# Flag Etiquette **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367 "2007-10-20T02:52:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/1 "2007-10-20T02:52:00Z")
Seeing the recent post on EMT / Ambulence pulling over debate, and a debate on left turn green arrows, I am reminded of something that always kinda, sat in the back of my mind, and I want a current barometer on it. Flag Etiquette. Is it no longer required to take down a flag in the rain and like weather? What about in regards to arranging a layout so that a US (or other like flag) takes a predominate position? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/2 "2007-10-20T03:15:02Z")
Flags may fly in the rain, snow, etc. It was formerly the custom to lower them at dusk and raise them again at sunrise – and remains the case where they are not illuminated. But if you have a floodlight shining on a flag, it may properly fly all night. Also note that flag etiquette is (a) prescribed by the Flag Code, which is incorporated into statute, but (b) no penalty is imposed for violating the Flag Code, so it’s for all practical purposes salad forks and soup spoons, not handicapped parking places. With regard to displaying the flag in conjunction with another flag: [ul][li]If on separate poles, the U.S. flag is always on **its own** right – i.e., the viewer’s left.[/li][li]On the same pole, the U.S. flag is always the topmost of two or more flags.[/li]Apparently an exception to the first point is that if three or more flags are being displayed and it is possible to do so, the U.S. flag is displayed higher than the other two and from the central pole. But while I’ve seen this often enough to figure it’s got to be a rule, I’ve never seen the rule that specifies it.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/3 "2007-10-20T03:18:44Z")
Nothing is _required_, unless the flag in question belongs to the military or a government office. For anybody else, the [Flag Code](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Flag_Code) merely specifies the suggested way of doing things. FWIW, here are the relevant rules from the code: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > - If the flag is being used at a public or private estate, it should not be hung (unless at half mast) during rain or violent weather. > > - When flown with flags of states, communities or societies on separate flag poles which are of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honor—to its own right. The other flags may be the same size but none may be larger. > > - Ordinarily it should be displayed only between sunrise and sunset, although the Flag Code permits night time display “when a patriotic effect is desired.” Similarly, the flag should be displayed only when the weather is fair, except when an all weather flag is displayed. (By Presidential proclamation and law, the flag is displayed continuously at certain honored locations like the United States Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington and Lexington Green.) > > - It should be illuminated if displayed at night. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/4 "2007-10-20T15:15:32Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] [ul][li]If on separate poles, the U.S. flag is always on **its own** right – i.e., the viewer’s left.[/li][li]On the same pole, the U.S. flag is always the topmost of two or more flags.[/li][li]Apparently an exception to the first point is that if three or more flags are being displayed and it is possible to do so, the U.S. flag is displayed higher than the other two and from the central pole. But while I’ve seen this often enough to figure it’s got to be a rule, I’ve never seen the rule that specifies it.[/ul][/li][/QUOTE] Another exception to the above is that the U.S. flag should not be displayed higher than other national flags. It should be flown to its right (the viewer’s left) of other flags in the United States (except on United Nations property, when it takes its alphabetical place with the other countries), but not on a higher level. One subtlety is that the flag technically isn’t flown at the highest point, but rather the most honored point. This is most often confused in the case of flag staffs with a gaff (a pole hanging diagonally off the of the main pole), which may frequently be seen at nautical institutions. The gaff is the most honored point, and where the national flag should be flown. Some (misinformed) people get torqued off because the flag isn’t at the highest point, but they’re wrong because it is the place of honor. The reason for this is that a gaff-rigged flag staff represents the aftermost mast of a sailing ship, and on a gaff-rigged sailing vessel, the national ensign is flown from the after edge of the last sail on the gaff. ---
**Author:** ![abby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@abby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abby)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/5 "2007-10-20T23:23:37Z")
Could I just clarify, this “higher than any other flag” thing is if you’re flying the US flag in the US, right? Would patriotic American folks get angry at me if they came to my home in Australia, and I had an Aussie flag higher and bigger than the US flag I was also flying? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/6 "2007-10-21T00:06:21Z")
[QUOTE=abby] Could I just clarify, this “higher than any other flag” thing is if you’re flying the US flag in the US, right? Would patriotic American folks get angry at me if they came to my home in Australia, and I had an Aussie flag higher and bigger than the US flag I was also flying? [/QUOTE] No. No we wouldn’t. I’d look down on your patriotism if you honored my flag more than your own in your own territory. Remember, also, that North and East are more important than South and West when it’s applicable. My particular pet peeve is the star field mistakes. When you hang it vertically, you HAVE TO flip it over so the blue is on the left still. Don’t just turn it 90 degrees. That’s wrong. Also, when posted on a moving object (person or vehicle), turn it so the blue it forward and the stripes ‘blow’ backwards. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/7 "2007-10-21T00:25:26Z")
[QUOTE=abby] Could I just clarify, this “higher than any other flag” thing is if you’re flying the US flag in the US, right? [/QUOTE] Actually, there’s no requirement that the US flag be higher than any other flag, just that no other flag be higher than it. When flown with other national flags inside the US, the US flag should be on its own right and be the same size and height as the other national flags. Flags of US states or municipalities can be placed at equal height (again with the US flag to the right) or at a lower height on the same pole. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/8 "2007-10-21T00:42:03Z")
