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France: Laws and regulations on the national flag

On public buildings
In public space
On private buildings

See also:

On public buildings

European flag

According to The protocol for mayors [link], published by the Ministry of the Interior:

"The flag in the colors of the European Union (adopted in 1955 by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe: twelve stars on an azure field) must be flown on public buildings on May 9, Europe May. Otherwise, this display is free except for schools, since Article L.111-1-1 of the Education Code, resulting from the law of July 8, 2013, on orientation and programming for the reestablishment of the
school of the Republic, stipulates that "the motto of the Republic, the tricolor flag, and the European flag shall be affixed to the facade of schools and secondary education establishments, both public and private under contract." When the European flag is flown, it is placed to the right of the French flag, which occupies the place of honor. The European flag is therefore seen to the left of the national flag when looking at the public building."

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025

Foreign flags

According to The protocol for mayors [link], published by the Ministry of the Interior:

"Foreign flags : During visits by foreign dignitaries, it is traditional to honor guests by temporarily displaying the corresponding foreign flag to the left of the French flag when facing straight ahead. If multiple foreign flags are to be displayed, the order will be alphabetical, using the name of the country in its language. The European flag will be placed to the right of the French flag when facing straight ahead."

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025

Local flags

According to The protocol for mayors [link], published by the Ministry of the Interior:

"Other flags: Regional or departmental insignia and emblems may be used in local cultural or folkloric events, provided that the display is temporary and the national flag is always in the place of honor."

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025

Legal cases

A famous case about the legality of the hoisting of a flag was about the MODEMAS flag on the city hall of Sainte-Anne (Martinique),

According to this 2018 article in La Gazette des Communes:

"The most famous dispute is the 2005 ban on the town hall of Sainte-Anne from replacing the French flag with the Martinique pro-independence flag on the pediment of its town hall. The Council of State considered that "the principle of neutrality of public services precludes the posting on public buildings of signs symbolizing the expression of political, religious, or philosophical opinions." For the administrative judge, "the red, green, and black flag, while not the emblem of a specific political party, [was] the symbol of a political claim expressed by certain movements present in Martinique."

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025

In public space

As reported in this 2018 article in La Gazette des Communes: in 2014, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, banned "the ostentatious use of foreign flags" during the FIFA World Cup. This municipal decree was challenged before the administrative court by several associations, including the Human Rights League. Suspending the execution of this contentious text on July 4, the Nice Administrative Court ruled a few months later to annul this decree. It considered that "the restrictions that police authorities may impose in order to reconcile the exercise of fundamental freedoms such as freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, or freedom of movement with the requirements of public order must be strictly necessary and proportionate to these requirements." He reiterated that the mayor cannot therefore "take a measure such as banning foreign flags that is not, in itself, necessary or proportionate to the protection of public order and public tranquility."

A few years earlier, the mayor of Nice had already issued a decree prohibiting the use of flags in wedding processions. In other French cities, such as Angoulême, charters have been adopted against the use of flags and noise during such processions.

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025

On private buildings

In May 2018 a resident of Sainte-Terre (Gironde), UPR activist, displayed a blue, white, and red flag bearing a Cross of Lorraine in his window (Source: France 3).
This flag, which symbolizes Free France, is also used by the party to emphasize its desire for France to leave the European Union (Frexit). While this flag has a historical significance, it is now used not only to assert a historical legacy, but also to express a contemporary political revendication.

The mayor (Soc.) of Sainte-Terre, requested the flag's removal by letter on May 7. The reason given was: "Several people in the town and surrounding communities are surprised and concerned to see the flag you have displayed on the facade of your house year-round. Sainte-Terre aims to be a peaceful town; any ostentatious sign becomes a nuisance to the desired tranquility." Following his constituent's refusal to remove the banner, the mayor contacted the Prefecture. In a press release, the Deputy Prefect of Libourne, in charge of the case, stated: "After review, the prefecture confirms that there are no enforceable rules on the matter and that a
private individual may display the national emblem on a building belonging to them, provided that it does not endanger the safety of others and respects the national flag." Following the media coverage of this case, the mayor received numerous hateful messages, including death threats.

In this 2018 article in La Gazette des Communes, a professional magazine for territorial collectivities, additional elements of analysis are given:
The tricolore flag with the Cross of Lorraine here is not flying on a public building, but from the window of a private home, thus not violating the principle of public service neutrality. It can only be banned if the measure is necessary due to public order disturbances, but the prevailing principle in France on this matter is that of freedom of expression. However, even if the use was political, this flag, a symbol of the Resistance during the Second World War, is not by nature ostentatious or embodies an extremist, Holocaust-denying ideology, punishable by criminal law. This would obviously not have been the case if the resident had, for example, hung a Nazi flag from their window, since the Criminal Code already prohibits "wearing or displaying in public a uniform, insignia, or emblem reminiscent of the uniforms, insignia, or emblems worn or displayed by members of a declared criminal organization."

Olivier Touzeau, 28 May 2025