Can You Pass on a Solid Yellow Line in California?

The handbook puts it plainly: if there is only one lane of traffic going your direction and a solid yellow line on your side of the road, do not pass the vehicle in front of you. It does not matter how slow that vehicle is or how empty the road looks.

Look at which line is nearest to you. Many two-lane roads paint a solid line beside a broken one, so drivers going one way may pass while drivers going the other way may not. A broken yellow line next to your lane means you may pass, and only when it is safe.

Double solid yellow lines are stricter still. You stay to the right of them, crossing only in the few cases the handbook lists, such as turning left into a driveway or when signs send you around a closed lane.

Source: California Driver's Handbook (2025), page 13. Read the handbook ↗