What federal guidelines determine flag half-staff duration for a U.S. president's death?

1. What the Flag Code and presidencies establish: law plus presidential practice

Title 4 of the U.S. Code lays out flag etiquette but delegates many specifics to either presidential proclamation or historical practice; media recaps and institutional pages summarize that the longest mandatory period is 30 days after the death of a president or former president, a rule traced to a 1954 proclamation and repeated in reporting ^{[1] [6]}. For many other high officials, the Code or implementing guidance directs flags to be half‑staff for shorter, specified intervals or “from the date of death until interment,” leaving room for the President to order different or additional observances ^{[2] [1]}.

2. Conflicting interpretations around vice presidents: 10 days vs. until interment

Coverage after Dick Cheney’s death shows a split: several state and local notices — and many news outlets — said flags should be lowered “from the day of death until the day of interment” for former vice presidents ^{[3] [7] [8]}. By contrast, other sources and a Veterans Affairs guidance cite a 10‑day period for the death of a vice president or similar high officials, producing widely repeated statements that flags fly for 10 days after such deaths ^{[4] [9] [5]}. The co‑existence of both formulations in reporting is the practical source of confusion ^{[5] [4]}.

3. How the White House and governors have actually acted in 2025

In the Cheney example, the White House lowered flags immediately but did not issue a formal public proclamation in some accounts, while governors and state agencies issued orders specifying durations that in many cases tied the half‑staff period to interment or to sunset on the funeral day ^{[10] [7] [2]}. Media noted that typical practice is for the sitting president to use a proclamation to direct nationwide observance; when that announcement is absent or silent, states often follow their own protocol or cite federal guidance ^{[11] [10]}.

4. Why agencies and outlets report different timelines

Different texts are being cited: the Flag Code’s general structure, a 1954 Eisenhower proclamation that specifically set 30 days for former presidents, and modern agency publications (for example VA guidance) that list 10 days for certain offices. Journalists have relied on different authoritative summaries — state notices, VA pamphlets, the Flag Code, and contemporary White House practice — which do not always present identical, easily comparable rules, so outlets can quote conflicting durations ^{[1] [4] [2]}.

5. What this means for citizens and flag custodians

Because federal law gives the President authority to order half‑staff observances and because state officials may also direct state flags, the safest expectation is we will see differing but institutionally supported practices: 30 days for a president, presidential discretion for other officials, and a mix of “until interment” or set day counts cited for vice presidents in current reporting ^{[1] [3] [4]}. If you need a definitive, binding instruction for a particular flag — federal building, state building, or private display — check the relevant White House proclamation or your state governor’s order, which reportage shows have been the operative directives in recent cases ^{[10] [7]}.

Limitations: available sources do not provide a single, textually clear line in Title 4 that settles the 10‑day vs. “until interment” question for former vice presidents; reporting and agency materials are the basis for the summary above and reflect differing emphases in official practice ^{[4] [5] [3]}.