Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office on mass.gov. Massachusetts orders routinely distinguish between state buildings and a full statewide lowering, so the wording matters — a notice covering state property is not a direction to households and businesses.
The flag of Massachusetts
A white field carries the state coat of arms: a Native American figure holding a bow and arrow points downward (signifying peace), beneath a blue shield. A bent arm with a sword above recalls the motto’s pledge to defend liberty.
Massachusetts 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 Boston
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Massachusetts became a state
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by English Puritans in 1630 and absorbed the Plymouth Colony — landing site of the Mayflower in 1620 — in 1691. The first shots of the American Revolution rang out at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and Massachusetts ratified the U.S. Constitution on February 6, 1788 to become the sixth state.
Admitted February 6, 1788 — the 6th state.
Massachusetts at a glance
Did you know
- Massachusetts is home to Harvard University, the oldest in the U.S. (founded 1636).
- The first American public school, Boston Latin, was established in 1635.
- Basketball was invented in Springfield in 1891 by James Naismith.
- Volleyball was invented in Holyoke in 1895.
Born or raised here: John Adams (2nd President; Quincy) · John F. Kennedy (35th President; Brookline) · Benjamin Franklin (born in Boston) · Susan B. Anthony (born in Adams) · W.E.B. Du Bois (born in Great Barrington) · Emily Dickinson (poet; Amherst)
Massachusetts in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Massachusetts.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Massachusetts today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Massachusetts as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Massachusetts?+
In Massachusetts, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office on mass.gov. Massachusetts orders routinely distinguish between state buildings and a full statewide lowering, so the wording matters — a notice covering state property is not a direction to households and businesses.
Does a county order mean the whole of Massachusetts 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, Massachusetts has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Massachusetts?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Boston, 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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