§511 — Title 14 Coast Guard | U.S. Code

Summary

The Commandant must keep certain Coast Guard records for however long the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) allows. Messages posted on the Coast Guard message board on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act must be saved and made public when possible, following the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and other laws. Commandant Instruction Manuals and Coast Guard Academy Superintendent Instruction Manuals in effect on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act must be kept as temporary records for at least 15 years or for the retention period NARA approves. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every year after, the Commandant must send Congress a report that lists all repeating reporting requirements for the Coast Guard, estimates the yearly cost and staff hours to meet them, and recommends which requirements could be ended, combined, or automated to save time while following applicable laws. The "Coast Guard message board" means the official platform for time‑sensitive, service‑wide administrative messages such as ALCOAST, ALCGPSC, and ALCGENL.

Title 14, §511

Coast Guard — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Commandant shall designate as a record of the Coast Guard, and ensure the longest possible retention approved by the National Archives and Records Administration of, each message placed on Coast Guard message board on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act on a publicly available website to the maximum extent possible, in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and other applicable laws.

(b)The Commandant shall designate as a temporary record of the Coast Guard, and ensure the retention for a period not less than 15 years of or the retention approved by the National Archives & Records Administration, each Commandant Instruction Manual and Coast Guard Academy Superintendent Instruction Manual, including all versions thereof, in effect on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(c)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Commandant shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that—

(1)identifies all current recurrent requirements for reports to Congress applicable to the Coast Guard;

(2)estimates the total annual cost and staff hours required for compliance with such requirements; and

(3)provides recommendations to Congress for sunset, consolidation, or automation of such requirements to improve efficiency, consistent applicable laws.

(d)(1)CST and T&I 11 So in original.

(2)The term “Coast Guard message board” means the Coast Guard official platform for disseminating time-sensitive or service-wide administrative information to Coast Guard personnel, including the publishing of official general messages including ALCOAST, ALCGPSC, ALCGENL, and similar formats that provide timely policy updates, operational guidance, or announcements to the field.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of this Act, referred to in subsecs. (a) to (c), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 119–60, which was approved Dec. 18, 2025.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 511 was renumbered section 2763 of this title. For redesignation of prior sections 512 to 520, see Table Showing Redesignations Made by Title I of Pub. L. 115–282 preceding section 101 of this title.

§511 Retention of Certain Records