Nevada’s left turn law, spread across several sections of NRS Chapter 484B, controls where your vehicle sits in the lane, how far ahead you must signal, who yields to whom, and how you read each traffic signal. Breaking any of those rules is a civil infraction that can cost up to $500 and four demerit points, and a left-turn crash almost always puts fault on the turning driver.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A.7043 – Penalties
Where Your Car Has to Be in the Lane
NRS 484B.400 fixes your position before, during, and after the turn, and the rule changes with the type of streets involved. The common case: both streets carry two-way traffic. You approach the intersection in the portion of your side of the road closest to the centerline, then finish the turn to the right of the centerline on the new street.2Nevada Legislature. NRS Chapter 484B – Rules of the Road
One-way streets shift the geometry. Turning from a two-way onto a one-way, you still approach near the centerline but end up as close as possible to the left curb of the one-way street. Turning from a one-way onto a two-way, you start in the far-left lane and pass to the right of the centerline as you enter. When both streets are one-way, you stay on the left side through the entire maneuver.2Nevada Legislature. NRS Chapter 484B – Rules of the Road
The point of the rule is to prevent sideswipes. Cutting across lanes or drifting wide into the wrong lane is one of the easier ways to draw a citation.
How Far Ahead You Must Signal
You must signal continuously for a set distance before you begin the turn. In a business or residential district, that minimum is 100 feet. On any other road, it jumps to 300 feet.2Nevada Legislature. NRS Chapter 484B – Rules of the Road
The statute also forbids turning from a direct course unless you can do so safely. Flipping the blinker on at the last second, or killing it halfway through the turn, both fall short of the requirement.
Who Yields to Whom
NRS 484B.253 handles the collision between a left-turning car and oncoming traffic. If you’re turning left, you yield to any vehicle coming from the opposite direction that is either already in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.253 – Vehicle Turning Left
Once you’ve yielded properly and committed to the turn, the statute flips: oncoming vehicles must then yield to you. That two-part structure often decides fault in accident cases. Misjudging an approaching car’s speed is the classic cause of a left-turn crash, and the turning driver almost always carries the fault when that judgment fails.
One boundary worth knowing: the “immediate hazard” standard in NRS 484B.253 is written for intersections. Turning left across traffic into a driveway, alley, or parking lot still requires you to yield, but under general right-of-way principles rather than this specific statute.
Pedestrians are a separate obligation, and a strict one. NRS 484B.307 requires left-turning drivers to yield to pedestrians lawfully in a crosswalk under every signal phase: green arrow, circular green, or flashing yellow arrow.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.307 – Traffic Controlled by Official Traffic-Control Devices Exhibiting Different Colored Lights A green arrow means oncoming cars face red, but pedestrians may still be crossing legally, and hitting one carries the same four demerit points as failing to yield to a vehicle plus far heavier civil exposure.5Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Demerit Point System
What Each Signal Means
Green Arrow
A green left-turn arrow is a protected turn. Oncoming traffic faces red, so you can proceed through the intersection without waiting for a gap. Pedestrians in the crosswalk still have priority.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.307 – Traffic Controlled by Official Traffic-Control Devices Exhibiting Different Colored Lights
Circular Green
A solid circular green with no arrow allows the turn, but you have no priority. Oncoming traffic also has green. Enter the intersection, wait for a safe gap, and yield to both oncoming vehicles and pedestrians.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.307 – Traffic Controlled by Official Traffic-Control Devices Exhibiting Different Colored Lights
Flashing Yellow Arrow
Nevada has installed flashing yellow turn arrows at select intersections to improve traffic flow.6Nevada Department of Transportation. Flashing Yellow Arrow Turn Signal It means you may turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The statute lets you cautiously enter the intersection, but the gap is your responsibility.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.307 – Traffic Controlled by Official Traffic-Control Devices Exhibiting Different Colored Lights
Left Turn on Red
Nevada permits one specific left turn on red. If you are on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street running to your left, you may turn after a complete stop, from the extreme left lane, after yielding to pedestrians and cross-traffic. No other left-on-red scenario is legal in Nevada.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.307 – Traffic Controlled by Official Traffic-Control Devices Exhibiting Different Colored Lights
Using the Center Turn Lane
Many Nevada roads have a shared center lane marked with double yellow lines, one solid and one broken on each side. NRS 484B.223 restricts it to preparing for a left turn onto or off the road. Using it as a travel lane, passing lane, or merge lane is illegal.
The statute also sets distance limits that catch most drivers off guard. You cannot travel more than 200 feet in the center lane before completing a left turn off the highway. If you’re turning left onto the highway and using the center lane to merge, you must get into a regular travel lane within 50 feet.2Nevada Legislature. NRS Chapter 484B – Rules of the Road Enter the lane close to where you plan to turn, and turn promptly.
U-Turns
NRS 484B.403 treats U-turns as legal by default where they can be made safely, with several restrictions:7Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484B.403 – When U-turns Are Authorized and Prohibited; Additional Penalty for Violation Committed in Work Zone or Pedestrian Safety Zone
- Prohibited in business districts, unless you’re at an intersection or on a divided highway with a designated opening or crossover.
- Prohibited wherever a traffic-control device says so.
- Prohibited anywhere a local government or the Nevada Department of Transportation has posted a restriction.
Use designated crossovers on divided highways rather than cutting across medians. A U-turn violation committed in a work zone or pedestrian safety zone carries an added fine on top of the base penalty.
Fines, Points, and License Consequences
Most left-turn violations are civil infractions capped at $500 per violation under NRS 484A.7043.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 484A.7043 – Penalties Actual amounts vary by court.
The DMV adds demerit points on top:
- Failure to yield right-of-way: 4 points.
- Disobeying a traffic signal or stop sign: 4 points.
Those points stack quickly. Reach 12 or more within any 12-month period and the DMV suspends your license.8Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. Suspensions/Revocations and Reinstatement Three left-turn violations in a year puts you at that threshold. And if a bad left turn causes a collision, the civil liability in a personal injury claim can run far beyond any traffic fine.