Flag Etiquette
Questions answered
by Al Cavalari.
Al Cavalari co-founded The Flag Guys in 1977 and spent thirty years answering flag etiquette questions from readers around the country. These are his actual responses — preserved here because the questions haven't changed and neither have the answers.
109 questions across 11 categories · Answered by Al Cavalari · Posted from 1996
Half-Staff — 32 questions
- When is the flag automatically flown at half-staff? Are there set days?
- The flag should be at half-staff but the rope on my pole doesn't allow it — what do I do?
- When flown at half-staff on a single pole, should the state flag be removed or remain below the U.S. flag?
- For a vertically hung flag, is there any way to show the appropriate honor at half-staff?
- Can a private facility fly the flag at half-staff for a local community figure?
- Our company has international locations — when a foreign country's leader dies, do we half-staff?
- Is it proper to salute the flag when it is at half-staff?
- The post office near me didn't lower the flag to half-staff on the correct day — who do I complain to?
- When is the flag flown at half-staff on September 11th (Patriot Day)?
- What are the proper half-staff times for Memorial Day?
- How long is the flag flown at half-staff when a former President dies?
- When is the flag flown at half-staff for Peace Officers Memorial Day?
- When is the Flag Automatically Half-Staffed?
- Fire Prevention Week Flag Etiquette
- Half-Staffing the US Flag for Foreigners or International Events
- Half-Staffing Foreign Flags with the US Flag
- General Information About Half Staff
- Half Staff Myth
- Half-Staffing Only the State Flag on a Single Pole
- Post Office Half-Staffing Policy
- Half Staff Proclamation Archives
- Should the State Flag Be Half-Staffed?
- Half-Staffing Vertically Mounted Flags
- Half-Staffing When No One is Available on Weekends/Holidays
- Half Staff - When?
- Who Can Order the Flag to Be Half-Staffed?
- Memorial Day Flag Etiquette
- Peace Officers' Memorial Day
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
- Private and Local Half-Staffing Authority
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg Half-Staff Proclamation
- September 11 Flag Rules
Flag Precedence — 16 questions
- Is there ever a time when, on American soil, the American flag is not the flag of honor?
- How do I set up three flags on a stage for a military ceremony — U.S., POW/MIA, and Navy?
- Why do the service academies take flag precedence over the actual service branches?
- Should the Texas state flag be flown on a separate pole from the U.S. flag, or below it?
- What is the proper etiquette for flying the POW/MIA flag along with state and U.S. flags?
- What size should the POW/MIA flag be relative to the U.S. flag?
- Where exactly does the flag get placed in front of a building?
- Can the Texas state flag be placed in a position of superiority over the U.S. flag?
- Can a yacht club pennant or burgee be flown above the U.S. ensign?
- Flag Order (Precedence)
- Flag Precedence: Air Force and Army Regulations
- Flag Precedence: Confederate Flags
- Flag Precedence: POW Flag with Navy Flag
- Flag Precedence: Service Academy Flags
- Flag Precedence: State Flags
- Flag Precedence: Yacht Clubs
Funeral Honors — 9 questions
- Can I display the spent cartridges from a military funeral salute in the same case as the flag?
- My father was a WWII vet — who is entitled to receive the flag at a military funeral?
- Is it appropriate to have more than one internment flag presented at the grave?
- Is it proper to present a flag to an active-duty servicemember who is re-enlisting?
- How should the American flag be displayed on a hearse during a military funeral?
- Funeral Flag: Air Force Condolence Message
- Funeral Flag: Veterans Only?
- Funeral Flag: Who Gets It?
- Military Funerals and Honors Law
Care & Retirement — 7 questions
Display — 13 questions
- Can the American flag be displayed at night?
- Do I have to take down my stick flag at night?
- Does the American flag in our church have to be kept lit overnight?
- Who should carry the American flag in a parade — veterans only, or can civilians?
- 9/11 Flag Display Etiquette
- Flag Display on Cars
- Should the Flag Fly Over an Unoccupied Building?
- General Flag Display Rules
- Lighting Flags At Night
- Lighting Stick Flags At Night
- Flag Display on Motorcycles
- Night Flag Display
- Flag Position on Building Exterior
Military Protocol — 8 questions
Ceremony & Symbols — 7 questions
The Flag Code — 5 questions
Uniform & Insignia — 3 questions
History & Construction — 4 questions
Special Topics — 5 questions
Don't see your question here? Call Al's successor Kathy at (845) 562-0088. Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET.
These answers reflect the U.S. Flag Code and Al Cavalari's interpretation built over 30+ years. Flag Code violations carry no civil penalty — the Code is guidance, not law.