New Union County Law Protects Thin Blue Line Flags

A new Union County law now protects the right of homeowners to fly first responder and military flags. The newly passed law stems from one homeowner’s fight against their homeowners association.

What Led to the New Union County Law

In May earlier this year, Chris Castrogiovanni entered a dispute with his homeowners association after the latter asked him to take down his American flag with a thin blue line. Castrogiovanni, a law enforcement officer himself, wanted to fly the flag in honor of first responders who lost their lives in service.

“There’s a thin blue line between anarchy and civility, and every time a cop is killed, that line gets thinner,” Castrogiovanni told local news. “I’ve lost quite a few friends over my 34 years, but 9/11 in particular, I lost three close friends. I went to 29 funerals and every day cops have been killed in this country.”

According to the Millbridge HOA in Waxhaw, where Castrogiovanni lives, the neighborhood only permits official flags. The HOA only introduced this rule a few years ago.

“For you to tell me that I can fly it for 10 years and then take it away from me to honor my brothers and sisters. It was a kick in the gut to be quite honest with you,” Castrogiovanni said. “They did it to fire, EMS, not just me. So, I just represent one piece of first responders. There were other people or agencies that are just as thick and things as I am.”

Legislators Take Action

North Carolina Rep. David Willis received word of Castrogiovanni’s plight. Interestingly enough, Willis already had a law in the works that would protect thin blue line flags, among others.

The new Union County law appears in Senate Bill 68. While the law does not prohibit HOAs from restricting the flags altogether, it does require HOAs to use very specific language regarding which flags they wish to restrict. In addition to the flag restrictions, the bill also covers other topics.

“Sometimes the legislative process of sausage making as we call it in Raleigh gets a little bit messy,” Willis explained. “We ran this bill earlier on in the year and with it being a local bill. You know, sometimes, instead of running five or six or 10 different bills, we just put them together in one.”

Currently, the new law only applies to flags in Union County.