FLAG ETIQUETTE & RESPECT

What not to do with the flag, how clothing and lapel pins fit in, and the proper conduct as it's raised, lowered, or passes by — per the U.S. Flag Code (Title 4, U.S. Code, Chapter 1, §§8–9).

U.S. and Arizona flag on poles blowing in the wind with a blue sky

The Core Principle

No disrespect should ever be shown to the flag. It should never be dipped to any person or thing — though regimental colors, state flags, and organization or institutional flags are properly dipped as a mark of honor. The U.S. flag is the one exception: it doesn't bow to anyone.

men holding a flag in a park with trees and green grass

What Not to Do With It

Beyond the display rules, the Flag Code sets out what the flag should never be used for:

Never let it touch the ground, floor, water, or merchandise.
Never carry it flat or horizontal — always aloft and free.
Never wear it as clothing, bedding, or drapery; never festoon or bunch it, always let it fall free. (Blue-white-red bunting — blue on top, white in the middle, red below — is the traditional stand-in for platform or speaker's-desk decoration.)
Never display or store it in a way that lets it get easily torn, soiled, or damaged.
Never use it as a covering for a ceiling.
Never mark, print, or attach anything to it — no insignia, letters, or designs.
Never use it as a receptacle for carrying or holding anything.
Never use it for advertising — no embroidering it on cushions or handkerchiefs, no printing it on napkins or boxes meant for disposal, and no ad signage fastened to its staff or halyard.

A U.S. flag patch layed on top of a Marine cadet's shirt

Clothing, Patches & Pins

No part of the flag should ever be worn as a costume or athletic uniform. A flag patch is a recognized exception, though — it's proper on the uniforms of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations. Because the flag represents a living country and is treated as something alive itself, a lapel pin — a small replica of the flag — should be worn on the left lapel, close to the heart.

Flag retirement ceremony with several flags burning in a pit

When Retirement Time Comes

When a flag is no longer fit for display — torn, faded, or worn beyond repair — it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. For the full ceremony and your options, see our Flag Disposal & Retirement page.

Two soldiers saluting a U.S. flag flying at full mast

Saluting & Conduct as It Passes

During the hoisting or lowering of the flag, or when it passes in a parade or review, those present in uniform render the military salute; members of the Armed Forces and veterans out of uniform may also salute. Everyone else faces the flag, stands at attention, and places the right hand over the heart. Non-uniformed men remove any non-religious headwear with the right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, keeping the hand over the heart. Citizens of other countries present simply stand at attention. In a moving column, the gesture happens at the exact moment the flag passes — not before, not after.

None of this carries a legal penalty for individuals — the Flag Code's etiquette is custom, not criminal law. That principle was reinforced in 1989, when the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that burning a flag in political protest is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment.

Quick Reference

No disrespect, ever — the flag never dips, even in salute.
Never touches the ground, floor, water, or merchandise.
Never worn as clothing — but a small patch or lapel pin is fine.
Right hand over the heart; uniformed persons salute.
Retire it by burning once it's no longer fit to fly.
Custom, not law — but a mark of respect worth keeping.