Michigan 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 Michigan
In Michigan, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the state maintains a dedicated flag-honors page. Michigan orders are typically explicit about whether they cover state buildings only or the whole state, and the state publishes them promptly. Michigan is split across two time zones, so a handful of western counties reach sunset an hour later than the rest.
The flag of Michigan
A dark-blue field carries the state coat of arms: an elk and moose support a shield depicting a man with a raised hand and a rifle on the Lake Superior shore. An American bald eagle perches above the motto “E pluribus unum.”
Michigan on the American flag
Michigan’s star joined the national flag on July 4, 1837 — the Fourth of July after admission, as the Flag Act of 1818 provides.
Sunrise and sunset in Lansing
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Michigan became a state
Following a border dispute with Ohio known as the Toledo War, Michigan accepted the Upper Peninsula in exchange for the contested Toledo Strip and was admitted on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state. Detroit’s rise as the world’s automobile capital reshaped American industry and labor.
Admitted January 26, 1837 — the 26th state.
Michigan at a glance
Did you know
- Michigan touches four of the five Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie.
- It is the only state composed of two peninsulas, connected by the Mackinac Bridge.
- Detroit was once the fourth-largest U.S. city; the auto industry transformed it.
- Vernors Ginger Ale, created in 1866, is the oldest surviving American soft drink.
Born or raised here: Gerald Ford (38th President; raised in Grand Rapids) · Henry Ford (auto pioneer; Greenfield Township) · Madonna (singer; Bay City) · Stevie Wonder (musician; raised in Detroit) · Aretha Franklin (raised in Detroit) · Magic Johnson (basketball; Lansing)
Michigan in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Michigan.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Michigan today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Michigan as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Michigan?+
In Michigan, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the state maintains a dedicated flag-honors page. Michigan orders are typically explicit about whether they cover state buildings only or the whole state, and the state publishes them promptly. Michigan is split across two time zones, so a handful of western counties reach sunset an hour later than the rest.
Does a county order mean the whole of Michigan 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, Michigan has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Michigan?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Lansing, 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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