Half Staff & Flag on Coffin

[EmailPoster]

I have encountered confusion regarding who has the authority to order a flag to half staff in memory of a...

I have encountered confusion regarding who has the authority to order a flag
to half staff in memory of a decedent and how long the flag should be
displayed in that fashion.



I have also been informed that a flag draping the coffin is an honor
reserved for military veterans.



Any information would help.



Thank you.

[sarahw]

Hi there.

The flag can only be officially lowered to half staff by the president, or, in cases of a state official's death, the governor of that state.

The "how long" issue seems to cause a lot of confusion, mostly because there aren't a lot of rules for how long the flag should be lowered when the governor calls for it. This happened in my state recently when the leiutenant governor died. The flag was lowered by some people, not by others. Some kept it lowered after the funeral, which is usually a good tme to raise it back up.

There are rules in the flag code as to the length of mourning for certain federal officials, former presidents, etc. but the states kind of go by their own rules.

As to the flag draping, it is usually reserved for veterans, those currently in the military, and current and former presidents (since they were commander in chief).

If you have any more questions, let us know!

Sarah