In mid-October the emails start landing in our inbox, each one a version of "Should my flag be at half-staff on the 11th?" Veterans send a lot of them. Plenty of others come from their kids, who just hung a bracket by the front door and want it right before Dad sees it. Our answer is no, and we attach the bits of Veterans Day flag etiquette that apply to a house, with the Flag Code section for each.

TL;DR: Fly the flag at full staff on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from sunrise to sunset or overnight if lit. On a house bracket, the union sits at the staff's peak, away from the house. On a wall or in a window, it goes upper left from the street. Lower it only for a President's or governor's half-staff order.

Quick pick for Veterans Day - Porch bracket, light to moderate wind: Durable Patriot embroidered nylon flag in 3x5 - Open yard, steady wind, or flying day and night: Everlast spun polyester outdoor flag

Veterans Day Flag Etiquette: Is It a Half-Staff Day?

Full staff.

When we answer that email, we bring up Memorial Day, the day the Code splits: half-staff until noon, then full staff (4 U.S.C. § 7(m)). The Code lists Veterans Day as a display day with no half-staff note (4 U.S.C. § 6(d)), and the VA describes it as the day set aside to thank and honor all who served honorably.

A half-staff order from the President or a governor can override that for the 11th, and when one does, we follow its dates and area.

We check our governor's press page every November 11 before our own flag goes up.

When to Raise the Flag and When to Bring It In

The Flag Code calls it the "universal custom" to fly the flag from sunrise to sunset (4 U.S.C. § 6(a)). It goes up briskly and comes down ceremoniously (§ 6(b)). This year Veterans Day lands on a Wednesday. Plenty of people raise it before work and get home after dark. The same section allows 24-hour display if the flag is properly illuminated. The Code never defines "properly," so we go by the American Legion: a dedicated light aimed at the flag, or any light strong enough that a casual observer can clearly recognize it. A porch light that washes the siding and stops short of the fabric fails that test. We learned this by walking out to the curb after dark and seeing a black shape where our flag should have been. If you can't make out the stripes from the street, take it in at sunset.

How to Hang Your Flag on the House

Here's where we put the union on each house mount:

  • Angled bracket on the porch or siding: the union (the blue field of stars) goes at the peak of the staff, the end farthest from the wall (4 U.S.C. § 7(h)).
  • Flat against a wall (horizontal or vertical): the union goes at the top and to the flag's own right, which is your left as you face it (4 U.S.C. § 7(i)).
  • In a window: same rule, judged from the street.
  • Porch railings: don't drape the flag or tie it back. Use bunting instead, blue stripe on top (4 U.S.C. § 8(d)).

We've seen customer photos of a flag hung vertically from a porch beam with the stars on the right, which reads backwards from the sidewalk. Flip it so the stars sit top left from where your neighbors stand.

Condo owners ask us whether the association can ban the flag. The Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 bars condo and homeowner associations from banning the U.S. flag on property you own or use exclusively, though reasonable limits on display are allowed. We'd read the covenant before drilling into shared trim.

Flying a POW/MIA, State or Branch Flag Alongside It

Photos customers send us on the 11th often show a second flag. Nothing goes above the U.S. flag, and nothing sits to its right at the same height (4 U.S.C. § 7(c) and (f)). On one pole, the U.S. flag takes the peak and the second flag hangs below, and the VFW puts the POW/MIA flag directly under it. A state flag follows the same rule, and in a group of state flags on separate staffs, the U.S. flag stands at the center and highest point (§ 7(e)). With two brackets, the U.S. flag takes the left one as you face the house. It goes up first and comes down last.

Hand Over Heart, or a Salute?

During the raising or lowering, anyone in uniform gives the military salute (4 U.S.C. § 9). Veterans and service members who are out of uniform may salute too. Everyone else stands facing the flag with the right hand over the heart; if you're wearing a hat, take it off with your right hand and hold it at your left shoulder. Congress added the out-of-uniform salute for veterans in 2008 (Public Law 110-181, § 594), and many veterans who email us hadn't heard about it.

The Week-Before Check: Weather and Wear

Pull up the forecast for the 11th on the weekend before. The Code says not to fly the flag in inclement weather unless it's an all-weather flag (4 U.S.C. § 6(c)), which the American Legion describes as nylon or another non-absorbent material. Our Durable Patriot is nylon and our Everlast is spun polyester, so both qualify. We still bring ours in when a storm rolls through.

On our test flags, the first loose thread shows up at the outer corner of the fly end.

That edge is where we look first, then along the stripes. The Code asks that a flag not be displayed where it can be easily torn, and that a flag no longer fit for display be retired with dignity, preferably by burning (4 U.S.C. § 8(e) and (k)). For a flag past that point, call your local American Legion or VFW post; many collect worn flags for retirement ceremonies. When the wind dies, a flag on a low bracket can settle onto the railing or a shrub, and the Code says it should never touch anything beneath it (§ 8(b)).

Veterans Day Flag Rules for Homeowners at a Glance

Situation What to do Source
November 11 Full staff all day 4 U.S.C. § 6(d)
House bracket Union at the peak § 7(h)
Wall or window Union top left as viewed § 7(i)
Second flag Below it on one pole, or to its left (your right as you face it); never above § 7(c), (f)
Rain or snow All-weather flag only § 6(c)
Veterans out of uniform May salute § 9

Fly a Flag Worthy of the Day

If the flag on your bracket has gone pink in the red stripes or thin at the fly end, hang a new one before the 11th. The Durable Patriot is our embroidered nylon flag with sewn stripes and brass grommets, made in sizes from 2x3 to 12x18. For an exposed yard, the Everlast American Pride is 2-ply spun polyester, built heavier for wind. Both are made in the USA, and the full lineup is in our American flags collection.

Related guide from our blog: How to choose a durable embroidered American flag for outdoors

Common Veterans Day Flag Questions

Is Veterans Day a half-staff day?

No. The Flag Code lists November 11 as a display day with no half-staff instruction, so the flag flies at full staff. A President or governor can still order half-staff after a death or tragedy, and if that order includes the 11th, it applies for the period it sets.

Can I leave my flag up overnight on Veterans Day?

Yes, if it's properly illuminated. The Flag Code allows 24-hour display when the flag is lit during darkness (4 U.S.C. § 6(a)). The American Legion's standard is a light aimed at the flag, or any light strong enough that a passerby can clearly recognize it.

How is Veterans Day flag etiquette different from Memorial Day?

On Memorial Day the flag flies at half-staff until noon, then at full staff (4 U.S.C. § 7(m)). The VA describes Memorial Day as honoring those who died in service, and Veterans Day as thanking all who served honorably, largely living veterans. On November 11 the flag stays at full staff all day.

Which way should the stars face on a flag mounted to my house?

On an angled bracket, the blue field of stars goes at the peak of the staff, away from the wall (4 U.S.C. § 7(h)). Flat on a wall or in a window, the stars go upper left as seen from the front or the street (4 U.S.C. § 7(i)).

Is the Flag Code a law I can be fined for breaking?

The federal Flag Code is guidance for civilians, and the VA's flag display guide notes that it contains no penalties. The Code itself says it was written for civilians and civilian groups (4 U.S.C. § 5). Some states have their own flag codes, and those can carry penalties.

Sources

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