Number
AR 705
Sections
1 - 8
Responsible Dept.
City Manager’s Office
Review Date
October 20, 2024
Effective Date
October 20, 2022
SUBJECT: Citywide Flag Policy
Purpose: Flags play an important role in communicating the City’s official sentiments on prominent matters in Huntington Beach. As such, this AR establishes guidelines to fly the City’s Standard and Commemorative flags at City-owned facilities.
Authority: Huntington Beach City Charter, Section 401
Definitions:
Standard Flags: Flags flown year-round at City-owned facilities. At this time, the City’s Standard flags include the United States, State of California, City of Huntington Beach, and Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flags.
Commemorative Flags: Flags that are an expression of the City’s official stance on select, prominent matters in Huntington Beach. Commemorative flags may only be flown, as authorized by the City Council.
City-Owned Flagpoles: Includes City-owned flagpoles, flagstaffs, and other sites where a stationary flag is flown. City-owned flagpoles include: Civic Center, Pier Plaza, Central Library and branch libraries, Fire and Police stations, Senior Center, and other community facilities.
Standard Flags: The following flags represent the Standard flags of the City of Huntington Beach:
Government Flags
The following Government flags must be flown outdoors at designated City-owned flagpoles in the following order of priority: first, the United States flag; second, the POW/MIA if it is flown per Section 4.2; third, the California State flag; and fourth, the Huntington Beach City flag.
The U.S. flag must be flown on all City-owned flagpoles and must be equal to or larger than any other Standard or Commemorative flags that may be flown on the same or adjacent flagpole. The U.S. flag must always fly in the highest position.
If there are not sufficient flagpoles to fly the City or State flags on separate poles, they may be flown on the same pole with, and underneath the U.S. flag, whenever the pole is of sufficient height. They must be flown in order of priority per Section 4.1.1.
If the flagpole is not of sufficient height to fly every Standard flag in accordance with this AR, the U.S. flag may fly alone.
Government flags must also be flown in the City Council Chambers.
On recognized Federal and/or State holidays and on other occasions as listed below, all Government flags should be flown from City-owned flagpoles.
Date
Holiday
Type of Holiday
January 1
New Year’s Day
Federal/State
January (3rd Monday)
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
Federal/State
February (3rd Monday)
President’s Day
State
March 31
Cesar Chavez Day
State
May (last Monday)
Memorial Day (half-staff)
See Sections 6.5 and 6.6 on half-staff protocols
Federal/State
June 19
Juneteenth
Federal
July 4
Independence Day
Federal/State
September (1st Monday)
Labor Day
Federal/State
September 11
Patriot Day (half-staff)
See Sections 6.5 and 6.6 on half-staff protocols
Federal joint resolution (Public Law 111-13)
October (2nd Monday)
Columbus Day
Federal
November 11
Veteran’s Day
Federal/State
November (4th Thursday)
Thanksgiving Day
Federal/State
December 25
Christmas Day
Federal/State
4.2 Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Flag The POW/MIA Flag is a nationally recognized flag created in 1971 and recognized by an act of Congress through the adoption of U.S. Public Law 101-355 to represent concern of individuals who are identified as prisoners of war or missing in action. The POW-MIA flag has become a symbol of commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting for those who may become prisoners of war, missing in action, or otherwise unaccounted for as a result of hostile action.
In accordance with the City’s longstanding tradition, the POW/MIA Flag must be flown at the Veteran’s Memorial Monument at Huntington Beach Civic Center and at Pier Plaza. The POW/MIA flag must be flown directly below the U.S. Flag or adjacent to the U.S. Flag as second in order of precedence.
The POW/MIA Flag must be equal to or smaller in size than the U.S. Flag.
Commemorative Flags
City-owned flagpoles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public, but rather as a place of expression of the City’s official stance on select, prominent matters in Huntington Beach.
The City will neither fly a Commemorative flag based on a request solely from a third party nor use its City-owned flagpoles to sponsor the expression of a third party.
The City may fly Commemorative flags on City-owned flagpoles only if authorized by the City Council as an expression of the City's official stance on an issue of importance to the Huntington Beach community. Any such authorization must be provided by City Council to the City Manager at a duly noticed meeting of the City Council.
The Public Works Department must maintain an ongoing record of all approved commemorative flags and display dates approved by the City Council.
Additional guidelines regarding the display of Commemorative flags as an expression of the City’s official sentiments are listed below:
The flags of official Sister Cities of Huntington Beach are considered Commemorative flags and may be flown in conjunction with an event involving the Sister City.
Commemorative flags must be flown for a period of time that is reasonable or customary for the subject that is to be commemorated, but no longer than forty-five (45) continuous days per year.
Commemorative flags must be flown at the Civic Center and/or according to City Council resolution. They must be positioned subordinate to all Standard flags currently flown.
General Flag Guidelines
The City must follow Federal and State protocols for all other flag etiquette, when they are determined to be feasible by the City Manager.
Flags shall be flown on a 24-hour basis if the City flagpole is illuminated and flag is made of all-weather materials. Otherwise Standard and Commemorative flags should not be flown in inclement weather. The Public Works Department must work with applicable department heads to ensure that any frayed or damaged flags on their respective flagpoles are replaced immediately.
New City facilities must be constructed with a sufficient number of flagpoles to allow all flags to be flown in accordance with this AR.
Flags must be flown as follows: the U.S. Flag must be flown in the first position of honor. The POW/MIA Flag, if flown per Section 4.2, must be flown in the second position of honor. The California State Flag must then be flown in the third position of honor. The City of Huntington Beach Flag must be flown in the fourth position of honor. Commemorative flags must be flown in the fifth position of honor. The U.S. flag may fly alone. If all the flags are flown on one flagpole of sufficient height, the order from top to bottom must be: the U.S. Flag, the POW/MIA Flag, California State Flag, the City of Huntington Beach Flag, and then Commemorative flags.
Flags, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.
When the U.S. Flag is flown at half-staff, other flags currently on the same or adjacent poles should also be flown at half-staff.
Exceptions
Operational, department flags such as those flown by Marine Safety announcing weather conditions and ocean event conditions may be flown for the duration of the event.
Emergency notification flags utilized by City employees to provide safety warnings to the public may be flown at the direction of the City Manager, without prior authorization from the City Council. Emergency notification flags should be lowered immediately after the emergency has ended.
The City Manager may order flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the death of a City employee killed in the line of duty. They may also be lowered to half-staff in honor of dignitaries of local, national or international significance as determined by the City Manager. Flags should remain at half-staff for ten calendar days.
Responsible Department
The Director of Public Works is responsible for coordinating with the appropriate departments heads to ensure the proper execution of this AR at their respective facilities, in its entirety.
The Director of Public Works must also ensure that a sufficient inventory of duplicate flags is available to implement this AR without interruption and ensure proper flag etiquette is up to date.
The City Manager is authorized to make administrative adjustments to this AR, whenever practicable.
Distribution:
All employees may access the Administrative Regulations via the Intranet at:
www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/AR
______________________ _____________________
Department Director Approved as to Form
Initiating Department
________________________
Al Zelinka
City Manager
REVIEW DATE
DEPT. HEAD INITIAL
CITY MANAGER SIGNATURE
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ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION
City of Huntington Beach