FREE delivery & 40% Discount for next 3 orders! Place your 1st order in.
- 🇺🇸 Free Shipping on Orders Over $75
- Use Code FLAGMAN10 for 10% Off Your First Order 🇺🇸
The Complete American Flag Etiquette Guide: Rules for Flying & Displaying with Pride
The American flag is much more than a piece of vibrant red, white, and blue cloth-it is a living symbol of freedom, unity, and the sacrifices made by generations of Americans. Whether you are flying Old Glory outside your family home, proudly mounting it at your storefront, or managing corporate flagpoles, adhering to the official United States Flag Code (Title 4, U.S. Code) demonstrates deep respect and pride.
Key Principle of Flag Etiquette
The flag should never touch the ground, floor, water, or anything beneath it. It should always be allowed to fly free and unhindered.
1. Proper Time and Hours for Display
The universal custom is to display the American flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day provided it is properly illuminated with a dedicated light source during hours of darkness.
- Daytime Flying: Raise the flag briskly and lower it slowly and ceremoniously.
- Nighttime Illumination: Use focused ground spot lighting or flagpole top illumination so the flag is easily recognizable by passersby.
- Inclement Weather: The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, unless an all-weather nylon or polyester flag is flown.
2. Displaying with Other Flags
When multiple flags are flown from the same flagpole halyard or grouped together:
- The American flag must always fly at the peak (top) above state, municipal, or organizational flags.
- When flags of states, cities, or localities are flown on neighboring staffs, the American flag should always be at the center and at the highest point of the group.
- When flown alongside flags of other nations, international custom dictates that each flag is flown from separate staffs of equal height, and all flags should be of approximately equal size.
When and How to Fly at Half-Staff
Flying at half-staff is a somber mark of national mourning, ordered by the President of the United States or the Governor of a state.
The Proper Technique: When hoisting the flag to half-staff, it should first be hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered slowly to the half-staff position. Before it is lowered for the day, it should again be raised to the peak.
3. Retiring a Worn Flag with Honor
When an American flag is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display (faded beyond restoration, torn, or severely frayed), it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning in a respectful ceremony. Many local VFW, American Legion, or Boy Scout posts provide flag retirement collection boxes.
Need a heavy-duty, all-weather American flag or professional maintenance? Explore MyFlagMan’s Made in USA Flag Collection crafted for extreme durability.
