 and $10,245
Aggravated misdemeanorup to 2 yearsbetween $855 and $8,540
Serious misdemeanorup to 1 yearbetween $430 and $2,560
For details, see Iowa Code902.9 and Iowa Code§ 903.1
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 462A.14

  • Alcohol concentration: means the number of grams of alcohol per any of the following:
     a. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Alcohol concentration: means the number of grams of alcohol per any of the following:
     a. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Alcoholic beverage: includes alcohol, wine, spirits, beer, or any other beverage which contains ethyl alcohol and is fit for human consumption. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Alcoholic beverage: includes alcohol, wine, spirits, beer, or any other beverage which contains ethyl alcohol and is fit for human consumption. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Chemical test: means an analysis of a person's blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substance for the determination of the presence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or a drug. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Chemical test: means an analysis of a person's blood, breath, urine, or other bodily substance for the determination of the presence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or a drug. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • clerk: means clerk of the court in which the action or proceeding is brought or is pending; and the words "clerk's office" mean the office of that clerk. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Controlled substance: means any drug, substance, or compound that is regulated under chapter 124, including any counterfeit substance or simulated controlled substance, as well as any metabolite or derivative of the drug, substance, or compound. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Controlled substance: means any drug, substance, or compound that is regulated under chapter 124, including any counterfeit substance or simulated controlled substance, as well as any metabolite or derivative of the drug, substance, or compound. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Department: means the department of natural resources. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Department: means the department of natural resources. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Director: means the director of the department or the director's designee. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Director: means the director of the department or the director's designee. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Motorboat: means any vessel propelled by an inboard, inboard-outdrive, or outboard engine, whether or not such engine is the principal source of propulsion. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Motorboat: means any vessel propelled by an inboard, inboard-outdrive, or outboard engine, whether or not such engine is the principal source of propulsion. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Operate: means to navigate or otherwise use a vessel or motorboat. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Operate: means to navigate or otherwise use a vessel or motorboat. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, or association. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation, or association. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
  • Sailboat: means any watercraft operated with a sail. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Sailboat: means any watercraft operated with a sail. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Serious injury: means the same as defined in section 702. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Serious injury: means the same as defined in section 702. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Use: means to operate, navigate, or employ a vessel. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Use: means to operate, navigate, or employ a vessel. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. A person who violates subsection 1 commits:

 a. A serious misdemeanor for the first offense, punishable by all of the following:

 (1) Imprisonment in the county jail for not less than forty-eight hours, to be served as ordered by the court, less credit for any time the person was confined in a jail or detention facility following arrest. However, the court, in ordering service of the sentence and in its discretion, may accommodate the defendant‘s work schedule.
 (2) Assessment of a fine of one thousand dollars. However, in the discretion of the court, if no personal or property injury has resulted from the defendant’s actions, up to five hundred dollars of the fine may be waived. As an alternative to a portion or all of the fine, the court may order the person to perform unpaid community service.
 (3) Prohibition of operation of a motorboat or sailboat for one year, pursuant to court order.
 (4) Assignment to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment, pursuant to subsection 12, and a course for drinking drivers.
 b. An aggravated misdemeanor for a second offense, punishable by all of the following:

 (1) Imprisonment in the county jail or community-based correctional facility for not less than seven days.
 (2) Assessment of a fine of not less than one thousand five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars.
 (3) Prohibition of operation of a motorboat or sailboat for two years, pursuant to court order.
 (4) Assignment to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment, pursuant to subsections 12 and 13, and a course for drinking drivers.
 c. A class “D” felony for a third offense and each subsequent offense, punishable by all of the following:

 (1) Imprisonment in the county jail for a determinate sentence of not more than one year but not less than thirty days, or committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections. A person convicted of a third or subsequent offense may be committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections, who shall assign the person to a facility pursuant to section 904.513 or the offender may be committed to treatment in the community under the provisions of section 907.13.
 (2) Assessment of a fine of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than seven thousand five hundred dollars.
 (3) Prohibition of operation of a motorboat or sailboat for six years, pursuant to court order.
 (4) Assignment to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment, pursuant to subsections 12 and 13, and a course for drinking drivers.
 d. A class “D” felony for any offense under this section resulting in serious injury to persons other than the defendant, if the court determines that the person who committed the offense caused the serious injury, and shall be imprisoned for a determinate sentence of not more than five years but not less than thirty days, or committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections, and assessed a fine of not less than two thousand five hundred dollars nor more than seven thousand five hundred dollars. A person convicted of a felony offense may be committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections, who shall assign the person to a facility pursuant to section 904.513. The court shall also order that the person not operate a motorboat or sailboat for one year in addition to any other period of time the defendant would have been ordered not to operate if no injury had occurred in connection with the violation. The court shall also assign the defendant to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment pursuant to subsections 12 and 13, and a course for drinking drivers.
 e. A class “B” felony for any offense under this section resulting in the death of persons other than the defendant, if the court determines that the person who committed the offense caused the death, and shall be imprisoned for a determinate sentence of not more than twenty-five years, or committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections. A person convicted of a felony offense may be committed to the custody of the director of the department of corrections, who shall assign the person to a facility pursuant to section 904.513. The court shall also order that the person not operate a motorboat or sailboat for six years. The court shall also assign the defendant to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment pursuant to subsections 12 and 13, and a course for drinking drivers.
 3. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 901.5 and 907.3, the court shall not defer judgment or sentencing, or suspend execution of any mandatory minimum sentence of incarceration applicable to the defendant under subsection 2, and shall not suspend execution of any other part of a sentence not involving incarceration imposed pursuant to subsection 2, if any of the following apply:

