Flag Flying Rules: Half-Staff, Holidays, and Retirement

The rules for flying the American flag come from the U.S. Flag Code, found in Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the U.S. Code. In plain terms: fly it from sunrise to sunset unless it’s lit at night, take it down in bad weather unless it’s an all-weather flag, position the blue union to the upper left when it hangs flat, never let it touch the ground or appear in advertising, and burn it respectfully when it wears out. One thing worth knowing up front is that the code uses “should” rather than “shall,” and a federal court has read that language to mean the provisions are advisory for civilians rather than compulsory.¹ There is no federal criminal penalty for most missteps outside the District of Columbia, but the guidelines still set the standard that most Americans, and every veterans’ organization, treat as the right way to do it.

Hours, Lighting, and Weather

The general custom is to fly the flag from sunrise to sunset on buildings and outdoor flagpoles. If you want it up around the clock, it needs to be lit well enough that a passerby can recognize it in the dark.² A spotlight or a porch light aimed at the flag is enough for most homes.

The code advises taking the flag down during rain, snow, or heavy wind unless you’re using an all-weather flag, typically nylon or a synthetic blend built to hold up in wet and windy conditions.² Cotton flags look sharp but deteriorate quickly outdoors, so a synthetic version is the practical choice for continuous display.

How to Position the Flag

When the flag hangs flat against a wall or in a window, the blue union field belongs in the upper-left corner from the viewer’s perspective.³ Hanging it backward or upside down is a common mistake, and displaying the union down is not just an error. It is a recognized distress signal for extreme danger to life or property.⁴

Alongside state, local, or organizational flags, the U.S. flag takes the dominant position. It goes at the center and highest point of a group. If several flags share a single halyard, the American flag sits at the top. On adjacent staffs, it goes up first and comes down last.³

Alongside flags of other nations, the rule flips. No country’s flag flies higher than another’s during peacetime. National flags fly from separate staffs of the same height and should be roughly the same size.⁵

In a parade, the flag goes on the marching right of any other single flag, or in front of the center of a line of flags. On a parade float, it should fly from a staff rather than being draped flat over the surface.⁵

Half-Staff Rules

Half-staff has a physical sequence people routinely skip. When you raise the flag to half-staff, first hoist it all the way to the peak, pause there for a moment, then lower it to the midpoint. At the end of the day, raise it back to the peak before bringing it all the way down.⁶ Half-staff means halfway between the top and bottom of the pole, not just a little lower than usual.

Memorial Day is its own case. The flag flies at half-staff only until noon, then goes to full staff for the rest of the day. The morning half-staff honors fallen service members; the afternoon full staff represents the resolve of the living to carry on their work.⁶ Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15 also calls for half-staff, unless it falls on Armed Forces Day.⁵

When a government official or former official dies, the President orders half-staff for a set duration tied to the person’s rank:

30 days for a sitting or former President
10 days for a sitting Vice President, the Chief Justice or a retired Chief Justice, or the Speaker of the House
Day of death until interment for an Associate Justice, a cabinet secretary, a former Vice President, or a state Governor
Day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress

For other officials, foreign dignitaries, military members who die on active duty, and first responders killed in the line of duty, the President or a state Governor may issue a separate proclamation setting the duration.⁶

What Not to Do With the Flag

Section 8 of the Flag Code sets out the practices to avoid. These carry no criminal penalty for most people, but they represent the standard that veterans’ groups and civic organizations enforce socially.

The flag should never touch the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise. It should hang or fly freely rather than be carried flat or used to drape a vehicle, a ceiling, or a speaker’s podium. For decorative draping, the code recommends bunting in red, white, and blue, with the blue stripe on top.⁴

Advertising is a bright line. The flag should never appear in advertising in any form, and businesses should not attach advertising signs to a flagpole or halyard from which a flag is flown. The code also discourages printing or embroidering the flag on disposable items like paper napkins or cardboard boxes.⁷

Clothing is where the code gets misread. It says no part of the flag should be used as a costume or athletic uniform. A flag-patterned T-shirt bought at a store is not technically “the flag,” so most commentators draw a line between wearing an actual flag as clothing and wearing clothing that features flag-inspired designs. Flag patches are specifically permitted on the uniforms of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations. The lapel pin belongs on the left lapel, near the heart.⁷

Nothing should be placed on the flag itself: no writing, no insignia, no drawings, no pins (other than on a folded flag at a ceremony). And the flag should never be used as a container or a bag.⁴

Days the Flag Should Be Flown

Section 6(d) lists the days when the flag should be displayed. The full list is longer than most people realize:

January 1, New Year’s Day
Third Monday in January, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
January 20, Inauguration Day (every four years)
February 12, Lincoln’s Birthday
Third Monday in February, Washington’s Birthday
March 29, National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Easter Sunday (variable date)
Second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day
Third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day
Last Monday in May, Memorial Day (half-staff until noon, then full staff)
June 14, Flag Day
Third Sunday in June, Father’s Day
July 4, Independence Day
July 27, National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day
First Monday in September, Labor Day
September 17, Constitution Day
Second Monday in October, Columbus Day
October 27, Navy Day
November 11, Veterans Day
Fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day
December 25, Christmas Day

The statute also covers state admission anniversaries and any additional days the President proclaims.⁸ Most people associate flag display with Independence Day and Memorial Day, but the code expects the flag out for Mother’s Day and Easter too.

How to Retire a Worn Flag

When a flag becomes faded, torn, or otherwise too worn to serve as a dignified symbol, it should be retired by burning it in a respectful manner.⁷ Throwing it in the trash is considered disrespectful, and many people are uncomfortable burning one themselves even when doing so correctly.

The easiest option is to drop off the worn flag at a local American Legion or VFW post. Most posts keep collection boxes near the entrance and hold formal retirement ceremonies throughout the year, folding the flag, placing it on a fire, and burying the remains. Some Boy Scout troops and civic organizations run similar ceremonies, often around Flag Day in June. If none of that is available, you can burn the flag yourself in a safe outdoor fire, fold the remnants respectfully, and bury the ashes.

Flying the Flag if You Live in an HOA

Homeowners’ associations sometimes try to ban flags or flagpoles through their governing documents. Federal law pushes back. The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 prohibits any condominium association, cooperative, or residential management group from adopting rules that prevent a member from displaying the U.S. flag on property where the member has an ownership interest or an exclusive right to use.⁹

The law does not hand residents unlimited control over how they display the flag. An association can still impose reasonable restrictions on the time, place, and manner of display as long as those restrictions protect a legitimate community interest. In practice, that means an HOA might limit the height of a freestanding flagpole, require a wall bracket in a specific location, or cap the size of the flag to keep it proportional to the structure. What it cannot do is use those rules as a pretext for an outright ban.⁹ The Act is codified as a statutory note under 4 U.S.C. § 5, so it sits alongside the Flag Code itself.¹⁰

1
Congress.gov. Frequently Asked Questions About Flag Law
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 6 – Time and Occasions for Display
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 US Code 7 – Position and Manner of Display
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 8 – Respect for Flag
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 7 – Position and Manner of Display
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 7 – Position and Manner of Display
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 8 – Respect for Flag
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 6 – Time and Occasions for Display
9
Congress.gov. Public Law 109-243 – Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 5 – Display and Use of Flag by Civilians