Flying the Flag at Half-Mast: Days, Authority, and Protocol

Flying the flag at half-mast — properly called half-staff when the pole is on land — is governed by 4 U.S.C. § 7(m), which sets the days it happens automatically, the mourning periods triggered by the deaths of certain officials, and the officials who can order it beyond that. The rules bind federal buildings and are followed by military installations and most state and local governments. For private citizens they are advisory: a tradition people observe because they choose to.¹

One quick note on the word. “Half-mast” is the naval term, used for flags on ships where the pole is a mast. “Half-staff” is the correct term for flags on land, and it’s the phrase federal law uses throughout. In everyday speech the two are interchangeable and no one will misunderstand you.

Days the Flag Flies at Half-Staff Every Year

A handful of calendar days call for half-staff nationwide without any special proclamation:

Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15, from sunrise to sunset, honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. If May 15 falls on Armed Forces Day, Armed Forces Day takes precedence.²
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, at half-staff only until noon and then raised briskly to full height for the rest of the day.³
Patriot Day, September 11, by annual presidential proclamation, honoring those killed in the 2001 attacks.⁴
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7, from sunrise to sunset.⁵
The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland, at federal buildings. The date shifts each year with the memorial weekend; in 2026 the service was held on May 3.⁶

Everything else comes from a proclamation.

Who Can Order the Flag Lowered

The President can order flags to half-staff nationwide for any reason, and this is the source of most of the unscheduled lowerings you’ll see in the news, from the deaths of national figures to mass tragedies.³

Governors can proclaim half-staff within their state in three situations: the death of a present or former state official, the death of an active-duty service member from the state, or the death of a first responder from the state killed in the line of duty. When a governor orders flags lowered for a military death, federal installations within that state must comply. The Mayor of the District of Columbia has the same authority for D.C.³

Heads of federal departments and agencies can also order half-staff at buildings and facilities under their control, which is how, for example, the Department of Defense handles installation-specific tributes.³

Presidential proclamations are posted on the White House website. Most governors’ offices also run email or text notification lists; searching your state’s official site for “flag notifications” usually turns up the sign-up.

How Long the Flag Stays Down When an Official Dies

The statute assigns a fixed mourning period to each office:³

President or former President: 30 days from the day of death, at every federal installation, including overseas.
Vice President, Chief Justice or retired Chief Justice, or Speaker of the House: 10 days.
Associate Justice, secretary of an executive or military department, former Vice President, or governor: from the day of death until burial.
Member of Congress: the day of death and the day after at federal buildings in the Washington, D.C., area; in the member’s home state or district, from death until burial.

How to Raise and Lower the Flag Correctly

The flag doesn’t just stop halfway up. The statute lays out a two-step ritual. In the morning, hoist the flag briskly all the way to the top of the pole, pause for an instant, then lower it slowly to the half-staff position. At the end of the day, reverse the process: raise it back to the peak, pause, then bring it all the way down.³

That brief moment at the peak matters. Skipping it is the most common mistake. The flag touching the top of the pole is itself a salute; without it, the display just looks like the halyard slipped. Move steadily and deliberately on the way down. The contrast between the brisk hoist and the slow descent is part of the ceremony.

Half-staff means roughly the midpoint of the pole: clearly below the top, well above the base. The flag should never touch the ground at any point.

If Your Flag Can’t Be Lowered

Many home displays use a wall-mounted bracket or a fixed porch pole where the flag can’t slide down to a midpoint. The accepted alternative is to attach a black ribbon or streamer to the pole just below the finial. The traditional guideline is a ribbon about the width of one flag stripe, roughly twice the length of the flag, tied at its center so both ends hang freely. It’s not a lesser tribute. It’s the recognized way to observe the mourning period when the equipment doesn’t cooperate.

Nighttime Display and Other Flags on the Pole

The Flag Code’s general rule is sunrise to sunset. If you want to fly the flag around the clock, it needs to be properly lit after dark, and that applies during half-staff periods too. Over a multi-day mourning period, you can either take the flag down each evening and repeat the peak-then-lower ritual each morning, or leave it at half-staff overnight with a spotlight or porch light on it.³

When you fly other flags alongside the American flag and the American flag is at half-staff, lower the others to the same height. Nothing should fly above the American flag when it’s in mourning. That applies to state flags, POW/MIA flags, and organizational banners displayed on nearby poles. On a single pole carrying more than one flag, the American flag remains on top at the half-staff position, with any other flag below it.

Are the Rules Enforceable?

Not against private citizens. A Congressional Research Service analysis describes the Flag Code’s provisions as “declaratory and advisory only,” noting that most sections carry no enforcement mechanism at all.¹ Federal buildings, military installations, and agencies are expected to comply, and they do. If you fly your flag at full height on a designated half-staff day, no one will fine you. Neighbors may notice, and it’s considered disrespectful, but observance is voluntary — which is much of what gives the tradition its meaning.

1
Congress.gov. Frequently Asked Questions About Flag Law
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 136 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 4 USC 7 – Position and Manner of Display
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 144 – Patriot Day
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 36 USC 129 – National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
6
The White House. National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, 2026