Coast Guard phone numbers by sector and region
Life in danger: VHF Channel 16 (or your radio’s red DSC button), or dial 911. On inland lakes and rivers, call 911.
“People in an emergency and need of Coast Guard assistance should use: VHF-FM Channel 16 (156.8 MHz), dial 911.”
U.S. Coast Guard, uscg.mil/contact
Every Coast Guard sector runs a 24-hour command center. Below is each sector’s line as published on its official uscg.mil page, plus the regional rescue coordination centers. Some sector pages label the line for emergencies or search and rescue; the Coast Guard’s national guidance still puts Channel 16 and 911 first. Use these lines as your second number, for example to report an overdue boat.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911
Northeast District
Boston, MA · District 1
Sector Northern New England
Maine and New Hampshire coast from the MA/NH line (42.87N) to the Canadian border, offshore to the EEZ (Gulf of Maine); also Lake Champlain and northeastern New York. Office South Portland, ME.
Covers: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York
Sector Boston
Massachusetts coast from the NH border south to Plymouth (Manomet Point), Massachusetts Bay, out to 200 nm (EEZ).
Covers: Massachusetts
Sector Southeastern New England
Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts incl. Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Buzzards Bay, offshore to the EEZ (Georges Bank south).
Covers: Massachusetts, Rhode Island
Sector Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound, Connecticut coast, Long Island (south shore east of ~73.77W, Peconic/Montauk) and an offshore wedge to the EEZ. Office New Haven, CT.
Covers: Connecticut, New York
Sector New York
Port of NY/NJ, New Jersey coast north of 40.3N (Sandy Hook), western Long Island south shore, Hudson River north to just south of Lake Champlain, East River; offshore wedge.
Covers: New York, New Jersey
East District
Portsmouth, VA · District 5
Sector Delaware Bay
New Jersey coast south of 40.3N, Delaware Bay and River (to Trenton and beyond), Delaware coast to Fenwick Island, offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania
Sector Maryland-National Capital Region
Maryland Chesapeake Bay and tributaries, Potomac River / Washington DC, Maryland Atlantic coast (Ocean City) and a narrow offshore wedge.
Covers: Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia
Sector Virginia
Virginia: lower Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads, James/York/Rappahannock rivers, Eastern Shore of VA, offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: Virginia
Sector North Carolina
Entire North Carolina coast incl. Outer Banks, Pamlico/Albemarle Sounds, Cape Hatteras/Lookout/Fear, offshore to the EEZ. Office Wilmington, NC.
Covers: North Carolina
Southeast District
Miami, FL · District 7
Sector Charleston
South Carolina and Georgia coast (incl. MSU Savannah), offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: South Carolina, Georgia
Sector Jacksonville
Northeast Florida Atlantic coast from the GA line (30.83N) to ~28.0N (Cape Canaveral area), St. Johns River, offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: Florida
Sector Miami
Southeast Florida Atlantic coast from 28.0N to Miami-Dade, out to the EEZ/Bahamas boundary.
Covers: Florida
Sector Key West
Florida Keys, Florida Bay, Straits of Florida to the Cuba/Bahamas maritime boundaries.
Covers: Florida
Sector St. Petersburg
Florida Gulf coast from the Big Bend (Wakulla/Jefferson line, 84.07W) south to Collier County (Naples), eastern Gulf offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: Florida
Sector San Juan
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and adjacent waters to the EEZ; also JRSC San Juan (sub-center of JRCC Miami) for the eastern Caribbean search and rescue region.
Covers: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
Heartland District
New Orleans, LA · District 8
The river sectors cover the Mississippi, Ohio and connected river systems. On rivers and inland lakes, search and rescue for local incidents is normally handled by state and county responders: call 911.
Sector Mobile
Gulf coast from the Florida Big Bend (84.07W) west to the Pearl River (MS/LA line), incl. Pensacola, Panama City, Mobile Bay, Mississippi Sound; offshore to the EEZ; plus Alabama/Black Warrior/Tombigbee rivers.
Covers: Alabama, Mississippi, Florida
Sector New Orleans
Southeast Louisiana coast and offshore (88.0W to 92.62W) incl. Mississippi River below Baton Rouge area, Lake Pontchartrain, Houma/Terrebonne (MSU Houma).