 (1) If the defendant’s alcohol concentration established by the results of an analysis of a specimen of the defendant’s blood, breath, or urine withdrawn in accordance with this chapter exceeds .15, regardless of whether or not the alcohol concentration indicated by the chemical test minus the established margin of error inherent in the device or method used to conduct the test equals an alcohol concentration of .15 or more.
 (2) If the defendant has previously been convicted of a violation of subsection 1 or a statute in another state substantially corresponding to subsection 1.
 (3) If the defendant has previously received a deferred judgment or sentence for a violation of subsection 1 or for a violation of a statute in another state substantially corresponding to subsection 1.
 (4) If the defendant refused to consent to testing requested in accordance with section 462A.14A.
 (5) If the offense under this section results in bodily injury to a person other than the defendant.
 b. A minimum term of imprisonment in a county jail or community-based correctional facility imposed on a person convicted of a second or subsequent offense under subsection 2 shall be served on consecutive days. However, if the sentencing court finds that service of the full minimum term on consecutive days would work an undue hardship on the person, or finds that sufficient jail space is not available and is not reasonably expected to become available within four months after sentencing to incarcerate the person serving the minimum sentence on consecutive days, the court may order the person to serve the minimum term in segments of at least forty-eight hours and to perform a specified number of hours of unpaid community service as deemed appropriate by the sentencing court.
 4. In determining if a violation charged is a second or subsequent offense for purposes of criminal sentencing or license or privilege revocation under this section:

 a. Any conviction under this section within the previous twelve years shall be counted as a previous offense.
 b. Deferred judgments entered pursuant to section 907.3 for violations of this section shall be counted as previous offenses.
 c. Convictions or the equivalent of deferred judgments for violations in any other states under statutes substantially corresponding to this section shall be counted as previous offenses. The courts shall judicially notice the statutes of other states which define offenses substantially equivalent to an offense defined in this section and can therefore be considered corresponding statutes. Each previous violation on which conviction or deferral of judgment was entered prior to the date of the violation charged shall be considered and counted as a separate previous offense.
 5. A person shall not be convicted and sentenced for more than one violation of this section for actions arising out of the same event or occurrence, even if the event or occurrence involves more than one of the conditions specified in subsection 1. However, a person who refuses a test pursuant to section 462A.14B may be subject to imposition of the penalties under that section in addition to the penalties under this section if the person violates both sections, even though the actions arise out of the same event or occurrence.
 6. The clerk of the district court shall immediately certify to the department a true copy of each order entered with respect to deferral of judgment, deferral of sentence, or pronouncement of judgment and sentence for a defendant under this section.
 7. a. This section does not apply to a person operating a motorboat or sailboat while under the influence of a drug if the substance was prescribed for the person and was taken under the prescription and in accordance with the directions of a medical practitioner as defined in chapter 155A or if the substance was dispensed by a pharmacist without a prescription pursuant to the rules of the board of pharmacy, if there is no evidence of the consumption of alcohol and the medical practitioner or pharmacist had not directed the person to refrain from operating a motor vehicle, or motorboat or sailboat.

 b. When charged with a violation of subsection 1, paragraph “c”, a person may assert, as an affirmative defense, that the controlled substance present in the person’s blood or urine was prescribed or dispensed for the person and was taken in accordance with the directions of a practitioner and the labeling directions of the pharmacy, as that person and place of business are defined in section 155A.3.
 8. In any prosecution under this section, evidence of the results of analysis of a specimen of the defendant’s blood, breath, or urine is admissible upon proof of a proper foundation.