I was under the impression that the tradition of flying flags (not only the US one) from sunrise to sunset was that leaving them flying during darkness meant unnecessary wear & tear. Obviously this is not so much of an issue now that they’re made from nylon in Chinese sweatshops, but ceremonies and routines which grew up around the daily raising and lowering of flags would in turn become part of, or influence, etiquette. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/9 "2007-10-21T02:00:37Z")
[QUOTE=abby] Could I just clarify, this “higher than any other flag” thing is if you’re flying the US flag in the US, right? Would patriotic American folks get angry at me if they came to my home in Australia, and I had an Aussie flag higher and bigger than the US flag I was also flying? [/QUOTE] Yes, and an Aussie (and an American for that matter) should be upset if a US flag were flown higher or (substantially) larger than Australian flag that it was flying with. When national flags are flown together, they should be at the same level and (approximately) the same size. (Because different national flags have different proportions, exact matching may be impossible.) The home country flag should be to the rightmost (the viewer’s left) of the national flags, as that is the “first among equals” position, but never above. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/10 "2007-10-21T20:13:47Z")
An all-weather flag may be flown in the rain. A normal flag may not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/11 "2007-10-21T21:42:11Z")
It should be noted that, in the Flag Code, even if the flag is all-weather and illuminated, it’s still usually preferred to take it down at night or in bad weather. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/12 "2007-10-22T00:14:28Z")
What is the metric for measuring flag size? Area? Longest dimension? Other? ---
**Author:** ![Jaochai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2acd7d/32.png) [@Jaochai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaochai)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/13 "2007-10-22T00:28:54Z")
All flags are given standardized dimensions. Therefore, it becomes easy to figure out whether a given flag is too big or too small. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/14 "2007-10-22T02:04:20Z")
[QUOTE=Tenebras] What is the metric for measuring flag size? Area? Longest dimension? Other? [/QUOTE] Flags are usually measured in two dimentions, the “hoist”, which is length of the flag that goes along the flagpole (in normal position, the flag’s height) and the “fly”, which is the length of flag flying away from the flagpole (the width). Most national flags have an official proportion, which is the ratio between the hoist and the fly. Most national flags are either 1:2 (they are twice as wide as they are long) or 2:3 (they are one and half times as wide as they are long). The official proportions of a US flag are 10:19 (a little less than twice as long as wide), but many flags are sold and flown in somewhat different proportions. This [site](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-rati.html) has a listing of the various ratios for national flags. At the [UN Headquarters](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/uno.html#size) all of the national flags are manufactured to a standard 4 by 6 foot size (3 by 5 for indoor use), regardless of the flag’s proper ratio, so they all are the same size as each other. More informally, if two or more national flags are to be flown together, I would say that getting flags of as close a size as feasible would work. If they have the same length at the hoist, a 1:2 and 2:3 flag won’t look too out of proportion. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/15 "2007-10-22T02:21:35Z")
Out front of my work, the national flag flies in the middle (and higher), the provincial flag on the right, and the company flag on the left (I think), as you face them and the building. I don’t think they take them down at night either. If we have Important Visitors from other countries, the company and (if necessary) provincial flags get replaced by the visitors’ national flag or flags. Very odd feeling to come to work one day and see the Chinese flag flying outside… ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/16 "2007-10-22T03:00:59Z")
So what about that wacky country Tenebrasistan? Let me tell you about our flag. The flag of Tenebrasistan is twice as long as it is tall. It is divided into two squares. The leftward square is green to symbolize the verdant forests of our land. The rightward square is blue because blue is a pretty color. Now, it is unlikely that Tenebrasistan will join the UN, on account of all the Zionism and one-world-government overtones of that body, not to mention the rampant human rights abuses that we like to call “local color” back home in the darkness of our verdant forests! Just for the sake of argument, though, let us suppose that Tenbrasistan is invited to join this most august body. Are they going to stretch our geometrically (and numerologically!) perfect design to be a pair of side by side rectangles? It’s like pan-and-scan for flags. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/17 "2007-10-22T03:31:00Z")
When Switzerland joined the UN a few years ago, they negotiated a special deal to ensure that their [flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Switzerland) remained square. [Nepal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nepal) also has a special deal since their flag is not rectangular at all. As for the poor Tenebrasese, there are lots of other 1:2 flags, all of which have been slightly mutated to conform to the UN dimensions, so I doubt you’d get any special dispensation. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/18 "2007-10-22T04:47:26Z")
The Tenebrasistani government may be corrupt, but they would never consent to such meddling. The square represents the equality of all men under the iron fist of the law. Rectangles are a tool of the capitalist dog oppressor. Or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/19 "2007-10-22T15:19:37Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] [list][li]If on separate poles, the U.S. flag is always on **its own** right – i.e., the viewer’s left.[/li][/QUOTE] What if the viewer walks to the other side of the poles? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367/20 "2007-10-22T16:18:18Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] What if the viewer walks to the other side of the poles? [/QUOTE] This falls in a category about poles in the middle of open spaces, and flags hung by wires inside buildings. There are protocols for that, based on compass directions. If I knew them, I’d be glad to tell you. As it is, I am merely wasting your time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flag-etiquette/423367.md?page=2)