Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What are the official U.S. flag protocols for display at the White House and presidential residences?
Executive summary
The U.S. Flag Code governs many formal flag practices — for example, it says the flag “should never touch anything beneath it” and specifies half‑staff rules for officials such as presidents and vice presidents [1] [2]. The White House posts presidential proclamations and actions about flag observances [3] [4], while recent reporting shows the White House flies the U.S. flag at all times, has added lawn flagpoles, and follows statutory half‑staff practice for specific deaths [5] [6] [7].
1. What the Flag Code says — technical rules and treatment
The federal Flag Code (Title 4) sets etiquette: it instructs that the American flag “should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise,” and establishes a general “place of honor” principle when the U.S. flag appears with other flags [1] [8]. Multiple outlets citing the Code note those concrete provisions when assessing incidents at the White House [1] [9]. The Code is descriptive guidance on handling, display position, and half‑staff customs; news outlets and flag experts regularly interpret its provisions in stories about White House displays [1] [8].
2. How the White House implements display and half‑staff orders
The Executive Branch implements Flag Code customs through presidential proclamations and presidential actions posted on the White House website; those pages record modern directives on Flag Day, half‑staff orders, and related observances [3] [4]. News reporting about the recent lowering of flags for former Vice President Dick Cheney cites the Flag Code’s statutory language — for example, flags are lowered from the day of death until interment for a former vice president — and notes the White House carried out that lowering “in accordance with statutory law” [2] [7].
3. Everyday practice at the White House and presidential residences
Historically and in current practice the White House flies the U.S. flag from its rooftop and keeps the national flag flying at all times; reporting and reference pages note that the U.S. flag “is flown there at all times” and that additional lawn flagpoles were installed in 2025, with large flags hoisted on them [5] [6]. Coverage also records the addition of the POW/MIA flag to federal sites since 2019 and that Congress passed a law allowing that flag to fly year‑round at prominent federal buildings, including the White House [10] [5].
4. Controversies and enforcement: what reporting highlights
Recent news stories highlight disputes over whether on‑site displays comply with Code “spirit” or letter. For example, photographs of a flag apparently touching the ground prompted reporting that reiterated the Code’s prohibition against the flag touching the floor [1] [9]. Separate coverage of a White House event featuring a non‑national flag (the Progress Pride flag) shows expert disagreement: some said the display violated the Code’s “front and center” spirit while others stressed the Code doesn’t explicitly prescribe every modern display configuration [8]. In short, enforcement is often a mix of law, tradition, and public interpretation [1] [8].
5. Who decides half‑staff and public transparency
While the Flag Code provides standards, presidents issue proclamations and the White House posts proclamations and presidential actions that publicly state half‑staff orders and other flag directives [3] [4]. Local news reporting on national half‑staff observances — such as for Cheney — documents that governors and state agencies often mirror or rely on federal guidance and that the White House may characterize the lowering as carried out “in accordance with statutory law” even when public statements from the president are limited [2] [11].
6. What’s left unclear or not addressed in current reporting
Available sources do not mention a comprehensive, authoritative step‑by‑step checklist specifically labelled “official White House flag protocol” that covers every modern scenario (for example, flag placement when multiple non‑national flags are displayed on porticos) beyond the Flag Code and presidential proclamations (not found in current reporting). Reporting instead relies on the Flag Code text, White House proclamations, and expert commentary to interpret specific incidents [1] [3] [8].
Conclusion: The legal and customary framework for flags at the White House is anchored in the Flag Code’s written advice (including the ban on letting the flag touch the ground) and in presidential proclamations posted on the White House site; practice is implemented at the White House (roof and new lawn flagpoles) and interpreted publicly through media, flag experts, and occasional controversy [1] [3] [5] [6].