After the Pledge and the anthem, the Flag Code’s best-known rules are about how the flag is displayed. One idea explains most of them: the flag’s place of honor is at the top and to the flag’s own right.
Key idea
On a wall, horizontal or vertical, the flag’s blue union (the field of stars) goes at the top and to the flag’s own right, which is the viewer’s left. On a staff, the union is at the peak.
Why it works
In many traditions, the right side is the place of honor, as when a guest of honor sits at the host’s right. The union is the flag’s honored part, so it goes uppermost and at the flag’s own right. Imagine the flag as a person facing you: its right hand is on your left.
| Where the flag is | The rule (4 U.S.C. § 7) |
|---|---|
| On a wall, horizontal or vertical | Union at the top, at the flag’s own right: the viewer’s left (§ 7(i)). |
| In a window | The same way, union to the left of a person looking from the street (§ 7(i)). |
| On a speaker’s platform, on a staff | At the speaker’s right as they face the audience (§ 7(k)). |
| Crossed staffs with another flag | The U.S. flag on its own right, its staff in front (§ 7(d)). |
Worked example: Hanging it vertically
Ruby’s class wants to hang the flag vertically on the wall behind the teacher’s desk. Where does the union go?
- Vertical or horizontal, the rule is the same: the union is at the top.
- It is at the flag’s own right, which is the viewer’s left.
- So as the class looks at it, the stars are at the top left.
Answer: At the top, on the left as the class looks at it.
Worked example: A flag on a pole
At a scout meeting, Omar raises the flag on a pole. Where does the union go?
- On a staff, the union goes at the peak, the top, next to the pole.
- The Code adds that the flag is raised briskly and lowered slowly and ceremoniously (§ 6(b)).
- The flag is never flown upside down except as a signal of dire distress (§ 8(a)).
Answer: At the top of the pole, next to the staff.
Common mistake
Hanging a vertical flag with the union at the top right, as seen from the front. Whichever way it hangs on a wall, the union is at the top left as you look at it.