Covers: Louisiana
Sector Houston-Galveston
Upper Texas coast (Colorado River mouth to Sabine) and SW Louisiana west of 92.62W (Lake Charles, Port Arthur), offshore to the EEZ; Houston Ship Channel, Galveston Bay.
Sector Corpus Christi
Lower Texas coast from the Colorado River mouth (~95.98W) to the Mexican border (Rio Grande), Laguna Madre, offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: Texas
Sector Upper Mississippi River
Inland: Upper Mississippi above mile 109.9 (north of Cairo area), Missouri River, Illinois River below 41N and tributaries. Office St. Louis, MO.
Covers: Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming
Sector Ohio Valley
Inland: Ohio River (Pittsburgh to Cairo), Tennessee, Cumberland, Kanawha, Monongahela, Allegheny rivers; Kentucky Lake / Lake Barkley. Office Louisville, KY.
Covers: Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Mississippi
Great Lakes District
Cleveland, OH · District 9
Sector Eastern Great Lakes
Lake Erie east of 82.42W (US side), Niagara River, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River to 74.65W. Formerly 'Sector Buffalo'. Office Buffalo, NY.
Covers: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Sector Detroit
Western Lake Erie (west of 82.42W), Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River, southern Lake Huron (south of 44.72N incl. Saginaw Bay).
Sector Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan (except the northern end, which belongs to Sector Northern Great Lakes) incl. southern Green Bay. Office Milwaukee, WI.
Sector Northern Great Lakes
Lake Superior (incl. MSU Duluth area), St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, northern Lake Michigan and northern Lake Huron (north of 44.72N). Formerly 'Sector Sault Sainte Marie'.
Southwest District
Alameda, CA · District 11
Sector San Diego
San Diego County coast to the Mexican border, offshore to the EEZ; also Colorado River / Lake Havasu / Lake Mead area inland.
Covers: California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah
Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach
Southern/central California coast from the Orange/San Diego county line north to the Monterey/San Luis Obispo line, Channel Islands, offshore to the EEZ. Office San Pedro, CA.
Covers: California
Sector San Francisco
Central/northern California coast from the Monterey/SLO line to the Mendocino/Sonoma line (38.78N) for SAR, San Francisco Bay, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, offshore to the EEZ.
Covers: California, Nevada, Utah
Sector Humboldt Bay
SAR Mission Coordinator zone: Mendocino/Sonoma line (38.78N) north to the Oregon border (42.0N), offshore to the EEZ, plus inland northern CA counties (33 CFR 3.55-25).
Covers: California
Northwest District
Seattle, WA · District 13
Sector Columbia River
Entire Oregon coast (incl. former Sector North Bend area, disestablished 2023), southern Washington coast south of 47.53N, Columbia and Snake rivers, offshore to the EEZ. Office Portland, OR (air station at Warrenton/Astoria).
Covers: Oregon, Washington, Idaho
Sector Puget Sound
Northern Washington coast north of 47.53N, Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands, Puget Sound, Lake Washington, offshore to the EEZ. Office Seattle, WA.
Covers: Washington, Idaho, Montana
Oceania District
Honolulu, HI · District 14
Sector Honolulu
Hawaiian Islands incl. Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to the EEZ; also American Samoa, Johnston, Palmyra, Kingman, Wake, Jarvis, Howland/Baker, Midway (33 CFR 3.70-10).
Covers: Hawaii, American Samoa
U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam
Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to the EEZ; JRSC Guam (sub-center of JRCC Honolulu) for the far western Pacific.
Covers: Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
Arctic District
Juneau, AK · District 17
Sector Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska / Inside Passage from Dixon Entrance (54.67N) to Yakutat/142W, offshore to the EEZ. Office Juneau.
Covers: Alaska
Sector Western Alaska & U.S. Arctic
All Alaska waters west of 142W: Prince William Sound (MSU Valdez), Cook Inlet, Kodiak, Aleutians, Bering Sea, Chukchi and Beaufort seas to the EEZ. Renamed from Sector Anchorage on 19 Apr 2024. Office JBER, Anchorage.
