Is the 1918 mask law still on the books in Elko?

No. Despite listicle claims, the current Elko City Code contains no mask provision. The 1918 ordinances were emergency public-health measures that lapsed or were repealed after the epidemic ended. The law was real and genuinely enforced — it just hasn't existed for over a century.

What did the 1918 Las Vegas mask ordinance require?

Las Vegas Ordinance No. 73, adopted unanimously on November 4, 1918 and in force within about two hours of drafting, required four-layer gauze masks measuring 5 by 8 inches, worn firmly over the nose and mouth and sterilized at least every four hours. Violators faced fines of $5 to $100.

REPEALED

It's Illegal to Walk Around Elko Without a Flu Mask

Q: Did Elko, Nevada really jail people for not wearing masks in 1918?

Yes. Fourteen men appeared in Elko court on November 9, 1918 for failing to wear masks during the Spanish influenza epidemic — one was turned loose, several were fined $5, and one went to jail. Towns across Nevada, from Reno to Goldfield and Tonopah, enforced similar emergency mask ordinances that fall.

Elko🏜️ Small-Town OdditiesElko mask ordinance, November 1918 (lapsed after the epidemic)

In November 1918, Elko really did haul fourteen bare-faced men into court in a single day — $5 fines, one jailed. Listicles claim the mask law is still on Elko's books. It isn't.

This one is real — just not current. In October and November 1918, as the Spanish influenza epidemic tore through Nevada's mining towns, the State Board of Health under Dr. Simeon Lemuel Lee ordered statewide closures, and towns from Reno to Elko to Goldfield and Tonopah enacted mandatory-mask ordinances. These were emergency public-health measures, and they had teeth.

Las Vegas shows how fast they moved: the city adopted Ordinance No. 73 unanimously on November 4, 1918, drafted and in force within about two hours. It required four-layer gauze masks, 5" x 8", worn firmly over the nose and mouth and sterilized at least every four hours, with fines of $5 to $100. Enforcement was genuine. Fourteen men appeared in Elko court on November 9, 1918 for failing to wear masks — one was 'turned loose,' several were fined $5, and one went to jail. In Las Vegas, four men were arrested on November 8; the judge released them with a warning because the jail was already full.

The listicle version gets one thing wrong: claims that the mask law is 'still on Elko's books' are unsupported. The modern Elko City Code contains no such chapter. Real law, real enforcement, long gone — the ordinances lapsed or were repealed after the epidemic passed.

What the Law Actually Says

Elko mask ordinance, November 1918 (lapsed after the epidemic)

Read the official statute

Has Anyone Actually Been Cited?

Fourteen men appeared in Elko court on November 9, 1918 for failing to wear masks — several fined $5, one jailed, one released. Four Las Vegas arrests on November 8, 1918 ended in warnings because the jail was full of flu-order violators.

The Attorney's Take

Thomas Boley, Las Vegas Criminal Defense Attorney

“The 1918 mask ordinances are a great reminder that criminal law can move fast in an emergency — Las Vegas drafted and enacted one in about two hours, and courts were fining people within days. Emergency orders in our own era worked the same way, and people got cited under rules that hadn't existed a week earlier. If you're charged under any ordinance, the first question I ask is whether it was actually valid and in force when you allegedly violated it.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Verified against the primary source: 2026-07-02