Flags in England: which you may fly without consent, and at what size

You can fly a flag on a building in England, but not any flag and not in any way. A flag here counts as an advertisement for planning purposes. Some flags need no consent at all, some are allowed subject to restrictions, and some require express consent from the local planning authority. These rules apply to England.

What needs no consent

No consent is required for: any country's national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign; the flag of the Commonwealth, the United Nations or any other international organisation of which the UK is a member; the flag of any island, county, district, borough, burgh, parish, city, town or village within the UK; the flag of the Black Country, East Anglia, Wessex, any Part of Lincolnshire, any Riding of Yorkshire or any historic county; the flag of Saint David; the flag of Saint Patrick; the flag of any administrative area within a country outside the UK; any flag of His Majesty's forces; and the Armed Forces Day flag.

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"Country" here includes the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and any British Overseas Territory. The flags of St George and St Andrew count as the national flags of England and Scotland, while St David and St Patrick are listed separately.

Following the UK's departure from the European Union, the EU flag is no longer on this list.

The main restriction

Neither the flag nor its flagstaff may display any advertisement or subject matter beyond the design of the flag itself. The one exception named in the rules: a black mourning ribbon may be attached to the flag or the flagpole where the flag cannot physically be flown at half mast — for instance on a pole projecting at an angle from the side of a building.

Two flags on one pole

This was allowed from June 2021. Two flags may share a flagpole without consent if both are from the no-consent list, or one is from that list and the other from the restricted category. The condition is firm: if one of them is the Union Flag, it must be flown in the superior position.

Flags with restrictions

A second category is permitted subject to conditions on size and location. It covers: a house flag showing the name, emblem, device or trademark of the company or person occupying the building; any sports club flag, but with no sponsorship logos; the Rainbow flag of six horizontal stripes; the award scheme flags of Eco-Schools, the Queen's Awards for Enterprise and Investors in People; the NHS flag; and certain environmental awards.

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The numbers that matter

A flag on a flagpole projecting from a building may not exceed two square metres.

A flagpole within the grounds of a building may not rise more than 4.6 metres above ground level. There is no restriction on the size of the flag itself.

In controlled areas — areas of outstanding natural beauty, areas of special control, the Broads, conservation areas and National Parks — characters on a flag may be no more than 0.75 metres high, and no more than 0.3 metres in an area of special control. A projecting flagpole in such an area needs consent.

Conditions that apply to everything

Every flag must be maintained in a condition that does not impair the appearance of the site, and kept safe. You need the site owner's permission, and the highway authority's too if the flag goes on highway land. A flag must not obscure or hinder the reading of official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs. And it must be removed carefully if the planning authority requires it.

If you are unsure whether consent is needed, the guidance says to ask the local planning authority, which gives advice for your specific address.