Delaware Flag Status — Is the Flag at Half-Staff Today?
The current status could not be loaded just now. The national status is on the main flag page.
Who lowers the flag in Delaware
In Delaware, flags are lowered by the Governor and announced through the state news service under a dedicated flag-status category with its own feed. Delaware is one of the smaller states with one of the cleaner records: flag notices are separated from general press output rather than mixed into it.
The flag of Delaware
A colonial-blue field bears a buff diamond — the colors of George Washington’s Continental Army uniform — surrounding the state coat of arms. The date December 7, 1787 appears below, marking ratification day.
Delaware on the American flag
Adopted by the Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777 — 'Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.' The circular star arrangement is traditionally credited to Betsy Ross, the Philadelphia upholsterer said to have sewn the first example for General Washington.
Sunrise and sunset in Dover
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Delaware became a state
Originally settled by Swedes in 1638 and later absorbed by Dutch and English colonists, Delaware was governed as the three lower counties of Pennsylvania for most of the colonial era. It declared its independence from both Britain and Pennsylvania in 1776 and became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution on December 7, 1787 — earning the enduring nickname “The First State.”
Admitted December 7, 1787 — the 1st state.
Delaware at a glance
Did you know
- Delaware has no statewide sales tax.
- More than half of all U.S. publicly traded companies are incorporated in Delaware.
- Delaware was the only state without a national park until First State National Historical Park was created in 2013.
- The state’s highest natural point, Ebright Azimuth, is just 447.85 feet above sea level.
Born or raised here: Joe Biden (46th President; raised in Delaware) · Henry Heimlich (physician, inventor of the Heimlich maneuver) · Annie Jump Cannon (astronomer) · John Dickinson (Founding Father, “Penman of the Revolution”) · Caesar Rodney (signer of the Declaration of Independence)
Delaware in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Delaware.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Delaware today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Delaware as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Delaware?+
In Delaware, flags are lowered by the Governor and announced through the state news service under a dedicated flag-status category with its own feed. Delaware is one of the smaller states with one of the cleaner records: flag notices are separated from general press output rather than mixed into it.
Does a county order mean the whole of Delaware lowers its flags?+
No. A county or single-facility order (the State Capitol, for instance) applies only where it says it does. This page shows those separately from the statewide status precisely so the two are never confused — if the status above reads full-staff, Delaware has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Delaware?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Dover, those times are shown above. On the final day of a half-staff order that runs "until sunset", the flag returns to full height at the local sunset — which is why the West Coast stays lowered a few hours after the East.
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