How Long Do Flags Stay at Half Mast? 30, 10, and 2 Days

How long flags stay at half mast depends on who died or which day is being observed. The U.S. Flag Code at 4 U.S.C. § 7(m) sets the durations: 30 days for a president or former president, 10 days for a vice president, chief justice, or speaker of the House, from death through burial for several other senior officials, and two days for a member of Congress. Fixed annual observances have their own rules, and Memorial Day is the only occasion that ends at noon.¹

Durations at a Glance

President or former president: 30 days from the date of death
Vice president, chief justice or retired chief justice, speaker of the House: 10 days from the date of death
Associate justice, cabinet secretary, secretary of a military department, former vice president, sitting governor: day of death through the day of interment
U.S. senator or representative: day of death and the following day
Memorial Day: sunrise until noon, then full-staff for the rest of the day
Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), Patriot Day (September 11), National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7), National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service: full day

30 Days for a President or Former President

The death of a sitting or former president triggers the longest mourning period in the Flag Code. Flags on federal buildings, military installations, and naval vessels stay at half-staff for 30 days from the date of death.¹ No other office receives a window this long.

10 Days for a Vice President, Chief Justice, or Speaker

The next tier covers three positions: the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice, and the speaker of the House of Representatives. For any of them, the flag stays lowered for 10 days beginning on the day of death.¹

From Death Until Burial for Several Other Officials

For a second group of senior officials, the half-staff period is not a fixed number of days. It runs from the date of death through the date of interment, so the actual length depends on when the funeral is held. This category covers associate justices of the Supreme Court, cabinet secretaries and secretaries of military departments, former vice presidents, and sitting governors of a state or territory.¹ A short window may last only a few days; a state funeral can extend it well over a week.

Two Days for a Member of Congress

Senators and representatives receive the shortest standard period. The flag flies at half-staff on the day of death and the day after.¹ Presidents sometimes issue separate proclamations extending that period for a particular member, but the statutory baseline is two days.

Memorial Day Ends at Noon

Memorial Day is the one observance with a split-day rule. The flag goes to half-staff at sunrise and stays there only until noon. At midday it is raised to the top of the pole and remains at full-staff until sundown.¹ The morning honors those who died in military service; the afternoon shift represents the determination of the living. No other half-staff day uses this noon transition.

Fixed-Date Annual Observances

Beyond individual deaths and Memorial Day, federal law designates several full-day half-staff observances each year.

Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15

Federal law directs the president to issue a yearly proclamation calling for half-staff display on all government buildings on May 15 in honor of law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.² The Flag Code reinforces this and specifies one exception: the half-staff rule does not apply if May 15 falls on the same day as Armed Forces Day.¹

Patriot Day, September 11

Federal law requests an annual presidential proclamation directing the flag to half-staff on September 11 to honor the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.³ It is a full-day observance with no noon transition.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7

Each December 7, the flag is flown at half-staff in honor of those who died at Pearl Harbor. The statute asks the president to issue a proclamation directing the display on all government buildings and inviting the public to participate.⁴

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service

Public Law 107-51, signed in 2001, authorizes the president to call for half-staff display on all federal buildings during the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.⁵ The date shifts each year because it tracks the memorial service rather than a fixed calendar date.

Proclamations Can Add or Extend Half-Staff Days

The Flag Code gives the president broad authority to order half-staff display for situations the standard rules do not cover. National tragedies, mass shootings, and the deaths of foreign leaders have all prompted presidential proclamations, and each proclamation sets its own start and end.

Governors hold a narrower parallel power. A governor can order flags to half-staff within their own state for three categories of deaths: present or former state government officials, active-duty military members from that state, and first responders who die in the line of duty. The mayor of the District of Columbia holds the same authority for D.C. officials, military members, and first responders. When a governor issues a proclamation for a military death, federal installations within that state must comply, so bases do not remain at full-staff while the rest of the state mourns.¹ For non-military deaths, presidential proclamations govern federal buildings and governor proclamations govern state and local facilities.

The Flag Code Is Advisory for Private Citizens

One boundary worth naming: the U.S. Flag Code carries no penalties for non-compliance. Courts have interpreted its provisions as declaratory and advisory when applied to civilians and private organizations.⁶ A homeowner or business is not cited for leaving a flag at full-staff during a mourning period or for lowering it on a day when no proclamation is in effect. Government buildings and military installations follow the durations above as a matter of official policy; for everyone else, they describe the respectful practice rather than a legal requirement.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 7 – Position and Manner of Display
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 136 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 144 – Patriot Day
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 129 – National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
5
GovInfo. Public Law 107-51 – Joint Resolution Memorializing Fallen Firefighters
6
Congress.gov. Frequently Asked Questions About Flag Law