HALF-STAFF GUIDE

When and how the flag is flown at half-staff — the mechanics, who orders it, the mandated mourning periods, and the annual observance days — per the U.S. Flag Code (Title 4, U.S. Code, Chapter 1, §7(m)).

Placeholder — raising the flag to half-staff

How to Raise & Lower It

When flown at half-staff, the flag should first be hoisted briskly all the way to the peak, then lowered slowly to the half-staff position. At the end of the day, it's raised back to the peak for a moment before being lowered fully — never taken straight down from half-staff. "Half-staff" is the correct term for flags on land; "half-mast" technically refers only to flags aboard naval vessels, though the two get used interchangeably in everyday speech.
Placeholder — half-staff proclamation

Who Orders It & Mandated Mourning Periods

Half-staff for federal buildings is ordered by presidential proclamation; state and local government buildings can follow their governor's own orders. When a governor or the D.C. mayor proclaims half-staff for a fallen service member, federal facilities in that area are expected to follow suit. For deaths not specifically covered by statute, the flag is displayed at half-staff according to presidential instructions or recognized custom.

Federal law sets specific mourning periods by office:

  • President or former President — 30 days from the day of death
  • Vice President, Chief Justice or retired Chief Justice, or Speaker of the House — 10 days from the day of death
  • Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a department Secretary, a former Vice President, or a state Governor — from the day of death until interment
  • A Member of Congress — the day of death and the following day
Placeholder — half-staff observance calendar

Annual Recurring Half-Staff Days

Four dates are essentially fixed every year:

  • Peace Officers Memorial Day — May 15 (sunrise to sunset, unless it falls on Armed Forces Day)
  • Memorial Day — last Monday in May (sunrise to noon only, then raised to full staff)
  • Patriot Day — September 11 (sunrise to sunset)
  • Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day — December 7 (sunrise to sunset)

A couple of other dates are commonly observed as half-staff days too, though their status is less firmly fixed in law and worth double-checking against the current year's proclamations: Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27) and National Firefighters Memorial Day.

Placeholder — flag at a private home

When It's Not Required

The Flag Code is advisory for private citizens, not legally enforceable. Government buildings must comply with proclamations, but individual homeowners and businesses are encouraged, not required, to follow half-staff orders.

Quick Reference

  • Peak first, then half-staff — never straight to half-staff.
  • Back to the peak before lowering fully at day's end.
  • Federal buildings follow the President; state buildings follow the Governor.
  • Memorial Day is sunrise to noon only, then full staff.
  • Patriot Day and Pearl Harbor Day run sunrise to sunset.
  • Not a legal requirement for private citizens — just custom.