Commandant
United States Coast Guard
2100 Second Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20593-0001

COMDTINST 1000.1A
Jun 17 2005
COMMANDANT INSTRUCTION 1000.1A

Subj: TATTOO, BODY MARKING, BODY PIERCING, AND MUTILATION POLICY

Ref: (a) Uniform Regulations, COMDTINST M1020.6 (series)(b) Medical Manual, COMDTINST M6000.1 (series)

1. PURPOSE. This Instruction amends the Coast Guard’s Tattoo and Body Markings Policy to include both new accessions and current active duty/reserve members, and establishes new guidelines governing content, location, and amount of body coverage. Additionally, this policy reinforces the prohibition against other forms of intentional body mutilation.

2. ACTION. Area and district commanders, commanders of maintenance and logistics commands, commanding officers of headquarters units, assistant commandants for directorates, Judge Advocate General, and special staff offices at Headquarters shall ensure compliance with the provisions of this Instruction. Commander, Coast Guard Recruiting Command (CGRC) shall ensure compliance with this policy for all enlisted and officer accessions other than the Coast Guard Academy; CGRC is the final approving authority for all accession tattoo issues other than those on cadets and shall note any such approval on a CG Form 3307 prior to applicant’s arrival at the accession point. The Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy shall ensure compliance with this policy for all cadets. Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Training Center Cape May shall annotate recruit records as appropriate. Commandant (CG-122) shall be the final authority for determinations involving the acceptability of tattoos/brands on personnel being considered for discharge and for any other cases in which there are questions concerning applicability of this Instruction. Internet release authorized.

3. DIRECTIVES AFFECTED. Tattoo and Body Markings Policy for Coast Guard Accessions, COMDTINST 1000.1, is cancelled. The following instructions will be amended to reflect this policy: Uniform Regulations, COMDTINST M1020.6 (series); Coast Guard Recruiting Manual, COMDTINST M1100.2 (series); and the Personnel Manual, COMDTINST M1000.6 (series).

4. BACKGROUND. Our current policy on tattoos, branding, piercing, and other forms of body art has not changed appreciably over the past thirty years. Our standards date back to a time when tattooing was restricted to a very small portion of society, branding was almost unheard of, and piercing was limited to earlobes. Consequently, there was little practical need to spell out, in great detail, the do’s and don'ts of body art. Clearly, times have changed. Tattooing has exploded in popularity and now touches all segments of our society. While branding remains far less popular, it is common in some social circles. As for piercing, one only needs to walk through the shopping mall or along the beach to see how much things have changed over the course of the last decade or so. These trends have gradually eased their way into our military workforce. However, given our role as a military service and as a federal law enforcement agency along with our level of daily contact with the general public, we cannot allow ourselves to be guided solely by social trends and fashion. Therefore, the time has come to recalibrate and affirm our standards for tattoos, branding, piercing, and other forms of body art that are consistent with the requirement to maintain a sharp, professional military image to the public we serve. Our intent is not to draw undue attention to members of our team who already have tattoos or brands. Where appropriate, we have incorporated a grandfathering feature into certain aspects of the new policy that will apply to all current members for the remainder of their careers. Heavy tattooing found its way into our organization over time. It will take time to ease our way back to a more desirable state.

5. POLICY.

a. Location. No tattoo or brand, of any type, is authorized on the head, face, neck, or hands. The dark blue Coast Guard T-shirt collar shall be the reference point for the back and sides of the neck; i.e., no tattoo or brand may be visible above the collar of the T-shirt on the neck. In the case of a tattoo or brand very near the collarbone, a final evaluation shall be made to ensure that no tattoo or brand is visible when wearing a v-neck undershirt and an open collar shirt. The wrist bone shall be the reference point for tattoos or brands on the hands. No tattoos or brands shall be visible below the wrist bone.

b. Content. Tattoos or brands anywhere on the body that promote racism/discrimination, indecency, extremist or supremacist philosophies, lawlessness, violence, or sexually explicit material are prohibited.

Racist or discriminatory tattoos or brands are those that advocate the degradation of a person based on race, ethnicity, national origin, or gender
Indecent or sexually explicit tattoos or brands are those that contain a visual image, the dominant theme of which depicts or promotes graphic nudity, including sexual activities or organs, in a lustful way. Tattoos featuring fully exposed nudity are prohibited.

Extremist tattoos or brands are those that depict or promote extremist activities or organizations that advocate hatred, intolerance, or lawlessness (e.g., terrorist groups, neo- Nazis, skinheads, outlaw gangs, Confederate Flag, extreme political organizations with violent histories). Because some extremist/criminal groups and organizations exploit popular symbols (e.g., cartoon characters), care must be taken in evaluating such tattoos or brands so as not to implicate members who may have selected the tattoo or brand based on its artistic value rather than a hidden meaning. In these cases, a determination will be made based on the totality of thematic elements expressed by tattoos or brands elsewhere on the body.

