bullet I fly my flag at home 24 hours a day. What does “properly illuminated” mean?
Section 6a: “It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.” The Flag Code offers no additional guidance on this question. We interpret this to mean that there should be either a light directly upon the flag or that there be sufficient local lighting to make the flag easily visible at night. If you cannot “properly illuminate” your flag, we recommend that you retire it at sunset, as the Flag Rules specify. The American Legion defines proper illumination as a “light specifically placed to illuminate the flag (preferred) or having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer.
