Flagpoles and flags in Brazil
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the Portuguese original. Where the two versions differ, the Portuguese text is the original.
In Brazil, the national flag flies every day at town halls, municipal councils, ministries, courts and state government seats, and at schools at least once a week during the school year. In Brasília, a very large flag stays permanently at the top of the pole on the Praça dos Três Poderes and is replaced in a ceremony on the first Sunday of every month. On match days of the national team and on national dates, the flag appears in windows, on cars and on façades. All this use has a legal basis of its own: Law 5,700 of 1 September 1971, which describes the flag in modules, sets the official sizes in panos, the hours of raising, half-mast and the respect due to the symbol. This page brings together the rules and customs for flags and flagpoles in Brazil, based on the legal texts and the competent authorities.
The essentials
- Flag days: under article 14 of the law, the flag is raised compulsorily on days of national celebration or mourning at all public offices, schools and trade unions. The guide to flag days lists the national holidays and Flag Day, 19 November, with the weekday.
- Private use: articles 10 and 11 allow the flag to be used in official or private expressions and flown on public or private buildings. The guide to the flag rules covers these points and the forms of disrespect prohibited by article 31.
- Half-mast and mourning: the President of the Republic decrees official mourning, which applies to the whole country. More information in the guides on half-mast and official mourning.
- Times: the flag is normally raised at 8 a.m. and lowered at 6 p.m., and on Flag Day it is raised at noon. At night it is lit. The guide to flag protocol describes the ceremonial.
- Sizes: the law sets seven official types in panos of 45 centimetres and, for public offices, a width between a seventh and a fifth of the height of the pole. The flag size calculator applies this rule.
- Price: what determines the price of a flagpole and of a flag is covered in the guides on the price of a flagpole and the price of a flag.
- Installation: a fixed flagpole is a work regulated by the municipality. More information in the guide to installing a flagpole.
Laws and authorities
Under article 13 of the Constitution, the flag, the anthem, the arms and the seal are the symbols of the Federative Republic of Brazil, and the states, the Federal District and the municipalities may have symbols of their own. Law 5,700 regulates the form and presentation of the four national symbols. It has been amended several times: in 1981, Law 6,913 reworded the penalties; in 1992, Law 8,421 updated the design of the flag to 27 stars; in 2009, Law 12,157 added the daily raising of the Mercosur flag.
Decree 70,274 of 9 March 1972 approves the rules of public ceremonial and the general order of precedence. It repeats the rules for presenting the flag, regulates the Presidential Standard and sets the length of official mourning. Under article 44 of the law, the use of the flag in the Armed Forces follows their own regulations, insofar as they do not conflict with the law.
The flagpole is another matter: under article 30 of the Constitution, municipalities are responsible for land-use planning through the control of the use and occupation of urban land, so installing one depends on each city’s building code and planning laws.
The flagpole in Brazil
At public buildings, the flag may fly on poles in the ground in front of the façade, in line with the state flag and the municipal flag. In schools, auditoriums and offices, it may stand in a panóplia, a stand with short poles. Brazilian manufacturers offer hot-dip galvanised steel flagpoles of 6 to 12 metres, and tubular poles of 4 to 15 metres and polygonal ones of 18 to 30 metres. The guides on types of flagpoles and flagpole heights cover these forms, and the guide to flagpole materials compares them.
About the guides
The guides are grouped by topic. Each covers one subject, ends with frequently asked questions, cites its sources and shows the date of its last update. Law 5,700 applies throughout the country; the states have their own flags and state days, and each municipality has its own building code. The guides point out these differences where they matter.
All guides
Flag flying and rules
When and how the national flag flies in Brazil: the days of national celebration, the rules of Law 5,700, half-mast, official mourning, holidays, ceremonial and foreign flags.
- Flag daysThe days of national celebration on which Brazil’s national flag is raised in 2026 and 2027, with Flag Day, the time of raising and the weekday.
- Flag rulesThe rules for the national flag of Brazil: private use, forms of display, disrespect, worn-out flags, sale and penalties under Law 5,700 of 1971.
- Half-mastWhen Brazil’s national flag flies at half-mast, who decides, how it is raised and lowered in mourning and what happens on days of national celebration.
- Official mourningHow official mourning is decreed in Brazil, how long it may last under Decree 70,274, what changes for the flag and the mourning for Pope Francis.
- Flags on holidaysThe national flag on Brazilian holidays: the national holidays of Law 662, the states’ main days, municipal holidays and optional days off.
- Flag protocolThe ceremonial of Brazil’s national flag: the place of honour, order with other flags, the attitude of respect, the anthem and the Presidential Standard.
- Foreign flagsHow a flag of another country may be used in Brazil: the national flag on its right, of equal size, and the exception for embassies and consulates.
The flag
The national flag and the other flags seen in the country: types, sizes in panos, symbolism, history, what determines the price of a flag and a size calculator.
- Flag typesThe flags used in Brazil: the national flag and its official types, the flags of the states and municipalities, Mercosur and the Presidential Standard.
- Flag sizesThe official sizes of Brazil’s national flag in panos of 45 cm, the proportions in modules of article 5 and the relation between flag and pole.
- Flag size calculatorCalculator for the size of Brazil’s national flag by the height of the pole, with the rule in article 21 of Law 5,700 and the standard sizes in panos.
- Flag symbolismWhat the colours, the starry sky and the motto Ordem e Progresso on Brazil’s flag represent, with the star of each state under the annex of Law 8,421.
