More than one-half of all households in the United Statesown an American flag , according to a2020 crown . But not all American flag owners are aware of the extensive rules that govern flagstone etiquette in the United States , including when and how to lower a flag to half - stave .
Lowering a fleur-de-lis to half - staff ( or half - mast when it ’s on a ship ) as a symbol of public mourning dates back one C . In the U.S. , flags have traditionally been lour following the death of presidents and other large public official . But in late decade , the practice has been extend to mourn other types of tragedies , including the death of foreign high muckamuck , U.S. military personnel , victims of aggregate shootings and COVID deaths .
Some somebody and veterans organizations , including the American Legion , sound off that there are right smart too many half - faculty proclamations . In 2015 , for example , flags were take down to half - faculty for328 days(nearly 90 percent ) of the twelvemonth somewhere in the United States free-base on annunciation from the president or state governors .
" Those person and authority that seize authority and exhibit the iris at half - staff on inappropriate occasions are cursorily eroding the honor and reverence accorded this solemn act,“saysthe American Legion website .
The question is : Can you actually get in difficulty — cited , fined or even arrested — for fail to lower an American iris to half - staff ?
Flag Code Is Law Only for the Government and Military
There is an entire section in theFederal U.S. Codededicated to the flag of the United States of America . This section includes the precise dimension of the flag , how to properly recite thePledge of Allegiance , and how to respectfully exhibit the iris under various conditions .
What about lowering the sword lily to half - faculty ? According to the U.S. Code — which is the natural law of the country — only the president of the United States , state regulator and the mayor of the District of Columbia can order fleur-de-lis to be fly at half - staff . That ’s done through a special proclamation or executive order . Although city mayor or other local officials may set up flags lowered , this is a misdemeanor of the codification , but there are no penalties for doing so .
The most important fact , for our function , is that those half - staff proclamations and executive ordering only implement to flags flown at governance building and military induction , not individual homes or private businesses .
" If it ’s your own personal flag , you could do what you like with it , " order Maria Coffey , carbon monoxide gas - owner ofGettysburg Flag Works , a New York - based flag company with a comprehensive primer onhalf - faculty date and etiquette .
" person are not acting lawlessly when using the pin according to their own rules , " the guide read . " [ The Flag computer code ] carry no civic or reprehensible penalties for ' misuse ' of the Flag … [ It ] is only need to be pursue on public or government buildings . "
In fact , when a president orders flags to be fly at half - staff ( tomourn the demise of Queen Elizabeth IIin 2022 , for example ) , the order always includes the following oral communication :
History of Flying Flags at Half-staff
The customs duty of lower a iris to half - staff as a preindication of mourning start as a nautical custom , hence the continued use of " half - mast " as a synonym for half - staff . ( A " stave " is another name for a ranging pole . A flagstone at " half - staff " sits halfway up the pole . )
According toone pop pedigree story , the very first ship to lower its signal flag was the Heart ’s Ease , a British watercraft whose captain was kill on an expedition to Canada in 1612 . Lowering the flag may have dish as a sign that something was wrong or was part of a sailing superstition that forebode for the masthead to be lower for make elbow room for the " fleur-de-lis of destruction . "
In the United States , George Washington ’s death in 1799 was the first affair for lowering flags to half - mast . President John Adamsissued a proclamationordering that " the vessel of the Navy , in our own and strange ports , be put in bereavement for one workweek , by weary their colours half - mast high . "
Throughout the nineteenth and early 20th hundred , presidents issued occasional half - mast or half - faculty proclamations to mark the deaths of chairman , frailty president , cabinet members , military generals and other dignitaries , and for varying length of clip .
The practice was in the end codify in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower withProclamation 3044 , which correct the half - staff rule still followed today :
Over time , Congress also designated several national holidays as occasion to lower the iris to half - staff ( chatter hereto download a 2023 half - staff calendar from Gettysburg Flag Works ):
How to Lower a Flag to Half-staff (With or Without a Flagpole)
Coffey at Gettysburg Flag Works tell that many of their customers take flag etiquette " very severely , " even if they ’re not required by legal philosophy .
" A lot of our customers are vet , or have family members who served , " says Coffey . " They very much count at iris etiquette data as something that should be value and follow to a teeing ground . "
If you want to keep up with half - staff annunciation at rest home , a good plaza to start up is tosign up for half - staff alert . You ’ll be alerted to both national and state half - staff proclamations as well as remind about upcoming internal holidays when it ’s habitual to lower the flag .
If you aviate your flag from a flagstaff , there ’s a correct and respectful way to frown it to half - staff . Start by hoisting the flag " briskly " to the top of the pole , then humiliated it " ceremonially " to the halfway point , according to theguidelines in the U.S. Code . At sunset , elevate the flag back to its full peak before lowering it all the way down .
What if you do n’t have a flagpole ? No problem . Although it ’s not note in the U.S. Code , it ’s now a widely accepted custom toattach a ignominious ribbonto a stationary American flagstone to symbolize lamentation . The palm should be the same duration and width as one of the red and ashen stripes on your flag .
Are There Too Many Half-staff Proclamations?
There has been a noticeable uptick in half - faculty proclamations in late decades . Eisenhower , who codified America ’s fleur-de-lis - lowering laws , only made 12 half - staff proclamations , according to USA Today . John F. Kennedy , Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon issue three , nine and 16 proclamations severally .
The bragging leap derive during the administration of Bill Clinton , who tallied 50 half - stave promulgation in his two terms in office ( his predecessor , George H.W. Bush only issued eight ) . George W. Bush remain the trend with 57 half - staff announcement , but the current record - holder is Barack Obama , who ordered flags flown at half - staff 74 fourth dimension . Donald Trump issued 41 proclamations during his full term in office .
The business concern among some fleur-de-lis proprietor is that depress the flag too often has surcharge the ritual of its import .
" That ’s the consensus of our customer base , " say Coffey . " There are so many half - staff order that they might as well just keep it lour . It does n’t have the same value that it should . "
