Cultivar and/or application of early-season (starter) nitrogen (N) fertilizer may influence rice tolerance to clomazone. Field studies were conducted to compare the response of hybrid and inbred rice cultivars to applications of clomazone and starter N fertilizer treatments. The inbred cultivar ‘Cocodrie’ and the hybrid cultivar ‘XL723’ were treated with clomazone at 0, 420, or 672 g ai ha−1 immediately after seeding, and starter N fertilizer was applied at 0 or 24 kg N ha−1 when rice reached the two-leaf growth stage. Pooled across clomazone rates and starter N fertilizer treatments, height of Cocodrie 1 week after emergence (WAE) was greater than that of XL723 in 1 of 3 yr. The difference in height between Cocodrie and XL723 resulted from greater clomazone injury 1 WAE on XL723 compared with Cocodrie. No differences in rice height 3 WAE were detected between Cocodrie and XL723 in 2 of 3 yr. when data were pooled across clomazone rates and starter N fertilizer treatments. Injury 3 WAE was similar for Cocodrie across the 3 yr., but injury on XL723 was greater in 1 of 3 yr. Rough rice yield was lower in plots treated with either rate of clomazone where no starter N fertilizer treatment was applied; however, in plots receiving a starter N fertilizer treatment, no effect of clomazone rate on rough rice yield was observed. Clomazone rate did not influence rough rice yield of Cocodrie in any single yr., but rough rice yields of XL723 were lower in plots receiving clomazone compared with plots that received no clomazone in 1 of 3 yr. Therefore, differential susceptibility to clomazone between Cocodrie and XL723 exists based on early-season response and rough rice yield. Starter N fertilizer treatments were beneficial for overcoming yield reductions due to clomazone injury.