Title 33, Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-102
§2071 Inland Navigation Rules
Title 33 › CHAPTER 34 — INLAND NAVIGATIONAL RULES › SUBCHAPTER II — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 2071
Summary
The Secretary of the department that oversees the Coast Guard can make rules for all vessels on U.S. inland waters. Those rules can include technical appendices, and they must be made to match as closely as possible the corresponding parts of the International Regulations.
Full Legal Text
Title 33, §2071
Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating may issue inland navigation regulations applicable to all vessels upon the inland waters of the United States and technical annexes that are as consistent as possible with the respective annexes to the International Regulations.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The International
Regulations
, referred to in text, came into effect pursuant to the Convention on the International
Regulations
for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972. See International
Regulations
for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 note under section 1602 of this title.
Amendments
2004—Pub. L. 108–293 amended section catchline and text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary may issue
Regulations
necessary to implement and interpret this chapter. The Secretary shall establish the following technical annexes to these Rules: Annex I, Positioning and Technical Details of Lights and Shapes; Annex II, Additional Signals for Fishing Vessels Fishing in Close Proximity; Annex III, Technical Details of Sound Appliances; and Annex IV, Distress Signals. These annexes shall be as consistent as possible with the respective annexes to the International
Regulations
. The Secretary may establish other technical annexes, including local pilot rules.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
33 U.S.C. § 2071
Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102