 a. The alcohol concentration established by the results of an analysis of a specimen of the defendant’s blood, breath, or urine withdrawn within two hours after the defendant was operating or in physical control of a motorboat or sailboat is presumed to be the alcohol concentration at the time of operating or being in physical control of the motorboat or sailboat.
 b. The presence of a controlled substance or other drug established by the results of analysis of a specimen of the defendant’s blood or urine withdrawn within two hours after the defendant was operating or in physical control of a motorboat or sailboat is presumed to show the presence of such controlled substance or other drug in the defendant at the time of operating or being in physical control of the motorboat or sailboat.
 c. The nationally accepted standards for determining detectable levels of controlled substances in the division of criminal investigation’s initial laboratory screening test for controlled substances adopted by the department of public safety shall be utilized in prosecutions under this section.
 9. a. In addition to any fine or penalty imposed under this chapter, the court shall order a defendant convicted of or receiving a deferred judgment for a violation of this section to make restitution for damages resulting directly from the violation, to the victim, pursuant to chapter 910. An amount paid pursuant to this restitution order shall be credited toward any adverse judgment in a subsequent civil proceeding arising from the same occurrence. However, other than establishing a credit, a restitution proceeding pursuant to this section shall not be given evidentiary or preclusive effect in a subsequent civil proceeding arising from the same occurrence.

 b. The court may order restitution paid to any public agency for the costs of the emergency response resulting from the actions constituting a violation of this section, not exceeding five hundred dollars per public agency for each such response. For the purposes of this paragraph, “emergency response” means any incident requiring response by fire fighting, law enforcement, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services. A public agency seeking such restitution shall consult with the county attorney regarding the expenses incurred by the public agency, and the county attorney may include the expenses in the statement of pecuniary damages pursuant to section 910.3.
 10. In any prosecution under this section, the results of a chemical test shall not be used to prove a violation of subsection 1, paragraph “b” or paragraph “c”, if the alcohol, controlled substance, or other drug concentration indicated by the chemical test minus the established margin of error inherent in the device or method used to conduct the chemical test does not equal or exceed the level prohibited by subsection 1.
 11. This section does not limit the introduction of any competent evidence bearing on the question of whether a person was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or a controlled substance or other drug, including the results of chemical tests of specimens of blood, breath, or urine obtained more than two hours after the person was operating a motorboat or sailboat.
 12. a. All substance use disorder evaluations required under this section shall be completed at the defendant’s expense.

 b. In addition to assignment to substance use disorder evaluation and treatment under this section, the court shall order any defendant convicted under this section to follow the recommendations proposed in the substance use disorder evaluation for appropriate substance use disorder treatment for the defendant. Court-ordered substance use disorder treatment is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of section 125.86.
 c. If a defendant is committed by the court to a substance use disorder treatment facility, the administrator of the facility shall report to the court when it is determined that the defendant has received the maximum benefit of treatment at the facility and the defendant shall be released from the facility. The time for which the defendant is committed for treatment shall be credited against the defendant’s sentence.
 d. The court may prescribe the length of time for the evaluation and treatment or the court may request that the community college or licensed substance use disorder program conducting the course for drinking drivers which the defendant is ordered to attend or the treatment program to which the defendant is committed immediately report to the court when the defendant has received maximum benefit from the course for drinking drivers or treatment program or has recovered from the defendant’s addiction, dependency, or tendency to chronically use alcohol or drugs.
 e. Upon successfully completing a course for drinking drivers or an ordered substance use disorder treatment program, a court may place the defendant on probation for six months and as a condition of probation, the defendant shall attend a program providing posttreatment services relating to substance use disorder as approved by the court.
 f. A defendant committed under this section who does not possess sufficient income or estate to make payment of the costs of the treatment in whole or in part shall be considered a state patient and the costs of treatment shall be paid as provided in section 125.44.
 g. A defendant who fails to carry out the order of the court shall be confined in the county jail for twenty days in addition to any other imprisonment ordered by the court or may be ordered to perform unpaid community service work, and shall be placed on probation for one year with a violation of this probation punishable as contempt of court.
 h. In addition to any other condition of probation, the defendant shall attend a program providing substance use disorder prevention services or posttreatment services related to substance use disorder as ordered by the court. The defendant shall report to the defendant’s probation officer as ordered concerning proof of attendance at the treatment program or posttreatment program ordered by the court. Failure to attend or complete the program shall be considered a violation of probation and is punishable as contempt of court.
 13. a. Upon a second or subsequent offense in violation of section 462A.14, the court upon hearing may commit the defendant for inpatient treatment of alcoholism or drug addiction or dependency to any hospital, institution, or community correctional facility in this state providing such treatment. The time for which the defendant is committed for treatment shall be credited against the defendant’s sentence.

 b. The court may prescribe the length of time for the evaluation and treatment or the court may request that the hospital to which the defendant is committed immediately report to the court when the defendant has received maximum benefit from the program of the hospital or institution or has recovered from the defendant’s addiction, dependency, or tendency to chronically abuse alcohol or drugs.
 c. A defendant committed under this section who does not possess sufficient income or estate to make payment of the costs of the treatment in whole or in part shall be considered a state patient and the costs of treatment shall be paid as provided in section 125.44.
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