- Price of a flagWhat affects the price of a flag in Brazil: size in panos, fabric, embroidery or print, finish, the maker’s mark on the hoist and consumer rights.
- History of the flagThe history of Brazil’s flag: the flag of the Empire of 1822, the provisional flag of 1889, Decree No. 4 and the laws of 1968, 1971 and 1992 up to 27 stars.
The flagpole
Types of flagpoles, materials, height, accessories, hoisting mechanisms, lighting and what determines the price of a flagpole.
- Types of flagpolesThe types of flagpoles used in Brazil: poles in the ground, embedded or flanged, telescopic and polygonal, lines of poles, façade poles and panóplias.
- Flagpole materialsThe materials of flagpoles in Brazil: hot-dip galvanised steel, the ABNT standards manufacturers cite, salt air and the materials of indoor poles.
- Flagpole heightsThe height of a flagpole in Brazil: the 1/7 to 1/5 rule of article 21, the heights manufacturers offer, the wind and what limits the height on a plot.
- Flagpole accessoriesThe accessories of a flagpole: pulley, halyard, guide washer, cleat, finial, flange and anchor bolts, the hoist of the flag and indoor stands.
- Flagpole mechanicsHow a flagpole’s hoisting mechanism works: pulley and halyard, cleat, the order of raising, half-mast and the changing of the flag in Brasília.
- Flag lightingWhy Brazil’s national flag is lit at night, what article 15 of Law 5,700 says and the points of the electrical installation of the floodlights.
- Price of a flagpoleWhat determines the price of a flagpole in Brazil: height, steel, fixing, fittings, foundation, permit, transport and consumer rights.
Installation, safety and maintenance
Municipal permits, foundations, wind and lightning, maintenance, repair, lifespan and transport, for households, condominiums, schools, businesses and public bodies.
- Installing a flagpoleWhat matters when installing a flagpole in Brazil: the municipality’s powers, São Paulo’s Building Code, condominiums and the foundation.
- Flagpole safetyThe safety of a flagpole in Brazil: INMET wind warnings, NBR 6123, lightning according to INPE, the power grid and gas networks.
- Flagpole maintenanceMaintaining a flagpole: line, pulley and cleat, galvanising and salt air, the base and the good condition the law requires of the flag.
- Flagpole repairThe main repairs on a flagpole: a broken line, a jammed pulley, corrosion, joints and base, and consumer rights when the product is at fault.
- Flagpole lifespanHow long a flagpole and a flag last in Brazil: galvanising and environment, sun and wind, the end of a flag’s life and burning on Flag Day.
- Flagpole transportHow a flagpole is transported in Brazil: length and weight, poles in sections, the Brazilian Traffic Code and care for the coating.
- Flagpoles for businessesFlagpoles and flags at businesses in Brazil: the national flag at the premises, the limits of Law 5,700, foreign flags and São Paulo’s Clean City Law.
Frequently asked questions
Can a private person fly the national flag at home in Brazil?
Yes. Under article 10 of Law 5,700 of 1 September 1971, the national flag may be used in all expressions of Brazilians’ patriotic feeling, official or private, and article 11 provides for flying it on public or private buildings and anywhere it is shown due respect.
Where does the national flag fly every day?
Under article 13 of the law, at the Presidential Palace and the President’s residence, the ministries, the National Congress, the higher courts and audit courts, the seats of the state and Federal District governments, town halls and municipal councils, public offices in the border strip, diplomatic missions and the merchant navy. Since 2009, the Mercosur flag has flown daily at the same places.
What does the flag of Brazil look like?
Article 5 of the law describes a green rectangle with a yellow rhombus and, in the centre, a blue circle crossed by a white band bearing the motto Ordem e Progresso in green letters. The width is divided into 14 modules and the length measures 20. The 27 stars represent the states and the Federal District.
When is the flag at half-mast in Brazil?
Under article 18 of the law, throughout the country when the President of the Republic decrees official mourning, and at certain buildings when a member of a legislature or court, or a state governor or mayor, dies. The flag is not flown in mourning on days of national celebration.
Is a permit needed to install a flagpole?
Under article 30 of the Constitution, municipalities control the use and occupation of urban land, so the answer depends on each city’s building code. In São Paulo, the Building and Construction Code does not mention flagpoles, and the city hall can clarify a specific case.
What is the penalty for disrespecting the flag?
Under article 35 of Law 5,700, as worded by Law 6,913 of 1981, any breach of the law is a misdemeanour (contravenção), punishable by a fine of one to four times the highest reference value in force in the country, doubled for repeat offences.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in Portuguese:
- Lei nº 5.700, de 1º de setembro de 1971 (forma e apresentação dos Símbolos Nacionais) – Presidência da República
- Decreto nº 70.274, de 9 de março de 1972 (normas do cerimonial público e ordem geral de precedência) – Presidência da República
- Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988 (artigos 13 e 30) – Presidência da República
- Lei nº 6.913, de 27 de maio de 1981 (nova redação dos arts. 35 e 36 da Lei nº 5.700) – Presidência da República
- Lei nº 12.157, de 23 de dezembro de 2009 (bandeira do Mercosul) – Presidência da República
- Lei nº 16.642, de 9 de maio de 2017 (Código de Obras e Edificações do Município de São Paulo) – Câmara Municipal de São Paulo
- Datasheet Mastro para Bandeira – B&B Iluminação
- Mastros Metalsinter – AECweb