US or American flag etiquette requires specific displays of the American flag depending on what time it is displayed, where it is displayed, or what other flags it is displayed with.
A lot of this information is found in USC Chapter 4 Section 7 of the United States Code.
The display of the American flag should always take into consideration utmost respect for and admiration of the flag, and this dictates many of the rules, most of which can be viewed as common sense if you follow this reverence for the American flag.
Illumination
The display of the US flag at night requires that the flag be properly illuminated. If you are not going to provide a light source that would properly and prominently illuminate the flag, it should be removed at dusk, and reset at dawn. When we install commercial or residential flagpoles, we recommend this to all customers. We never recommend solar lights for any real flagpole. They are poor light sources, prone to frequent failure, and none of the solar lights on the market provide enough lumens (light output) to "properly and prominently" illuminate the US flag. We do offer flagpole lighting solutions and would be more than happy to give you a proposal for systems that either replace the finial at the top of the flagpole with a light or are ground-mounted solutions that are bright enough to properly illuminate your flagpole. Ground-mounted systems we sell do not even require an electrician to complete the installation as they are low voltage (15v) systems running off of a transformer that plugs into an outdoor rated outlet on your home or business and use lifetime warranted solid brass landscape lights with custom lenses which limit the beam spread to about 15 degrees. The top-mounted systems we install do require an electrician to make the final connection as they run on either 110 or 220 volts. We run all wiring inside the pole and out the foundation at the bottom of the flagpole for your electrician to make the final connection in what is called a J-box near the base of the flagpole.
Perspective
As professional flagpole installers, we notice every single flagpole we see. Whether it be at a business, a church, or someone's front lawn. Most times we see it displayed correctly, but not always, and this is very disrespectful. Especially since 75% of our staff are veterans of the US military, including our founder and current owner. Don't worry, we know you are not doing it on purpose, most people just don't know.
The proper perspective to use when deciding how to display the US flag with other flags, banners, or pennants is as follows. The US flag should always follow the rule that it is displayed in the perspective that it is most often viewed from. This means it isn't from the perspective of your front porch, or the door to your business. What it means is that the direction it is most often viewed from is from the public. For example, if you own a home and two flagpoles are in your yard, the public's view has one flag on the public's left (where the US flag goes) and one on the right (where the state or other flag goes). The US flag should always go "on it's own right" as it views the public. So if you are on your porch, looking out to your street, the US flag would be on your right (the public's left) and the state or other flagpole you have would be on your left (the public's right).
The US flag should also never be flown at a lower height than any other flag in the vicinity. Never fly another flag on the same flagpole above the US flag, and if using more than one flagpole, the US flag should always be hoisted on the highest flagpole, making sure you install that tallest flagpole on the left as viewed from the public!
This rule, without much exception, determines how to display the US flag in almost all cases whether indoors or out, when flown in an array with other flags.
Now that we have explained perspective, and it's importance, let's go over the different examples.
Hanging the flag horizontally or vertically against a wall
When hung horizontally or vertically against a wall, or in a window, the union (the stars) should always be at the top, and to the flag's right, in other words to the viewers' left as they face the flag. No other flag may be displayed to the flag's own right, or above it when displayed this way.
The ONLY exception to this rule is when the US flag is displayed at sea, on a US Navy vessel during church services by a US Navy chaplain, when the church pennant may be flown above the US flag.
United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 subsection 7 says
"No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America, except during church services conducted by naval chaplains at sea, when the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for the personnel of the Navy. No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof: Provided, That nothing in this section shall make unlawful the continuance of the practice heretofore followed of displaying the flag of the United Nations in a position of superior prominence or honor, and other national flags in positions of equal prominence or honor, with that of the flag of the United States at the headquarters of the United Nations."
How to hang the US flag with state flags, or other flags from the same flagpole
When hanging the US flag and the flag of a US state, city, municipality, or with any other private groups pennant from the same halyard (rope) the US flag must always be in the highest position, with 6" between it and the flag below it. Flags from different NATO countries cannot be hung on the same flagpole or staff as it is required during peace time to fly all country flags at the same height.
How to hang the US flag with state or other flags in a multiple flagpole array
When hung with other flags on separate flagpoles or staffs the US flag should always be hoisted first, and lowered last. The Us flag must always go on it's own right, or the publics left as viewed. No other flag in the arrangement shall be flown higher than the US flag.
How to hang the US flag with another flag on a staff against a wall
When the US flag is hung on a pole or staff with another flag also on a staff and the staffs are crossed and placed against a wall, the US flag should be again be on its own right, or the left as viewed from the public, and the US flags staff should cross over, not behind the second flag.
How to hang the US flag with flags of the US military branches
How the US flag is displayed with flags of the military branches varies, there are two correct methods depnding on whether or not we are in peace time or war. The flag this impacts the most is the flag of the US Coast Guard, which is not a military branch except when we are at war. Otherwise it falls under the Department of Homeland Security and is not considered a military branch during peace time. Keeping this in mind we can display the flags correctly in peace time or time of war.
During peace time as always, we start with the US flag displayed on its own right, or the left as viewed from the viewers perspective. We then fill in the flags by using their order of inception. So the order would be as viewed from the public as follows:
US FLAG > ARMY > MARINE CORP > NAVY > AIR FORCE > SPACE FORCE > COAST GUARD - because during peace, the coast guard is not a military branch and comes last
During war time as always, we start with the US flag displayed on its own right, or the left as viewed from the viewers perspective. We then fill in the flags by using their order of inception. So the order would be as viewed from the public as follows:
US FLAG > ARMY > MARINE CORP > NAVY > COAST GUARD > AIR FORCE > SPACE FORCE - because during war, the coast guard is transfered under the Department of the Navy.
How to Hang The US Flag With Those Of Other Nations
When displaying multiple international flags together in one place, the flags should all be of the same size, as a sign of respect. The host country’s flag is always displayed first, followed by the remaining flags in alphabetical order. These flags should all be flown on separate staffs at the same height. National flags are always displayed in order before State, Province, Corporate, or Military flags. The correct order in the United States is as follows and as viewed from the public:
US FLAG > NATO MEMBER (alphabetically) > NON-NATO ALLY (alphabetically) > US Sate > MILITARY BRANCH (as listed above) > CORPORATE
Still have a question on how to display your flag in your particular circumstance? Let us know and we will help!