As of Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, we found no presidential order to fly U.S. flags at half-staff nationwide. If you see a flag flying low today, the order most likely came from your state’s governor, a local agency or the property owner, not from the White House.
The most recent nationwide order we can point to honored Dolly Parton. President Trump announced on Truth Social that flags would fly at half-staff for one week. Reporting by The Hill and WTHR puts that period in late August 2026, ending at sunset on Sept. 1. Flags returned to full staff after that.
Today is also Election Day for the 2026 midterms. That is a full-staff day. No federal rule lowers flags for an election.
Because new orders can be issued within hours of a death or tragedy, check the sources in the lookup guide below before you share an answer.
What happened: what half-staff means and who orders it
Flying a flag at half-staff is the country’s formal sign of mourning. The rules come from the U.S. Flag Code (4 U.S.C. § 7), and three kinds of authority can trigger a lowering:
- The president. A proclamation or memorandum covers federal buildings, military bases, naval vessels and U.S. embassies, and it asks the public to join.
- Governors. A governor can lower flags on state property to honor a current or former state official, a fallen first responder or a service member from the state. Governors also often extend a presidential order to state buildings.
- Standing law. Some dates call for half-staff every year with no new order, including Memorial Day morning and Sept. 11.
Half-mast vs. half-staff
Strictly speaking, half-mast applies to flags on ships and half-staff applies to flagpoles on land. Most people use the terms interchangeably, and that’s fine in conversation. Federal proclamations say “half-staff.”
The recent orders people are searching for
- Charlie Kirk (September 2025): After the conservative activist was shot and killed in Utah on Sept. 10, 2025, the president ordered flags lowered until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (July 2026): USA Today reported a half-staff order after the South Carolina senator’s death. Trackers list it as running through 6 p.m. on July 18, 2026.
- Dolly Parton (August 2026): The one-week order described above, which ended Sept. 1.
Timeline of recent national half-staff orders
| Honoree | Issued by | Lowered | Returned to full staff | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Kirk | President (proclamation) | Sept. 10, 2025 | 6 p.m., Sept. 14, 2025 | White House |
| Sen. Lindsey Graham | President | July 2026 (announced July 13 coverage) | 6 p.m., July 18, 2026 | halfstaff.org, USA Today |
| Dolly Parton | President (Truth Social announcement) | Late August 2026 (reported 6 p.m., Aug. 25) | Sunset, Sept. 1, 2026 | The Hill, WTHR |
| Patriot Day | Standing law and annual proclamation | Sept. 11, 2026 | Sunset, Sept. 11 | 4 U.S.C. § 7 |
Coming up: Veterans Day (Nov. 11) is a full-staff day. The next fixed half-staff day is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Monday, Dec. 7, 2026, the 85th anniversary of the attack. Flags are lowered from sunrise to sunset.
Who is affected by a half-staff order
A presidential order is mandatory for:
- The White House and all federal buildings and grounds
- Military posts, naval stations and vessels
- U.S. embassies, consulates and other facilities abroad
Private homes and businesses are invited to join, but they don’t have to. Your neighbor’s flag at full staff during a national order isn’t breaking any law. The Flag Code is guidance for civilians and has no penalties.
Why flags are half-mast in one state and not another
This is the most common source of confusion. Suppose you drive from Virginia into Maryland and the flags change. That usually means one governor issued an order and the other didn’t. Governors in Texas, Ohio, Utah and Minnesota issue orders regularly for fallen officers, soldiers and state leaders. In Washington, D.C., federal buildings follow the president, and the District government handles its own property. Ships at sea and flags at the Washington Monument follow federal orders.
Florida note
In Florida, the governor’s office issues flag directives for Floridians killed in the line of duty, fallen service members, and current or former state officials. These directives often cover only one county or city, such as the city hall and county courthouse where a deputy served. So a flag can be lowered in Jacksonville while flags in Miami stay at full staff. You can find current directives on the Florida governor’s website. Florida also elects a new governor today. The directives will keep coming from the governor’s office after the January transition, but the page layout could change.
Official response: what proclamations say and how flags are lowered
Presidential half-staff proclamations use nearly the same wording every time. They direct that the flag “be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels” until a set date and time. They then extend the order to embassies and military facilities abroad. The Parton order was different because it was announced on Truth Social first, which is why early news reports gave “one week” rather than an exact end time.
Where to confirm an order:
- White House presidential actions has the official proclamation text and end time.
- Your governor’s office or state veterans affairs department covers state orders. For example, Washington’s Department of Veterans Affairs posts each lowering.
- halfstaff.org is a fast unofficial tracker that lists orders by state. Use it to find an order, then confirm the order with the official source.
The correct lowering procedure
If you fly a flag at home, here’s the procedure. Raise the flag briskly to the top of the pole for a moment, then lower it slowly to the half-staff position, roughly halfway down. At the end of the day or the order, raise it to the top again before lowering it fully. On Memorial Day, fly it at half-staff until noon, then raise it to full staff for the rest of the day. If your flag hangs from a pole on your house and can’t be lowered, many people attach a black ribbon or streamer to the top instead.
What happens next
Flags are at full staff nationally until a new order is issued or Dec. 7 arrives. If a former president, sitting official or other national figure dies, expect an order within a day. The Flag Code sets the default lengths:
- 30 days for a president or former president
- 10 days for a vice president, chief justice (or retired chief justice) or Speaker of the House
- Until burial for an associate justice, Cabinet secretary, former vice president or governor (within that governor’s state)
- The day of death and the following day for a member of Congress, with longer periods in their home state at the governor’s discretion
A president can also order a lowering after a mass-casualty event or for someone with no official post. The Kirk and Parton orders are both examples.
Two-minute checklist before you share the answer:
- Check the White House presidential actions page for a proclamation dated in the past week.
- Check your governor’s flag notices. In Florida, look for the flag directive and the counties it names.
- If both come up empty, the flag is likely lowered by a local government, school district or private owner for a local loss.
We track time-sensitive national stories the same way. See our latest-status coverage of the snow squall warnings in Wyoming and Colorado and Janai Norman’s exit from ABC. For planning around the next national holiday, see our guide to Martin Luther King Jr. Day sales.
FAQs
Why are flags flying at half staff today?
As of Nov. 3, 2026, we found no federal half-staff order in effect. If flags near you are lowered, a governor, local government or the property owner probably ordered it, often for a fallen first responder or service member. Check whitehouse.gov and your governor’s website to confirm.
Why are the American flags at half mast today?
Only the president can order U.S. flags lowered nationwide. No such order was active on Nov. 3, 2026. The most recent one we found honored Dolly Parton and ended at sunset on Sept. 1, 2026. A lowered flag today most likely reflects a state or local order.
Why were flags half staff yesterday?
An order may have just ended. Federal and state orders usually end at sunset or 6 p.m. on a set date, so flags can be lowered one day and back up the next. Look up the order’s end date on the White House or governor’s site.
How long are flags at half-staff for a death?
Under the Flag Code, flags stay lowered 30 days for a president or former president. They stay lowered 10 days for a vice president, chief justice or Speaker, and until burial for officials such as Cabinet secretaries and governors. For a member of Congress, flags are lowered the day of death and the following day. The president can set other periods.
Are flags at half-staff in Florida today?
There may be. Florida’s governor issues flag directives for fallen officers, service members and state officials, and they often cover only specific counties or buildings. Check the current directives on flgov.com.
What is the difference between half-mast and half-staff?
Half-mast technically refers to flags on ships and half-staff to flags on land-based poles. In everyday use they mean the same thing, and federal proclamations use “half-staff.”
