Coast Guard Boarding Policy

The Coast Guard is the primary maritime law enforcement agency of the government. As such, it is authorized to board vessels upon the high seas and upon waters over which the United States has jurisdiction to make inquires, examinations, inspections, searches, seizures and arrests.

Units of other agencies of the law enforcement community - city police, sheriffs’ departments, state marine units, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Customs - also conduct the enforcement of marine laws within their areas of responsibility.

During peacetime, the Coast Guard is under the Department of Transportation. Otherwise, it serves under the Department of the Navy.

What should you expect if a Coast Guard boat stops you? A uniformed Coast Guard boarding team will notify you that they are coming aboard to conduct a Coast Guard boarding. Like other law enforcement officers, they will be armed. Once on board they will conduct an initial safety inspection to identify any obvious safety hazards and to ensure the sea worthiness of your vessel.

The boarding officer will then ask to see the vessel registration or documentation, and he will proceed to inspect the vessel’s regulatory status - commercial, recreational, passenger, cargo, and/or fishing vessel. He will also check for compliance with any civil law applicable to the status of the vessel. He may also enforce U.S. criminal law.

When the inspection is complete, the boarding officer will fill out a Coast Guard boarding form and note any discrepancies. You will get a signed copy before they depart.

When the boarding officer issues you a boarding report, he will either issue a yellow copy if no discrepancies were noted or a white copy if there were any. A white copy will indicate a warning or a notice of violation. The boarding officer should explain the procedures to follow. In any event, those procedures are written on the reverse of the form.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has no law enforcement powers. The goal of the Auxiliary is to educate the public on boat safety and render service to disable boaters - including Search and Rescue - by working closely with the Coast Guard.

If you have any questions, ask the boarding officer or call the Coast Guard Customer Information Line at 1-800-368-5647.

 

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Page last revised on - 07/06/2004