As far as I know, there is no legal or constitutional provisions for flag etiquette. The colors are symbolic of the nation, and respect for the flag is only good manners and common courtesy, but it demands no detailed ritual or ceremony. After all, even an atheist knows to remove his hat when entering a church (or put one on in Synagogue or Mosque). It is just a sign of respect. God does not really give a shit.

In the military, there is a certain amount of flag ritual and ceremony because that is what passes for sentiment in that environment. In many nation-states and military services (including our own Confederacy) there was a separate battle flag and civil colors. Royal Navy ships fly a Naval Ensign, not the Union Jack. In the US Navy, the Jack (just the blue field and stars, no stripes) flies from the forepeak jackstaff in port. The moment the ship casts off, the Jack is struck and Old Glory is hoisted to the top of the mast, where it flies, day and night, until the ship ties up again.

This reverence for the flag can be carried to ridiculous extremes. I used to room with a military re-enactor who often wore a flight surgeon's uniform like the one her father wore in the Army Air Corps. She scrupulously followed the decorations on her uniform, but was very upset because the American flag shoulder patch had the flag facing "the wrong way." She was conflicted because wearing the uniform authentically required displaying the flag "incorrectly". When I pointed out that she was neither a man, a doctor, or in the military, and that the rules for flag display did not exist in the 1940s, she acted as if I were spitting on a crucifix.

Although it is fitting that a certain amount of solemnity and dignity should be offered up to the national symbol, it seems to me that complex and detailed handling and display instructions for civilians borders on the creepy. It is flag fetishism, and too often insisted on by pseudo-patriots and nationalistic bullies to intimidate those who dare to disagree with them. To hell with them.
They're not the boss of me.

See my post "The first refuge, too.", below.