Yellow center lines: what they mean

Yellow center lines diagram: on a two-lane road, double solid yellow lines, then a solid line beside a broken line, then a single broken yellow line
Diagram: DriveQuiz. Simplified, not to scale.

Yellow center lines separate traffic going in opposite directions. A broken line on your side means you may pass with care; a solid line on your side means you may not.

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What it means

MUTCD Section 3A.03: yellow lines separate traffic traveling in opposite directions. Section 3B.01 sets out the center lines on two-lane, two-way roads: a single broken yellow line, where passing with care is allowed in both directions; a broken line beside a solid line, where traffic next to the broken line may pass but traffic next to the solid line may not; and double solid yellow lines, where passing is prohibited in both directions.

A single solid yellow line is not used as a center line on a two-way road (Section 3B.01).

Where you see it

Down the middle of two-way roads. No-passing zones are marked at curves, hills and other places where you cannot see far enough ahead (Section 3B.03).

A common mistake

Looking at the wrong line. Only the line on your side of the road tells you whether you may pass.

Quick quiz

On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line is next to your lane and a broken one is next to the other lane. May you pass?

  1. No
  2. Yes, when it is clear
  3. Only during the day
Show answer

A. No. Section 3B.01: passing is prohibited for traffic traveling next to the solid line. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 3, Markings: Sections 3A.03, 3B.01, 3B.03, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Compare with

Next in pavement markings: White lane lines. See all pavement markings or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 3, Markings: Sections 3A.03, 3B.01, 3B.03, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.