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What are the rules for flying the flag at the White House?
Executive summary
The White House flies the U.S. flag on its rooftop at all times and has flown the POW/MIA flag there since 2019; new lawn flagpoles were reportedly added in 2025 (Wikipedia) [1]. Federal practice and proclamations control when flags — including at the White House and other federal buildings — are lowered to half-staff, with presidents issuing orders for periods such as inaugurations or official mourning (White House proclamations) [2]. Reporting and legal summaries note customary limits and specific statutory guidance for half‑staff observances (news and state reporting) [3] [4].
1. What is flown at the White House and where
The White House maintains a rooftop U.S. flag that is flown continuously — the U.S. flag on the White House rooftop “is flown there at all times,” and since 2019 the POW/MIA flag has also been displayed there; Wikipedia also reports that flagpoles were installed on the North and South Lawns in 2025 [1]. This description situates the White House as both a permanent symbol and a location where additional flags (POW/MIA, and occasionally other banners) have been authorized to fly [1].
2. Who decides when the flag at the White House is lowered
The sitting President has authority to order flags at the White House and across federal buildings to be flown at full- or half‑staff as a symbolic act. For example, a 2025 White House presidential action ordered the flag at full‑staff for Inauguration Day and directed related displays abroad [2]. State and local governments also issue half‑staff orders within their jurisdictions, but White House proclamations and federal law govern federal properties [2] [3].
3. Common rules and the legal/ceremonial framework
Federal practice follows the U.S. Flag Code and presidential proclamations: presidents issue instructions for nationwide or federal‑property flag displays for events such as the death of national leaders, inaugurations, or other designated observances [2] [3]. Reporting on recent observances (e.g., flags lowered after the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney) shows authorities combine federal statutes and presidential direction to set the duration — several outlets note that flags are flown half‑staff until the day of interment for certain officials, and durations differ by office (vice president vs. president) [3] [4] [5].
4. Practice versus long‑standing tradition at the White House
Historical practice has varied: the Library of Congress notes an old maxim that the White House flag is “never flown at half‑mast except upon the occasion of the death of the President of the United States or an ex‑president,” though photographs and practice have deviated from that statement at times [6]. Contemporary practice, however, shows the White House flag is lowered for other high‑profile deaths when a presidential order directs it — for instance, proclamations have ordered half‑staff observance for foreign dignitaries or national figures [7] [2].
5. How half‑staff periods are applied in practice
Local and state outlets reporting on the Cheney death illustrate how instructions are implemented: the federal law and presidential practice often result in flags being lowered across federal properties until the day of interment for former vice presidents or for set statutory periods for other officials; governors may issue parallel orders for state facilities [3] [4] [5]. Media and civic websites also provide practical guidance on when and how to display or lower flags based on these proclamations [8] [9].
6. Flag handling etiquette and controversies
Coverage about individual incidents highlights that etiquette rules (for example, that a flag should not touch the ground) are part of public expectations even when they are not strictly legal prescriptions; Newsweek cited guidance that “the flag should never touch anything beneath it,” in reaction to an image of a flag on the White House floor [10]. Such episodes feed public scrutiny and debate over adherence to traditional handling norms versus official display rules [10].
7. What sources do and do not say
Available sources describe the continuous rooftop display, the POW/MIA flag since 2019, presidential proclamations for full‑ or half‑staff, and how federal and state authorities implement those orders [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention a single, unchanging written White House‑only rule that the White House flag may be lowered only for presidents and ex‑presidents; instead, historic claims to that effect exist alongside modern presidential practice and proclamations that authorize other half‑staff observances [6] [2].
Bottom line: the rules that govern flag display at the White House are a mix of continuous display tradition (rooftop flag kept flying), statutory and presidential authority to order full‑ or half‑staff observances, and customary etiquette that the public watches closely — and in recent years those practices have included POW/MIA displays and presidential orders for half‑staff in cases beyond the death of a president [1] [2] [10].