Mont. Code Ann. § 23-2-524

This is the official text of Mont. Code Ann. § 23-2-524, part of Montana’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Montana, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

23-2-524 Passing rule and right-of-way

Official statutory text

23-2-524 . Passing rule and right-of-way. (1) When two vessels are approaching each other "head on" or nearly so, each vessel shall bear to the right and pass the other vessel on its left side to avoid the risk of collision.

(2) When vessels approach each other obliquely or at right angles, the vessel that has the other vessel on the starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances of the case require, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.

(3) A vessel overtaking another vessel shall keep out of the way of the vessel being overtaken.

(4) When a sailboat and motorboat are operating as to involve a risk of collision with each other, the motorboat shall yield to the sailboat in all cases.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Montana?

Find a Montana lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.