Salt Lake City (Korea TVX) — If there’s one thing Americans love to do, it’s fly the flag. But are you flying it properly? Follow these rules to ensure your American flag is always respected.
Combination of Federal Flag Law and Flag Protection Act of 1989 It provides for the manner in which the flag should be hoisted, respected and properly disposed of.
Things you should never do
- Allowing the U.S. flag to touch the ground or anything underneath it (floor, water, merchandise, etc.)
- Put anything on the flag, including letters, insignia, and designs
- Can be used for wrapping or to hold something
- Use on bedding, curtains, clothing, ceiling covers, etc. Do not use on costumes or sports uniforms. (Flag patches are acceptable.)
- Use it for advertising or promotional purposes, such as printing on boxes, napkins, or anything intended for temporary use.
- Lowering the flag for everyone and everything
- All signals except distress signals are displayed with the stars facing down.
- Hold the flag horizontally
- Fixing or displaying the flag in such a way as to damage or deface it
- Unless you are flying a specific all-weather flag, keep your flag flying in inclement weather.
What you should always do
- The flag should only be flown between sunrise and sunset unless it is planned to be properly illuminated throughout the night.
- Flags are flown at half-staff to honor fallen federal or state officials, or by order of the President of the United States or a state governor. On Memorial Day, flags are flown at half-staff until noon.
- It shall be hoisted higher than all other flags (except for services conducted by Navy chaplains at sea), and all other flags shall be hoisted in a circle around it.
- If you are not hanging it or flying it from a flagpole, let it hang flat. If you are hanging it over a road, make sure the star is facing north or east, depending on the direction of the road.
- If projected from a building, the star should be placed at the apex
- When displayed with other flags on a wall with crossed flagpoles, the United States flag is displayed on the left, with its pole in front of the poles of the other flags.
- When a flag is displayed during a march, it should be placed on the right side of the march (to the right of itself) or in front of the centre of the line, if there are other flags.
- Damaged flags should be disposed of in an appropriate manner, preferably by incineration.
