1. Vessel traffic shall be governed by the following rules:

 a. Passing from rear – keep to the operator‘s left.
 b. Passing head on – keep to the operator’s right.
 c. Passing at right angles – vessel at the right has the right-of-way.
 d. Manually propelled vessels have the right-of-way over all other vessels.
 e. Sailboats have the right-of-way over all motor driven vessels. Motorboats, when meeting or overtaking sailboats, shall always pass on the leeward side.
 f. Any vessel backing from a landing has the right-of-way over incoming vessels.
 g. When necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare due to the physical nature and characteristics of any waters under the jurisdiction of the commission, the commission may promulgate further rules governing vessel traffic on such waters.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 462A.26

  • Commission: means the natural resource commission. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Motorboat: means any vessel propelled by an inboard, inboard-outdrive, or outboard engine, whether or not such engine is the principal source of propulsion. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • Operator: means a person who operates or is in actual physical control of a vessel. See Iowa Code 462A.2
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Vessel: means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water or ice. See Iowa Code 462A.2
 2. The commission may adopt rules governing all activities on waters and ice of this state under the jurisdiction of the commission, including impoundments constructed by or in cooperation with the federal government, when necessary and desirable to permit appropriate utilization of specific water areas, consistent with section 462A.3. The rules may include rules relating to the following:

 a. Zoning as to area, activity, vessel, or vehicle, speed, and time of day during which specified activities are permitted.
 b. Horsepower, size, and types of vessels and vehicles which may be operated.
 c. Safety precautions and practices required.
 3. Except as provided in special rules promulgated under this chapter, the following speed and distance regulations apply:

 a. On all waters under the jurisdiction of the commission:

 (1) A motorboat shall not be operated at speeds greater than five miles per hour when within one hundred feet of another craft traveling at five miles per hour or less.
 (2) Motorboats shall maintain a minimum passing or meeting distance of fifty feet when both boats are traveling at speeds greater than five miles per hour.
 (3) A motorboat shall not be operated at a speed exceeding ten miles per hour unless vision is unobstructed at least two hundred feet ahead.
 b. On all inland lakes and federal impoundments under the jurisdiction of the commission, a motorboat shall not be operated within three hundred feet of shore at a speed greater than ten miles per hour.
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