Covers: Alaska
Rescue coordination centers (24 hours)
The Coast Guard’s regional rescue coordination centers, from its national RCC numbers page. NAVCEN lists them as “24 hour Regional Contacts for Emergencies. Use this if you have access to cell or satellite telephone.”
| Center | Phone | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Area SAR Coordinator Portsmouth, VA | (833) 453-1009 | Overall: RCC Boston, Norfolk, Miami, RSC San Juan, New Orleans, Cleveland + North Atlantic to 40W |
| JRCC Boston Boston, MA | (866) 842-1560 | New England down to a portion of northern New Jersey plus U.S. waters of Lake Champlain |
| JRCC Norfolk Portsmouth, VA | (833) 453-1269 | Mid-Atlantic incl. most of New Jersey down to the NC/SC border |
| JRCC Miami Miami, FL | (800) 874-7561 | SC/NC border around to the eastern Florida panhandle plus a large portion of the Caribbean |
| JRSC San Juan (sub-center of JRCC Miami) San Juan, PR | (833) 453-1267 | Southeast portion of the Caribbean Sea |
| JRCC New Orleans New Orleans, LA | (855) 485-3727 | Florida panhandle to the Mexican border plus inland rivers (Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and tributaries) |
| JRCC Cleveland Cleveland, OH | (800) 321-4400 | U.S. waters of the Great Lakes, connecting rivers and tributaries |
| Pacific Area SAR Coordinator Alameda, CA | (800) 246-7236 | Overall: RCC Alameda, Seattle, Honolulu, Juneau |
| JRCC Alameda Alameda, CA | (800) 246-7236 | California and Eastern Pacific off Mexico by international convention |
| JRCC Seattle Seattle, WA | (866) 498-0713 | Oregon and Washington |
| JRCC Honolulu Honolulu, HI | (800) 331-6176 | Hawaii, U.S. Pacific islands, Central Pacific (6S-40N, 110W-130E) |
| JRSC Guam (sub-center of JRCC Honolulu) Guam | (877) 418-0168 | Guam and U.S. territories in the far western Pacific |
| JRCC Juneau Juneau, AK | (800) 478-5555 | Alaska, North Pacific, Bering Sea, Arctic Ocean |
Coast Guard districts have new names
Since October 2, 2025, the districts are named instead of numbered. Boundaries didn’t change.
| Old name | New name | Office | Rescue center |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Northeast District | Boston, MA | JRCC Boston |
| District 5 | East District | Portsmouth, VA | JRCC Norfolk |
| District 7 | Southeast District | Miami, FL | JRCC Miami (+ JRSC San Juan) |
| District 8 | Heartland District | New Orleans, LA | JRCC New Orleans |
| District 9 | Great Lakes District | Cleveland, OH | JRCC Cleveland |
| District 11 | Southwest District | Alameda, CA | JRCC Alameda |
| District 13 | Northwest District | Seattle, WA | JRCC Seattle |
| District 14 | Oceania District | Honolulu, HI | JRCC Honolulu (+ JRSC Guam) |
| District 17 | Arctic District | Juneau, AK | JRCC Juneau |
Renamed and retired sectors
- Sector Buffalo is now Sector Eastern Great Lakes.
- Sector Sault Ste. Marie is now Sector Northern Great Lakes.
- Sector Anchorage is now Sector Western Alaska & U.S. Arctic, and Sector Juneau is Sector Southeast Alaska.
- Sector North Bend was disestablished in 2023; Sector Columbia River covers its area.
- Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone.
- The Coast Guard is moving its phone lines to new 206, 833 and 866 numbers, and older local numbers are being retired. If a number doesn’t work, check the sector’s own page.
- Numbers were read on the official uscg.mil pages (via Internet Archive snapshots from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, because uscg.mil blocks automated checks) and checked October 2026.
In the VesselSOS app
In US waters “Yes, a life is in danger” always dials 911. On coastal waters and the Great Lakes the SOS screen also shows the Coast Guard sector for your position, with its verified 24-hour line as a second Call button. On inland lakes and rivers it shows 911 only. The app isn’t connected to the Coast Guard or to 911; it only places the call.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. US support (911, Coast Guard sectors) is in beta version 1.4 and later.
Sources
- U.S. Coast Guard, Contact Us (uscg.mil/contact)
- USCG Office of Search and Rescue, RCC Numbers
- NAVCEN, HF distress and USCG contact frequencies
- Federal Register 2025-19282, Renaming of U.S. Coast Guard Districts
- U.S. National Search and Rescue Plan (2016)
Number changed or not answering? Tell us at support@vesselsos.com.