Flag Football Rules & Regulations
6 vs 6 Flag Football Guidelines

• Sharing personal equipment such as football gloves, cooling towels, or mouthguards—is strictly prohibited.
• Coaches, players, and spectators must remain off the field until their scheduled game time.
• Coaches are responsible for managing and maintaining their team’s equipment.

Game Scheduling & Rescheduling

1. Only the St. Charles Parish Department of Parks and Recreation has the authority to postpone or reschedule games.
2. Games may only be rescheduled due to school-related events that prevent a team from fielding the minimum number of players, as stated in the OTS Manual (Article 15). If a team has enough eligible players to begin, the game must be played as scheduled—this includes both regular season and postseason games.
   • If the head coach is unavailable, an assistant coach must step in.
   • If no assistant coach is available, the game will result in a forfeit.
3. Coaches must check the Parks and Recreation website (www.scpparksandrec.com), specifically the GAME SCHEDULE section, for updates regarding weather-related cancellations.

Behavioral Expectations & Conduct

1. Alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited at all practices and games (OTS Manual Article 32).
2. Tobacco use—including smoking, vaping, and chewing tobacco—is not permitted on the field, in dugouts, or in the bleachers. Violations may result in game forfeiture.
3. Players wearing plaster or metal casts are not permitted to participate.
   • Players ages 5–14 must wear molded cleats or plastic screw-in cleats only.
4. All participants, coaches, players, parents, and spectators—are expected to follow all rules and regulations set by the Parks and Recreation Department.
   • Failure to comply may result in disciplinary actions, including suspension or permanent removal from the program.

Ejections & Disciplinary Actions

• Any coach or player ejected for inappropriate behavior (verbal or physical abuse toward officials, coaches, players, or spectators) must leave the park immediately and will be suspended for the next game.
• A second ejection for similar behavior will result in a two-year suspension from all recreational programs.
• Ejected coaches must complete a mandatory Sportsmanship Course before returning.
• Physical assault toward any official, coach, player, or spectator will result in immediate removal and a two-year ban from all Recreation Department activities.
• Individuals who refuse to leave after an ejection may be removed by law enforcement.

State Law: Battery of a Sports Official

Under Louisiana law (R.S. § 14:34.4), it is illegal to commit battery against a sports official. Penalties include:

• A fine of up to $500
• 48 hours to 6 months in jail (mandatory, no suspended sentence)
• Probation with mandatory community service

SCPRD Flag Football Rule 
(We will follow NFL Flag Rules)

The following modifications have been made to better suit the needs of our league (only modifications allowed) are as follows:

Overtime

• No overtime will be played during regular season games. Once the clock expires, the game is over.
• Overtime rules will only apply in playoffs and championship games.

4th Down  

• Teams will still have 4 downs once crossing mid - field to score.

WHAT ARE THE RULES OF FLAG FOOTBALL?

The first rule of flag football is pretty straight forward: there’s no contact allowed. That includes tackling, diving, blocking, and screening. Instead, players wear flags that hang along their sides by a belt. To “tackle” the person in possession of the ball, the opposing team needs to pull one or both of their flags off.

While flag football rules are designed to keep players safe, you’ll find that they also create an engaging, fast-paced version of football without the physical contact. 

Here’s a list of basic flag football rules: 

• All passes must be forward and received beyond the line of scrimmage.
• Direct handoffs as well as unlimited backward pitches and passes are allowed behind the line of scrimmage. No backwards passes or direct handoffs are allowed past the line of scrimmage.
• The quarterback has 7 seconds, from receiving the snap, to release the ball. Once a backwards handoff, pass or lateral occurs, the 7 second rule goes away and the offense has an unlimited amount of time to throw a forward pass.
• The player receiving the snap (QB) cannot run across the line of scrimmage with the ball. The QB can hand off or pitch/throw the ball backwards to a teammate and then catch a forward pass across the line of scrimmage.
• Offensive players must steer clear of the rusher and may not get in his/her way.
• A maximum of 2 designated defensive rushers may legally rush the quarterback. All designated rushers must identify themselves, with their hand raised until the snap, to legally rush from the 7 yard rush line.  Designated rushers are not obligated to rush, but if they do, they must rush immediately upon the ball being snapped.
• Once the ball is handed off, pitched or thrown backwards by the offense, all defenders are eligible to rush across the line of scrimmage.
• Interceptions are returnable for 6 pts. during a scrimmage down or for 2 pts on any extra point attempt. A backwards pass intercepted in the air, behind the line of scrimmage, can also be advanced by the defense for a score. 
• The ball is dead when it hits the ground, the offensive player’s flag is pulled from their belt, the ball-carrier steps out of bounds, or the ball-carrier’s body—outside of their hands or feet—touches the ground.
• All offensive flag football penalties result in a loss of down and yardage.
• All defensive flag football penalties result in an automatic first down and some are associated with yardage.

For a complete list of flag football rules, download the NFL FLAG Football Rule Book.