diff --git a/src/rules/commentFormatRule.ts b/src/rules/commentFormatRule.ts
index 3742141e7f5..87efe6663a0 100644
--- a/src/rules/commentFormatRule.ts
+++ b/src/rules/commentFormatRule.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class CommentWalker extends Lint.SkippableTokenAwareRuleWalker {
                     }
                 }
                 if (this.hasOption(OPTION_UPPERCASE)) {
-                    if (!startsWithUppercase(commentText)) {
+                    if (!startsWithUppercase(commentText) && !isRuleFlag(commentText)) {
                         const uppercaseFailure = this.createFailure(startPosition, width, Rule.UPPERCASE_FAILURE);
                         this.addFailure(uppercaseFailure);
                     }
@@ -138,3 +138,10 @@ function startsWithSpace(commentText: string) {
     // three slashes (///) also works, to allow for ///<reference>
     return firstCharacter === " " || firstCharacter === "/";
 }
+
+function isRuleFlag(commentText: string): boolean {
+    // regex is: start of string followed by "/*" or "//"
+    // followed by any amount of whitespace followed by "tslint:"
+    // followed by either "enable" or "disable"
+    return /^(\/\*|\/\/)\s*tslint:(enable|disable)/.test(commentText);
+}
diff --git a/test/rules/comment-format/upper/test.ts.lint b/test/rules/comment-format/upper/test.ts.lint
index 9ed5955f23b..c94e6226882 100644
--- a/test/rules/comment-format/upper/test.ts.lint
+++ b/test/rules/comment-format/upper/test.ts.lint
@@ -18,5 +18,18 @@ class Clazz { // This comment is correct
 
 `${location.protocol}//${location.hostname}`
 
+// tslint should show error here
+  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [upper]
+
+// tslint: not a rule flag
+  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [upper]
+
+//tslint:disable-next-line:no-unused-expression
+  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [space]
+class Invalid {}
+
+// tslint:disable-next-line:no-unused-expression
+class Valid {}
+
 [upper]: comment must start with uppercase letter
 [space]: comment must start with a space