**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of the ChiefExecutive Officer**

 

I,Randolph C. Kohn, president and chief executive officer, certify that:

 

1.                                       Ihave reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Coastal Banking Company,Inc.

 

2.                                       Basedon my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.                                       Basedon my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial informationincluded in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the small business issuer asof, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4.                                       Thesmall business issuer’s other certifying officers and I are responsible forestablishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer andhave:

 

a)  Designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designedunder our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to thesmall business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made knownto us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in whichthis report is being prepared;

 

b)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the smallbusiness issuer’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in thisreport our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls andprocedures as of the end of the period covered by this report based on suchevaluation; and

 

c)  Disclosed in this report any change in thesmall business issuer’s internal control over financial reporting that occurredduring the small business issuer’s fourth fiscal quarter that has materiallyaffected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small businessissuer’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.                                       Thesmall business issuer’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, basedon our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, tothe small business issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the smallbusiness issuer’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions):

 

a)  All significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small businessissuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves management or other employees who have a significant role in the smallbusiness issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:  | March 28, 2005 |   | By:                                   | /s/ Randolph C. Kohn |   |
|--------|----------------|--------|---------------------------------------|----------------------|--------|
|   |           |   | Randolph C. Kohn                      |
|   |           |   | President and Chief Executive Officer |

 

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