Half-mast in France: how and when

A flag at half-mast is a sign of mourning. In France, half-mast on public buildings follows the Government’s instructions during official mourning, and a mayor can also decide on it for the buildings of the municipality. The procedure is described by the Ministry of the Interior in its protocol guide for mayors.

How the flag is lowered

According to the Ministry of the Interior’s guide, half-masting consists of lowering the flag to half the height of its pole. On an 8-metre pole, the flag therefore sits roughly 4 metres above the ground rather than at the top.

It is customary, in France as elsewhere, to raise the flag first to the top of the pole and then lower it slowly to half-mast. To take it down in the evening or at the end of the mourning, it goes back up to the top before coming down completely. These gestures are custom; no text describes them.

When the flag cannot come down

According to the same guide, where it is technically impossible, a black ribbon is tied to the top of the pole. This is the usual situation for flags fixed to a façade staff, as on many town halls and schools: the staff has neither halyard nor pulley, and the flag cannot be lowered. For indoor flags and carried flags, a black crêpe tie fixed to the top of the staff is the usual practice.

Who decides

• Official mourning: according to an answer of the Ministry of the Interior published in the Official Journal in 2025, half-mast on the buildings and public buildings of the State is decided by the Prime Minister and passed on by a circular of the General Secretariat of the Government. In each department, the prefect sends this circular to the mayors and sees that it is applied.
• Local initiative: a mayor can decide on half-mast for municipal buildings, for example on the death of a local figure or after a tragedy in the municipality.
• Armed forces: decree no. 89-655 of 13 September 1989 provides that on the death of the President of the Republic, the flags and standards of the armed forces go into mourning and navy ships fly their ensigns at half-mast.

According to the 2025 answer, no statute or regulation otherwise sets the rules for half-mast: republican tradition and custom apply. A mayor who disregards a Government instruction can be suspended by ministerial order under the General Code of Local Authorities.

For how long

The duration is set in the Government’s instruction: one day, or several days during national mourning. According to a 2022 ministerial answer on flags for the national days, the flags fly throughout the day concerned, and it is advised to put them up the evening before. The guide to flags in mourning gives examples of official mourning.

Other flags

When the European flag flies beside the tricolour, it is customary to lower it to half-mast at the same time. The Government’s instructions specify the flags concerned where relevant. The order of flags is explained in the guide to flag protocol.

Private households

Private households, associations and businesses are not required to lower their flag to half-mast, even on a day of national mourning. Those who do often follow the same practice as public buildings: the flag at half the height of the pole, or a black ribbon at the top when the flag cannot come down.