§ 1. — Flag; stripes and stars on.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 4USC1]
TITLE 4--FLAG AND SEAL, SEAT OF GOVERNMENT, AND THE STATES
CHAPTER 1--THE FLAG
Sec. 1. Flag; stripes and stars on
The flag of the United States shall be thirteen horizontal stripes,
alternate red and white; and the union of the flag shall be forty-eight
stars, white in a blue field.
(July 30, 1947, ch. 389, 61 Stat. 642.)
Short Title of 2000 Amendment
Pub. L. 106-252, Sec. 1, July 28, 2000, 114 Stat. 626, provided
that: ``This Act [enacting sections 116 to 126 of this title and
provisions set out as a note under section 116 of this title] may be
cited as the `Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act'.''
Executive Order No. 10798
Ex. Ord. No. 10798, Jan. 3, 1959, 24 F.R. 79, which prescribed
proportions and sizes of flags until July 4, 1960, was revoked by
section 33 of Ex. Ord. No. 10834, set out as a note under this section.
Ex. Ord. No. 10834. Proportions and Sizes of Flags and Position of Stars
Ex. Ord. No. 10834, Aug. 21, 1959, 24 F.R. 6865, provided:
WHEREAS the State of Hawaii has this day been admitted into the
Union; and
WHEREAS section 2 of title 4 of the United States Code provides as
follows: ``On the admission of a new State into the Union one star shall
be added to the union of the flag; and such addition shall take effect
on the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.''; and
WHEREAS the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949
(63 Stat. 377), as amended [now chapters 1 to 11 of Title 40, Public
Buildings, Property, and Works and title III of the Act of June 30, 1949
(41 U.S.C. 251 et seq.)] authorizes the President to prescribe policies
and directives governing the procurement and utilization of property by
executive agencies; and
WHEREAS the interests of the Government require that orderly and
reasonable provision be made for various matters pertaining to the flag
and that appropriate regulations governing the procurement and
utilization of national flags and union jacks by executive agencies be
prescribed:
NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President
of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the armed forces of
the United States, and the Federal Property and Administrative Services
Act of 1949, as amended [see Short Title note under section 471 of Title
40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works], it is hereby ordered as
follows:
Part I--Design of the Flag
Section 1. The flag of the United States shall have thirteen
horizontal stripes, alternate red and white, and a union consisting of
white stars on a field of blue.
Sec. 2. The positions of the stars in the union of the flag and in
the union jack shall be as indicated on the attachment to this order,
which is hereby made a part of this order.
Sec. 3. The dimensions of the constituent parts of the flag shall
conform to the proportions set forth in the attachment referred to in
section 2 of this order.
Part II--Regulations Governing Executive Agencies
Sec. 21. The following sizes of flags are authorized for executive
agencies:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimensions of Flag
-----------------------
Size Hoist Fly
(width) (length)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feet Feet
(1)............................................. 20.00 38.00
(2)............................................. 10.00 19.00
(3)............................................. 8.95 17.00
(4)............................................. 7.00 11.00
(5)............................................. 5.00 9.50
(6)............................................. 4.33 5.50
(7)............................................. 3.50 6.65
(8)............................................. 3.00 4.00
(9)............................................. 3.00 5.70
(10)............................................ 2.37 4.50
(11)............................................ 1.32 2.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec. 22. Flags manufactured or purchased for the use of executive
agencies:
(a) Shall conform to the provisions of Part I of this order, except
as may be otherwise authorized pursuant to the provisions of section 24,
or except as otherwise authorized by the provisions of section 21, of
this order.
(b) Shall conform to the provisions of section 21 of this order,
except as may be otherwise authorized pursuant to the provisions of
section 24 of this order.
Sec. 23. The exterior dimensions of each union jack manufactured or
purchased for executive agencies shall equal the respective exterior
dimensions of the union of a flag of a size authorized by or pursuant to
this order. The size of the union jack flown with the national flag
shall be the same as the size of the union of that national flag.
Sec. 24. (a) The Secretary of Defense in respect of procurement for
the Department of Defense (including military colors) and the
Administrator of General Services in respect of procurement for
executive agencies other than the Department of Defense may, for cause
which the Secretary or the Administrator, as the case may be, deems
sufficient, make necessary minor adjustments in one or more of the
dimensions or proportionate dimensions prescribed by this order, or
authorize proportions or sizes other than those prescribed by section 3
or section 21 of this order.
(b) So far as practicable, (1) the actions of the Secretary of
Defense under the provisions of section 24(a) of this order, as they
relate to the various organizational elements of the Department of
Defense, shall be coordinated, and (2) the Secretary and the
Administrator shall mutually coordinate their actions under that
section.
Sec. 25. Subject to such limited exceptions as the Secretary of
Defense in respect of the Department of Defense, and the Administrator
of General Services in respect of executive agencies other than the
Department of Defense, may approve, all national flags and union jacks
now in the possession of executive agencies, or hereafter acquired by
executive agencies under contracts awarded prior to the date of this
order, including those so possessed or so acquired by the General
Services Administration, for distribution to other agencies, shall be
utilized until unserviceable.
Part III--General Provisions
Sec. 31. The flag prescribed by Executive Order No. 10798 of January
3, 1959, shall be the official flag of the United States until July 4,
1960, and on that date the flag prescribed by Part I of this order shall
become the official flag of the United States; but this section shall
neither derogate from section 24 or section 25 of this order nor
preclude the procurement, for executive agencies, of flags provided for
by or pursuant to this order at any time after the date of this order.
Sec. 32. As used in this order, the term ``executive agencies''
means the executive departments and independent establishments in the
executive branch of the Government, including wholly-owned Government
corporations.
Sec. 33. Executive Order No. 10798 of January 3, 1959, is hereby
revoked.
Dwight D. Eisenhower.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
Standard proportions
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Hoist (width)
Hoist (width) Fly (length) of Union Fly (length) Diameter of Width of
of flag 1.0 of flag 1.9 0.5385 (\7/ of Union 0.76 0.054 0.054 0.063 0.063 star 0.0616 stripe 0.0769
13\) (\1/13\)
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A B C D E F G H K L
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Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 5 of this title.
