Condo Association Says Resident’s American Flag Is Too Noisy, Threatens Fines

A condo association in Fargo, North Dakota, has threatened ongoing fines to a resident for the flapping sounds his flag makes on windy days.

Andrew Almer, like many Americans, hangs an American flag outside his home. “It’s something I’ve always wanted when I owned a home,” Almer told Fox 13 on Friday. “Having an American flag in the yard is just an American thing – that pride to have.” Now it looks like the patriotic display could cost him.

Almer has kept the flag displayed for a good portion of his five-year stay. “I don’t really take it down,” he said. “It’s been lit up every night and it’s an all-weather flag, so you follow the guidelines and it’s been up for two years straight, almost.” Almer said he received his first official complaint about the flag in January.

“The first letter I got, I laughed, because I just thought, ‘This is ridiculous,’” he said. “You cannot tell me somebody is complaining about a flapping flag in the wind.” It was not, however, a joke. A second letter followed, and Almer has now been threatened with $200-per-day fines if it is not removed. “When I got this second letter I thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s serious,” he said.

And the law seems to be on Almer’s side. The Federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 prevents any homeowner’s association from restricting the display of Old Glory on their property, regardless of flapping. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Almer told Valley News Live. “With everything that’s going on in the world these days and this is what you’re going to complain about?”