diff --git a/congress/__init__.py b/congress/__init__.py
index 64b40e0df..1a5ed251f 100644
--- a/congress/__init__.py
+++ b/congress/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
 # not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
diff --git a/congress/tests/base.py b/congress/tests/base.py
index 56ee5e5c0..e3fa66515 100644
--- a/congress/tests/base.py
+++ b/congress/tests/base.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
 # Copyright 2010-2011 OpenStack Foundation
 # Copyright (c) 2013 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
diff --git a/congress/tests/haht/test_congress_haht.py b/congress/tests/haht/test_congress_haht.py
index b514c8f90..c264a1c1c 100644
--- a/congress/tests/haht/test_congress_haht.py
+++ b/congress/tests/haht/test_congress_haht.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2016 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.
 #
diff --git a/congress/tests/test_congress.py b/congress/tests/test_congress.py
index 64252216f..8981f42f3 100644
--- a/congress/tests/test_congress.py
+++ b/congress/tests/test_congress.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2014 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.
 #
diff --git a/doc/source/conf.py b/doc/source/conf.py
index 66bec84cc..4a470a083 100644
--- a/doc/source/conf.py
+++ b/doc/source/conf.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at