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 criteria for determining who receives a half-mast flag tribute?
Executive summary
Federal and state officials order flags to half‑staff as a formal, coded tribute—most commonly after the death of a sitting or former national leader, a state or local official, or public servants who die in the line of duty; the President issues national proclamations and governors issue state orders, often specifying duration such as “until interment” or a sunset date (examples: federal observance for former Vice President Dick Cheney through his interment on Nov. 20, 2025) [1] [2]. Practices vary by jurisdiction: some governors set state‑level half‑staff periods for local figures or tragedies that extend beyond or differ from federal orders [3] [4].
1. How the system is organized: who can order half‑staff and at what level
The U.S. flag code and practice create two practical tiers: the President can proclaim national periods of mourning that federal buildings follow, and each state’s governor can direct flags at state facilities to be lowered for their own reasons; notification services and flag‑monitoring groups then publish those proclamations [2] [5]. Private citizens and organizations are often invited to participate when governors issue orders, but legal authority to set official displays rests with the President for federal sites and governors for state sites [6] [5].
2. Common criteria: who is most often honored and why
Typical recipients include current or former national leaders (e.g., a former vice president), military personnel and veterans at times specified by law or custom, and public safety officers or civilian leaders killed in the line of duty; the gesture is framed as “tribute,” “remembrance,” and “respect” intended to signal collective mourning [1] [7] [8]. States also use half‑staff orders to mark local tragedies, workplace deaths, or anniversaries of traumatic events—examples include governors ordering flags lowered for firefighters, police officers, and victims of local incidents [8] [3].
3. Timing and duration: common rules and examples
Durations are explicitly prescribed in many proclamations: a frequent formula is “lowered immediately until the day of interment” or “through sunset on [date],” and some proclamations pause for other observances (e.g., flags raised for Veterans Day and then returned to half‑staff until interment) [6] [4]. For instance, after Dick Cheney’s death, federal and many state flags were ordered at half‑staff from Nov. 4 through his interment on Nov. 20, 2025, with explicit instructions to return flags to full staff at sunset on interment day [1] [2].
4. Differences between federal and state observances; overlapping orders
Federal proclamations set the baseline for federal properties, but governors can add or extend observances for state needs; states sometimes harmonize with the federal period or issue independent orders that overlap or continue beyond the national observance—for example, four states extended or created their own half‑staff observances tied to local losses even after the national period for a former vice president concluded [3] [9]. Official guidance can also direct temporary adjustments—Washington state returned flags to full staff for Veterans Day then resumed half‑staff afterward per local proclamation [4].
5. How the public learns and follows these orders
State press releases, official governor pages and secretary of state or department of administration notices publish orders (examples: Michigan governor’s office and North Carolina DOA releases), and independent notification sites aggregate official proclamations for the public [2] [9] [5]. Manufacturers and flag‑education sites also publish explanatory guides about etiquette and how long to observe half‑staff, often using recent proclamations as examples [10] [11].
6. Disagreements, gray areas, and implicit agendas
Officials decide case‑by‑case; that discretion creates variation and occasional controversy when publics expect different priorities. States have extended half‑staff observances for local figures and tragedies that national proclamations didn’t cover, which critics may view as politicized or selective while supporters present them as appropriate local recognition [3]. Notification websites and flag vendors may emphasize continuity and tradition—an implicit agenda to standardize observance—while individual governors retain political latitude to respond to constituent sentiments [5] [10].
7. What the available reporting does not say
Available sources do not present a single, exhaustive legal list of every category that mandates a half‑staff order nor do they provide a uniform, codified hierarchy that binds governors to federal examples; rather, practice is a combination of federal proclamation, state discretion, and customary precedent (not found in current reporting).