Flags typically go back to full staff at sunset on the same day they were lowered to half staff, except in certain circumstances.
- For specific one-day observances like Peace Officers Memorial Day or Memorial Day, flags are flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset or until noon for Memorial Day, after which they return to full staff.
- For memorials or mourning periods related to the death of government officials such as a president, vice president, or governors, flags remain at half-staff for longer periods like 30 days, 10 days, or until the burial is completed, after which they are returned to full staff.
- Generally, when lowered to half-staff for a day, flags are raised to full staff at sunset that day.
For example, in Utah, flags ordered to half-staff remain so until sunset on the day of the interment or the specified day, then return to full staff at sunset the same day. On Memorial Day, the U.S. flag is at half-staff from sunrise until noon, then raised to full staff until sunset.
Thus, flags go back to full staff typically at sunset of the same day they were lowered, unless a longer mourning period is officially declared.
