Abstract: Objective Tidal interference can pose serious corrosion risks to pipelines, and it is crucial to clarify the distribution of pipelines affected by tidal interference and the laws governing their susceptibility to tidal interference for China’s oil and gas pipeline industry. Methods A 24-hour potential monitoring was conducted using the buried test piece method. Tidal interference patterns were analyzed through the waveform changes of the test piece, and frequency domain analysis of the potential monitoring data was performed using Fourier transform. The effects of various interference voltages, pipeline proximity to interference sources, soil resistivity, and other factors on tidal interference patterns were investigated through numerical simulation calculation. Results In China, pipelines affected by tidal interference are primarily concentrated in the eastern coastal region, specifically in Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Liaoning, and Shandong. The main interference sources are oceans and large water bodies, with subway stray current interference typically superimposed on pipelines in areas experiencing tidal interference. This study found that the maximum distance at which an interference source can affect a pipeline through tidal interference was 55 km. Beyond 25 km, the fluctuation amplitude of the pipe-to-soil potential decreased significantly. Conclusion When the pipeline is affected by tides, the variation curve of pipe-to-soil potential closely follows the tiding trends of nearby large water bodies, exhibiting a “double peaks and double valleys” fluctuation pattern with a period of approximately 12 hours and a frequency of 2.3×10⁻⁵ Hz. For a pipeline parallel to the coastline and affected by tides, the point nearest to the interference source experiences incoming stray current, while both ends farthest from such source experience outgoing stray current, and vice versa. As the pipeline moves away from the coastline, the intensity of tidal stray current on the pipeline decreases exponentially. The research results provide a theoretical basis and reference for assessing pipeline corrosion risk under tidal interference and for developing interference prevention strategies.