City of Boston Flag Raisings
Following a Supreme Court of the United States ruling, City of Boston flag raisings must follow a strict protocol, and the ceremony can only include government speech.
In May 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that the City of Boston unconstitutionally barred Camp Constitution from raising the Christian flag on the third flagpole on City Hall Plaza (Shurtleff v. Boston).
The Supreme Court ruling indicates that the City can raise flags if private speech is excluded from the process. Flag raisings must include only government speech. The City of Boston must craft and control the message conveyed by flags flown on City Hall Plaza.
Flag Raising Procedure
The City of Boston controls the flag raising process from beginning to end.
City of Boston flag raisings must:
- Be initiated by either the Mayor’s Office or the City Council.
- Be memorialized by either a Mayoral proclamation or City Council resolution, which cannot reference any third party groups. The proclamation or resolution should be filed with the City Clerk at least two to three weeks before the flag raising.
- Use flags that are owned by the City of Boston.
- Be attended by City officials, who recite the Mayoral proclamation or City Council resolution. A flag raising can include both a proclamation and resolution.
City of Boston flag raisings cannot:
- Be sponsored by third parties.
- Feature speaking programs by third parties.
- Use flags provided by third parties.
The City of Boston does not accept third-party requests to raise flags. All flags on the City’s flag poles are raised pursuant to City of Boston Code.
Typical Flag Raisings
Typical Flag RaisingsBlack History Month
Lithuania
Saint Lucia
Dominican Republic
Ghana
Tibet
Ireland
Belarus
Greece
Medal of Honor
Vietnam Veterans
Gold Star Wives of America
Israel
Italy
Vietnam
Poland
Haiti
Malcolm X
Boston EMS
Eritrea
Azerbaijan
Memorial Day
Pride
Caribbean American
Independence Day
Liberia
Philippines
Portugal
Bunker Hill Day
Juneteenth
Quebec
Argentina
Somalia
Cape Verde
Venezuela
Colombia
Puerto Rico
Peru
U.S. Coast Guard
Jamaica
Bolivia
Purple Heart
Ecuador
India
Marcus Garvey
Ukraine
Uruguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Brazil
Ethiopia
Central America
Chile
El Salvador
Mexico
POW/MIA
U.S. Air Force
Cuba
Nigeria
Italy
Southern Cameroon
Taiwan (Republic of China)
China (People’s Republic of China) (October 1)
U.S. Navy
Turkey
Antigua
U.S. Marine Corps
Veterans Day
Latvia
Albania
Panama
Barbados
Space Force
