American flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States on September 11

Every year, the United States marks September 11 as a national day of remembrance for the 2001 terrorist attacks. This year, American flags across all 50 states and U.S. territories will again be flown at half-staff on September 11 under the annual Patriot Day observance. The tradition follows federal guidance tied to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

What’s happening on September 11

American flags will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on September 11, according to the long-standing presidential proclamation issued each year for Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance. The observance applies to the White House, federal buildings, military posts, naval stations, and public grounds across the United States and its territories.

The annual proclamation follows the authority set by Congress after the attacks on New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania in 2001. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum states that 2,977 victims were killed in the attacks, not including the 19 hijackers. That death toll remains the central reason the day is marked nationwide each year.

State governors commonly direct flags on state property to match the federal half-staff order on September 11. Local governments, schools, police departments, and fire stations also often follow the same practice, though separate notices are sometimes issued closer to the date.

What it means around the country

The half-staff observance is national in scope, so residents can expect to see flags lowered at post offices, courthouses, state capitols, schools, and city buildings on September 11. In Washington, D.C., the order applies to federal property, while in states such as New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the date also carries additional ceremonies tied to the attack sites and victims.

What is confirmed is the federal expectation for flags on U.S. government property from sunrise to sunset. What is not always known months in advance is which individual cities, counties, private businesses, or neighborhood institutions will issue their own matching notices, since many local directives are released shortly before September 11.

Private citizens and businesses may also choose to fly the American flag at half-staff that day. Guidance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies has long recognized September 11 as one of the dates widely observed in that manner across the country.

Why the observance continues

The reason for the annual half-staff order is set out in federal law and yearly presidential action marking Patriot Day. Congress first designated September 11 as Patriot Day in 2001, and later expanded the observance through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, which named it the National Day of Service and Remembrance.

That legal framework ties remembrance to both mourning and public service. The Corporation for National and Community Service, now AmeriCorps, has for years promoted September 11 service projects nationwide as part of the day’s official meaning. The combination of ceremonial flag lowering and community service has become the standard national observance.

For most residents, the practical impact is straightforward: flags at government sites will be lowered for the day, and memorial events are likely in many communities on September 11. The White House traditionally issues the formal proclamation each year, and state and local agencies typically publish any matching notices as the date approaches.