Legal Status
Coast Guard
Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard was established by act of January 28, 1915 (14 U.S.C. 1) and became a component of the Department of Transportation on April 1, 1967, pursuant to the Department of Transportation Act of October 15, 1966. Following the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, The Coast Guard was transferred from Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003 (116 Stat. 2135).
The Coast Guard protects the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests in the Nation's ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region, as required, to support national security. Among its duties are: search and rescue operations in and over the high seas and navigable waters, maritime law enforcement, marine inspection and licensing, pilotage of the Great Lakes, protection of the marine environment by enforcing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, ensuring the safety and security of ports and anchorages, maintaining the management of waterways, providing navigational aids, and regulating the construction, maintenance and operation of bridges and causeways across navigable waters.
- Agency URL:
- http://www.uscg.mil/
- Parent Agency
- Homeland Security Department
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Outer Continental Shelf Activities
The Coast Guard is withdrawing the proposed rule entitled ``Outer Continental Shelf Activities'' that we published on December 7, 1999. The Coast Guard is withdrawing this proposed rule due to the passage of time, advances in technology, and changes in industry practices that have rendered the proposed rule obsolete.
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Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)-Reader Requirements
The Coast Guard is issuing a final rule to require owners and operators of certain vessels and facilities regulated by the Coast Guard to conduct electronic inspections of Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWICs) as an access control measure. This final rule also implements recordkeeping requirements and security plan amendments...
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Commercial Fishing Vessels-Implementation of 2010 and 2012 Legislation
The Coast Guard is extending, for 90 days, the period for submitting public comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). The extension responds to a request made by the public.
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Inspection of Towing Vessels
The Coast Guard is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on June 20, 2016 (81 FR 40004). The document issued safety regulations governing the inspection, standards, and safety management systems of towing vessels. In that document there are errors in three regulations that refer to the date July 20, 2016. This rule...
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Inspection of Towing Vessels
The Coast Guard announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the collection of information described in the Inspection of Towing Vessels final rule published on June 20, 2016. In that rule, which establishes safety regulations governing the inspection, standards, and safety management systems of towing vessels, we stated...
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Safety Zone; Mississippi Canyon Block 20, South of New Orleans, LA, Gulf of Mexico
The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary moving safety zone around the research vessel OCEAN INTERVENTION II operating in the Mississippi Canyon Block 20 in the Gulf of Mexico. The safety zone encompasses all navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the vessel. The safety zone is needed to protect persons, vessels, and the marine...
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Safety Zone; Arthur Kill and Old Place Creek, Elizabeth, NJ and Staten Island, NY
The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for navigable waters within a 500-yard radius of the old Goethals Bridge Pier C on the Staten Island, NY side of the Federal navigation channel. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by underwater explosives...
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Security Zones; Annual Events in the Captain of the Port Detroit Zone-North American International Auto Show, Detroit River, Detroit MI
The Coast Guard will enforce a security zone associated with the North American International Auto Show, Detroit River, Detroit, MI. This security zone is intended to restrict vessels from a portion of the Detroit River in order to ensure the safety and security of participants, visitors, and public officials at the North American International...
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Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Delaware River, Burlington, NJ and Bristol, PA
The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the SR 413/Burlington-Bristol bridge, which carries SR 413 across the Delaware River, mile 117.8, between Burlington, NJ and Bristol, PA. The deviation is necessary to facilitate an inspection and bridge maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to...
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Special Local Regulation: Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Holiday Boat Parade
The Coast Guard will enforce a special local regulation on December 15, 2018 from 2:00 p.m. through 11:30 p.m. to provide for the safety and security of navigable waterways during the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Holiday Boat Parade. During the enforcement period, all non-participant persons and vessels will be prohibited from entering,...
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Safety Zone; Annual Fireworks Displays Within the Sector Columbia River Captain of the Port Zone
The Coast Guard is revising the regulation for safety zones for annual fireworks displays in the Captain of the Port Zone Columbia River. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on navigable waters during the fireworks displays. This rule includes updating 3 existing safety zones, adding 1 safety zone for a fireworks display...
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Safety Zones; Humboldt Bay Bar and Entrance Channel, Eureka, CA, Noyo River Entrance Channel, Ft. Bragg, CA, and Crescent City Harbor Entrance Channel, Crescent City, CA
The Coast Guard is establishing temporary safety zones in the navigable waters of the Humboldt Bay Bar and Entrance Channel, of Eureka, CA, Noyo River Entrance Channel, of Fort Bragg, CA, and Crescent City Harbor Entrance Channel, of Crescent City, CA to safeguard navigation safety during extreme environmental conditions. These safety zones are...
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Drawbridge Operation Regulation; South Branch of the Elizabeth River, Chesapeake, VA
The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the Norfolk Southern #7 Railroad Bridge across the South Branch of the Elizabeth River, mile 5.8, at Chesapeake, VA. The deviation is necessary to facilitate maintenance. This deviation allows the bridge to remain in the closed-to-navigation position.
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Recurring Safety Zone; Steelers Fireworks, Pittsburgh, PA
The Coast Guard will enforce the safety zone for the Pittsburgh Steelers Fireworks to provide for the safety of persons, vessels, and the marine environment on the navigable waters of the Allegheny, Ohio, and Monongahela Rivers during this event. Our regulation for marine events within the Eighth Coast Guard District identifies the regulated...
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Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, Chesapeake, VA
The Coast Guard has issued a temporary deviation from the operating schedule that governs the S168/Great Bridge bridge. This bridge carries SR168 (Battlefield Boulevard South) over the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AICW), Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, mile 12.0, at Chesapeake, VA. The deviation is necessary to facilitate the Annual...