diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3437bc298..94dbaa464 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ and adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 - Added new configuration option `use-pyta-error-messages` to let users choose whether PythonTA should overwrite pylint's error messages.
 - Both PlainReporter and ColorReporter emphasize specific code chunks by using overline characters under any part that is highlighted as ERROR.
+- Added new configuration option `allow-pylint-comments` to let users choose whether PythonTA should allow comments beginning with pylint: or not.
 - `AccumulationTable` can now track variables initialized within the `for` loop. Prior, only variables initialized before the `for` loop could be tracked.
 
 ## [2.6.4] - 2024-11-10
diff --git a/docs/usage/configuration.md b/docs/usage/configuration.md
index 655da8e30..79e6af169 100644
--- a/docs/usage/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/usage/configuration.md
@@ -52,6 +52,17 @@ import python_ta
 python_ta.check_all(..., load_default_config=False)
 ```
 
+## Allowing 'pylint:' Comments
+
+PythonTA allows you to choose whether you want to locally disable checks by using 'pylint:' in a comment, i.e. it
+lets you choose whether or not you want to allow comments that begin with 'pylint:'. The default value for this option is False, i.e. PythonTA by default would not allow you to use 'pylint:' in a comment.
+
+```python
+import python_ta
+
+python_ta.check_all(..., config={"allow-pylint-comments": True})
+```
+
 ## Custom Error Messages
 
 By default, PythonTA overwrites some of pylint's error messages with its own to make them more beginner-friendly.
diff --git a/python_ta/__init__.py b/python_ta/__init__.py
index 2fd8e7d1e..8b0355c1e 100644
--- a/python_ta/__init__.py
+++ b/python_ta/__init__.py
@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@ def _check(
             errs = []  # Errors caught in files for data submission
             config = {}  # Configuration settings for data submission
             for file_py in get_file_paths(locations):
-                if not _verify_pre_check(file_py):
+                allowed_pylint = linter.config.allow_pylint_comments
+                if not _verify_pre_check(file_py, allowed_pylint):
                     continue  # Check the other files
                 # Load config file in user location. Construct new linter each
                 # time, so config options don't bleed to unintended files.
@@ -289,6 +290,15 @@ def reset_linter(
                 "help": "Path to patch config toml file.",
             },
         ),
+        (
+            "allow-pylint-comments",
+            {
+                "default": False,
+                "type": "yn",
+                "metavar": "<yn>",
+                "help": "allows or disallows pylint: comments",
+            },
+        ),
         (
             "use-pyta-error-messages",
             {
@@ -358,13 +368,18 @@ def get_file_paths(rel_path: AnyStr) -> Generator[AnyStr, None, None]:
                 yield os.path.join(root, filename)  # Format path, from root.
 
 
-def _verify_pre_check(filepath: AnyStr) -> bool:
-    """Check student code for certain issues."""
+def _verify_pre_check(filepath: AnyStr, allow_pylint_comments: bool) -> bool:
+    """Check student code for certain issues.
+    The additional allow_pylint_comments parameter indicates whether we want the user to be able to add comments
+    beginning with pylint which can be used to locally disable checks.
+    """
     # Make sure the program doesn't crash for students.
     # Could use some improvement for better logging and error reporting.
     try:
         # Check for inline "pylint:" comment, which may indicate a student
         # trying to disable a check.
+        if allow_pylint_comments:
+            return True
         with tokenize.open(os.path.expanduser(filepath)) as f:
             for tok_type, content, _, _, _ in tokenize.generate_tokens(f.readline):
                 if tok_type != tokenize.COMMENT:
diff --git a/python_ta/config/.pylintrc b/python_ta/config/.pylintrc
index 991b1c135..ed3e813e0 100644
--- a/python_ta/config/.pylintrc
+++ b/python_ta/config/.pylintrc
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ pyta-server-address = http://127.0.0.1:5000
 # Path to messages_config toml file
 # messages-config-path = messages.toml
 
+# Allowing pylint: comments
+allow-pylint-comments = no
+
 # Set whether the default error messages by pylint should be overwritten by PythonTA's custom messages
 use-pyta-error-messages = yes
 
diff --git a/tests/test_config/test_config.py b/tests/test_config/test_config.py
index 178a72dea..13ce9f202 100644
--- a/tests/test_config/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config/test_config.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 """
 import json
 import os
+from unittest.mock import mock_open, patch
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -226,3 +227,25 @@ def test_config_parse_error_has_no_snippet() -> None:
     snippet = reporter.messages[config][0].snippet
 
     assert snippet == ""
+
+
+def test_allow_pylint_comments() -> None:
+    """Test that checks whether the allow-pylint-comments configuration option works as expected when it is
+    set to True
+    """
+
+    with patch("python_ta.tokenize.open", mock_open(read_data="# pylint: disable")):
+        result = python_ta._verify_pre_check("", allow_pylint_comments=True)
+
+    assert result is True
+
+
+def test_disallows_pylint_comments() -> None:
+    """Test that checks whether the allow-pylint-comments configuration option works as expected when it is
+    is set to False
+    """
+
+    with patch("python_ta.tokenize.open", mock_open(read_data="# pylint: disable")):
+        result = python_ta._verify_pre_check("", allow_pylint_comments=False)
+
+    assert result is False