Flag Ceremonies

What We Do

“The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” – United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 section 8

All flags presented at City Hall are upon the request of the Mayor, a member of City Council, or of the City Manager. The City’s flagpoles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public.

Outdoor flags will be flown at City facilities in the following order of precedence:

The Flag of the United States
Foreign National Flags
State Flags
Territorial Flags
Other

No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America. When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height.

When displaying a flag of a government recognized by the United States, all four flags are to be raised in the following order: U.S., foreign nation, California, and then the City of San José. To determine which flags are recognized by the United States, please see the CIA World Factbook.

When displaying a ceremonial flag and/or a flag of a professional sports team, the U.S., California, and San José City flags are to remain on their designated flagpoles. Only the ceremonial flag is to be raised.

Standard Set-Up

Flag ceremonies will not incur fees, and will follow the following standard set-up:

40 chairs
Podium with speaker and microphone
Battery powered PA
Podium microphone
Parking validation machine
CD player or connection for iPod/laptop/mp3 player

Fees

Flag ceremonies that request any additional equipment more than the standard set-up may incur fees.

Process of Scheduling a Flag Ceremony

Departments and/or employees must request a Flag Ceremony Application from Event Services at least 30 days prior.

It is the responsibility of the requester to obtain the required flag. All flag ceremonies and flag raising requests are to be submitted to the Event Services office for determination of date availability, resources, and/or application fees.

Ceremonial flags and those flags not recognized by the State require Council approval.

Flag Policy

City Flag Policy

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