diff --git a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 32be3d4102..1bd17bd93f 100644
--- a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ coding convention.
 ### Commit Message Formats
 #### New Changes
 Commit messages for new changes must meet the following guidelines:
-* In 50 characters or less, provide a summary of the change as the
+* In 72 characters or less, provide a summary of the change as the
 first line in the commit message.
 * A body which provides a description of the change. If necessary,
 please summarize important information such as why the proposed
diff --git a/scripts/commitcheck.sh b/scripts/commitcheck.sh
index f377bb9128..2954b0fd72 100755
--- a/scripts/commitcheck.sh
+++ b/scripts/commitcheck.sh
@@ -69,10 +69,10 @@ function new_change_commit()
 {
     error=0
 
-    # subject is not longer than 50 characters
-    long_subject=$(git log -n 1 --pretty=%s "$REF" | grep -E -m 1 '.{51}')
+    # subject is not longer than 72 characters
+    long_subject=$(git log -n 1 --pretty=%s "$REF" | grep -E -m 1 '.{73}')
     if [ -n "$long_subject" ]; then
-        echo "error: commit subject over 50 characters"
+        echo "error: commit subject over 72 characters"
         error=1
     fi