Flag lighting in Spain: night and light pollution

In many countries the flag is lowered at sunset. In Spain there is no such rule for civil buildings: Law 39/1981 provides that the flag of Spain flies outside public buildings, without distinguishing between day and night. That is why many institutional and corporate flags stay up at night, and lighting becomes a practical and sometimes a regulatory matter. This guide brings together what the rules say.

Day and night

Law 39/1981 sets no times for civil buildings or private individuals. The Armed Forces do have times: under article 3 of the Regulation on Military Honours, the flag is raised at eight in the morning and lowered at sunset. The exception is national mourning, when the flag stays at half-mast day and night.

Why flags are lit

A flag that flies at night without light cannot be seen. Lighting it is a widespread custom on public buildings, monuments and company headquarters, and no State rule requires or prohibits it. On a freestanding flagpole, the light usually comes from recessed ground spotlights or projectors at the foot of the pole pointing upwards; on a façade, from the building’s own decorative lighting.

The outdoor lighting regulation

Royal Decree 1890/2008 approves the Regulation on energy efficiency in outdoor lighting installations. Under its article 2, it applies to installations of more than 1 kW of installed power, and among the types of lighting it regulates is decorative lighting, which the regulation defines as that of building façades and monuments. The regulation provides for operating cycles, with switching on and off, for decorative lighting, using astronomical clocks or equivalent systems. A domestic spotlight for a flag is normally well below 1 kW; the lighting of the façade of a large public building may not be.

Light pollution

Some autonomous communities have their own laws against light pollution. Catalonia’s Law 6/2001, on environmental regulation of lighting to protect the night-time environment, regulates outdoor and indoor lighting installations and fittings with regard to the light pollution they can produce, and divides the territory into zones with different levels of protection.

In the Canary Islands, Law 31/1988, known as the Sky Law, protects the astronomical quality of the observatories of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Under its article 2, on the island of La Palma outdoor lighting avoids emitting light above the horizon and causes the least possible disturbance to astronomical observation. A spotlight lighting a flag from below shines precisely towards the sky, which this law seeks to avoid.

Local bylaws may add their own rules. The local council can say which rules apply in each municipality.

Technique

LED spotlights are common for their low energy use. Light aimed precisely at the flag, with narrow optics or lights at the top of the pole pointing downwards, reduces the light lost towards the sky. If the flagpole is aluminium, the electrical installation at its base may need earthing; according to ClickBanderas, an aluminium flagpole may need it depending on the installation. The guide to flagpole accessories covers the other parts.

Advertising flags

For illuminated advertising flags, the rules on outdoor advertising apply in addition to the lighting rules. The guide to flagpoles for businesses covers those requirements.