Tattoos or brands labeled violent or promoting lawlessness are those that depict extreme graphic violence, profanity, glorifications of drug culture, or markings that can reasonably be interpreted as anti-government in nature.

c. Size or Coverage of Area. Excessive tattooing or branding is defined as that which results in more than 25% of an exposed limb (arm/leg) being adorned, and is not authorized. The exposed area shall be regarded as the zone between the member’s elbow and wrist or the knee and the ankle. A complex tattoo (mural, serpentine, etc.) that dominates a given area shall be regarded as full coverage for the purpose of determining excessiveness, regardless of any un-tattooed area within the larger picture. Coverage shall be determined by visual approximation. The measuring of individual limbs is not intended or desired. In the case of branding, no more than one brand, not to exceed 4” x 4”, may appear anywhere on the body.

d. Body Piercing. No piercing, other than those for earrings as described below, shall be made through the ear, nose, tongue, chin, eyebrow, or any other body part that would be visible while in any uniform. This prohibition applies to male and female members alike and is specifically intended to limit the less than military appearance associated with vacant holes in the face and other exposed areas of the body. Other piercing concealed by the uniform (such as navel and nipples) are strongly discouraged due to the potential for infection and medical complications. Under no circumstance shall such concealed piercing and accompanying jewelry be visible through, or interfere with, the professional appearance of the member in uniform, nor shall such jewelry be visible while onboard a Coast Guard unit. Piercing in the ear shall not exceed two per ear lobe and shall be small and inconspicuous. Additional piercing in the ear lobes and cartilage are prohibited. Guidance regarding the wearing of earrings by women while in uniform, can be found in Uniform Regulations, COMDTINST M1020.6 (series). All members are prohibited from wearing forms of facial jewelry (other than earrings for women) while in uniform, on board a military installation, or while attending a command sponsored event. Those personnel with preexisting unauthorized piercing shall discontinue the use of those piercing to allow for eventual healing. Questionable cases should be referred to Commandant (CG-122) for final determination.

d. Body Mutilation or Modification. Other forms of intentional body mutilation or modification (e.g. scarring, excessive ear piercing/stretching, tongue splitting, beneath the skin decorative implants, decorative tooth plating/engraving, etc.) are not authorized. This does not include traditional elective medical procedures (e.g., teeth straightening, breast augmentation, cosmetic plastic surgery, etc.).

e. Disqualifying Tattoos, Brands, Piercings, or Mutilations. Applicants for enlistment or appointment with prohibited tattoos, brands, or mutilations described in paragraph 5.a. to 5.e. shall not be permitted to join the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Reserve. Initially unqualified applicants who choose to either alter or remove a disqualifying tattoo, brand, or mutilation may be reconsidered at a later date, provided they remain qualified in all other respects. However, no commitment shall be made suggesting that the removal or alteration of a tattoo or brand will ensure Coast Guard acceptance. Applicants with excess piercings that do not rise to the level of mutilation, shall be given the option of discontinuing the use of the unauthorized piercings throughout their Coast Guard service.

f. Current Member Violations. Current active and reserve members whose tattoos or brands are determined to violate this Instruction shall be given the opportunity to seek competent medical advice regarding the removal or alteration of the disqualifying tattoo or brand. Members who refuse to take the necessary steps to satisfy the requirements of this policy shall be separated from the service. Current active, reserve, and delayed enlistment personnel with excessive tattooing or branding on exposed limbs, including on the hands, prior to the date of this Instruction shall be “grandfathered" indefinitely, and are prohibited from getting additional tattoos or branding in the exposed area(s) already determined to be excessive. These cases shall be documented using an Administrative Remarks, Form CG-3307, in accordance with the sample provided in enclosure

(1). Tattoos or branding that are prohibited by paragraph 5.a. or 5.b. are not grandfathered. Similar documentation may be appropriate for preexisting tattoos/brands whose content requires a judgment call. This paragraph is specifically not intended to promote a service-wide inspection or evaluation of tattoos. Rather, it is intended to promote, when appropriate, an initial determination by a competent command authority, to preclude repeated reevaluation by future commands. Members who have tattoos or brands are encouraged to request their unit commander document grandfathered tattoos or brands by a Form CG-3307.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT AND IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS. Environmental considerations were examined in the development of the directive and have been determined to be not applicable.

7. FORMS AVAILABILITY. Administrative Remarks, CG 3307, and Tattoo Screening Form, CG-6052 (1-05) are available in USCG Electronic Forms or on the Internet at
http://www.uscg.mil/ccs/cit/cim/forms1/welcome.htm or the Intranet at http://cgweb.uscg.mil/g-c/g-
ccs/g-cit/g-cim/forms1/main.asp. The Tattoo Screening Form, CG-6052 (1-05) is also attached to this

Instruction as Enclosure (4).