From Flag Day on June 14 to the Fourth of July, summertime has many opportunities for U.S. flag displays, but it’s always important to fly the flag correctly.
First codified into law in 1942, Public Law 94-344, or the U.S. Flag Code, spells out the appropriate way to display the national flag. While the federal law has no penalties for breaking the standards that it sets out, it nonetheless provides a guide to how to handle the flag respectfully. Improper flag display can be an easily noticed, controversial issue.
Here are some key points to consider to keep a city's flag displays in accordance with the law:
Times for flying the flag
Flags are customarily flown only from sunrise to sunset, but flying them after dark while properly illuminated is also considered appropriate.
Determining if a flag should be flown in weather conditions such as rain or high winds depends on how it is made. Weather damage to the flag should be avoided, but all-weather flags can be appropriately displayed in bad weather.
Half-staff displays
When raising a flag for a half-staff display, the person raising the flag should first hoist it to the top of the pole before lowering it halfway. When taking the flag down, raise it again to the top of the pole, then lower it.
The right to order half-staff displays is reserved for the President of the United States and for governors, who can make the order for their states. The governor of South Carolina may order half-staff observances in tribute to firefighters and law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty or after a South Carolina resident and member of the military dies in combat. A half-staff display is also considered appropriate based on reliable information that the current or former U.S. president, current U.S. vice president, current or former U.S. Supreme Court chief justice, or current speaker of the house has died.
The State of South Carolina has a webpage, providing the current status of half-mast observances, and offers email alerts for observances as well.
There are a number of customary days to fly flags at half-staff:
- Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15, unless it coincides with Armed Forces Day (sunrise – sunset);
- Memorial Day, last Monday in May (sunrise – noon);
- Patriot Day, September 11 (sunrise – sunset);
- National Firefighters Memorial Day, typically a Sunday during Fire Prevention Week in October (sunrise – sunset); and
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7 (sunrise – sunset).
Indoor flag display
Position the national flag to the right of a speaker or a stage area. Place other flags, such as the South Carolina state flag, to the left. When hanging the national flag on a wall, always position the star field, an element known as the “union,” at the top and to the left, even when in a vertical orientation.
Flag disposal
A ceremonial retirement in which the flag is burned should take place when a flag becomes too soiled or worn for display. The most common example of excess wear is when the fly — or loose portion facing away from the pole — becomes shredded. Many veterans' groups and Scouting America troops provide flag retirement services.
A popular misconception holds that any flag that has touched the ground must be destroyed. While care should be taken to keep the flag from touching the ground, contact with the ground does not require destruction.
The U.S. government provides rules on flying the flag correctly online.