Why are flags at half-staff? Half-staff orders, rules and dates in the US

A flag at half-staff is the most visible sign of national mourning in the United States. The rules are in the Flag Code, 4 U.S.C. § 7(m), which builds on Proclamation 3044, issued by President Eisenhower in 1954. The Flag Code uses the term half-staff; USAGov uses both half-staff and half-mast.

Why flags are at half-staff

A flag at half-staff on a federal building, a state capitol or a school has one of three reasons behind it:

• An order from the President, after the death of a principal figure of the federal government or a state governor, and on other occasions, such as the death of other officials, foreign dignitaries or leading citizens. The orders are published as proclamations under Presidential Actions on the White House website and state where and for how long the flag is lowered.
• An order from a governor, after the death of a present or former official of the state, a member of the Armed Forces from the state who dies on active duty or a first responder who dies in the line of duty. Each governor publishes the orders for the state; the Mayor of the District of Columbia does the same for the District.
• A yearly half-staff day set by law, such as Memorial Day or Patriot Day. The dates are in the table below.

An order from the President applies to federal buildings and grounds across the country, while a governor’s order applies only in that state. On the same day, the flag can therefore be at half-staff in one state and at full staff in a neighboring one.

How far down

The Flag Code defines half-staff exactly: “the position of the flag when it is one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff” (§ 7(m)(1)). The position depends on the pole, not on the size of the flag:

The procedure

Section 7(m) describes the sequence:

1. The flag is hoisted to the peak for an instant.
2. It is then lowered to the half-staff position.
3. Before it is lowered for the day, it is raised to the peak again.

On Memorial Day, the flag is displayed at half-staff until noon only and then raised to the top of the staff. On a flag displayed from a staff projecting from a window sill, balcony or the front of a building, the union is placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half-staff (§ 7(h)).

Who orders the flag to half-staff

The authority for governors to lower the flag for service members was added in 2007, and for first responders by the Honoring Hometown Heroes Act of 2018. When a governor’s proclamation concerns a member of the Armed Forces, the flag at every federal installation or facility in the area is flown at half-staff too. According to the CRS, Presidents have also ordered the flag to half-staff on the death of leading citizens not covered by law, among them Martin Luther King, Jr.

Periods set by law

Proclamation 3044 adds details for federal buildings: on the death of a President or former President, the flag is also lowered for 30 days at US embassies, legations and military facilities abroad. On the death of a Senator or Representative, the flag is lowered in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area on the day of death and the following day, and in the member’s state or district from the day of death until interment. The proclamation’s list for the period until interment also includes the President pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders of the Senate and the House.

Half-staff dates in 2026 and 2027

Federal law names four yearly half-staff days with a fixed date or rule. In addition, the flag is lowered on federal office buildings on the day of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service under Public Law 107-51; that day is set by proclamation each year.

On top of these days come the orders from the President and the governors, which can fall on any day. All flag days, with the days of full staff, are in the guide to flag days.

Private flags and half-staff

According to the Congressional Research Service, the half-staff provisions, like the rest of the Flag Code, are a guide and do not apply as a matter of law to private individuals and organizations. The CRS knows of no federal restriction or court decision that limits a person from lowering their own flag.

On a flagpole with a halyard, the flag can be held at any height; the parts are explained in the guide to how a flagpole works. A flag mounted on a fixed staff on a house wall cannot be lowered. Mourning customs beyond half-staff, such as the flag on a casket, are covered in the guide to flags in mourning.