Illinois 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 Illinois
In Illinois, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the state maintains a dedicated flag-honors page at illinois.gov listing current and recent honors. Illinois is one of the better-documented states — the page names the honoree and the period, so the scope of an order is rarely ambiguous.
The flag of Illinois
A white field carries the state seal: an eagle perched on a boulder bearing a shield, holding a banner with the state motto, the bald eagle representing strength and the rising sun symbolizing progress.
Illinois on the American flag
Illinois’s star joined the national flag on July 4, 1819 — the Fourth of July after admission, as the Flag Act of 1818 provides.
Sunrise and sunset in Springfield
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Illinois became a state
Illinois was created from the Illinois Territory and admitted on December 3, 1818 as the 21st state. Chicago’s explosive 19th-century growth made the state a national rail, agricultural, and political powerhouse, and home to the rising legal career of Abraham Lincoln.
Admitted December 3, 1818 — the 21st state.
Illinois at a glance
Did you know
- The first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885.
- Illinois is one of the top corn- and soybean-producing states.
- Abraham Lincoln practiced law in Springfield for 24 years before the presidency.
- Route 66 begins at Adams Street in Chicago.
Born or raised here: Ronald Reagan (40th President; Tampico) · Barack Obama (44th President; longtime Chicago resident) · Walt Disney (animator; Chicago) · Ernest Hemingway (novelist; Oak Park) · Hillary Clinton (politician; Park Ridge) · Michelle Obama (First Lady; Chicago)
Illinois in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Illinois.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Illinois today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Illinois as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Illinois?+
In Illinois, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the state maintains a dedicated flag-honors page at illinois.gov listing current and recent honors. Illinois is one of the better-documented states — the page names the honoree and the period, so the scope of an order is rarely ambiguous.
Does a county order mean the whole of Illinois 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, Illinois has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Illinois?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Springfield, 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.
Flag status for every state, and the day in American history — one page, every morning.
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