Coating the surface of pipelines is one of the most crucial and effective methods for inhibiting corrosion and prolonging the operational lifespan of pipelines. The coating acts as a protective shield that isolates the pipeline metal from external corrosive environments. However, once the coating begins to peel off or deteriorate due to aging, mechanical damage, or environmental factors, the exposed metal surface becomes highly susceptible to corrosion. Statistics indicate that over 50% of external corrosion failures in pipelines are directly associated with coating defects. Despite the critical importance of coating integrity, research on the interaction between surface coatings and nondestructive testing methods—particularly ultrasonic guided wave techniques—has remained relatively limited in recent years. In this study, the impact of surface coatings on the propagation behaviors of ultrasonic guided waves in pipeline systems was systematically investigated. Coal tar pitch, a commonly used and cost-effective coating material, was applied to steel pipeline specimens with varying coating lengths. The attenuation rate of the guided wave signal amplitude was measured under different coating conditions to analyze the relationship between coating parameters and acoustic energy loss. The experimental results reveal that the coating significantly affects guided wave propagation, especially in terms of signal attenuation and boundary reflection. Furthermore, the study reveals that ultrasonical guided waves possess strong sensitivity to coating discontinuities and can accurately locate coating boundaries. These findings confirm the potential of guided wave technology for early detection of coating defects and quantitative evaluation of coating adhesion. Moreover, the outcomes provide useful insight for other transportation and aerospace structures that employ multilayer coatings or protective films, such as aircraft pipelines and composite fuselage components, where similar material interfaces and inspection challenges exist. This research provides theoretical and experimental references for improving the reliability of pipeline health status detection.