New York 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 New York
In New York, flag status is administered by the Office of General Services — the agency that runs state buildings — rather than by the Governor’s press office, and OGS maintains the official flag-status page. Orders themselves come from the Governor and are announced through the Governor’s newsroom, so New York effectively has two records: the announcement and the standing OGS page.
The flag of New York
A buff-colored field bears the state coat of arms — Liberty and Justice flank a shield showing the Hudson River with two sloops, beneath a soaring eagle on a globe. The motto “Excelsior” appears on a banner below.
New York 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 Albany
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How New York became a state
Settled as New Netherland by the Dutch in 1624 and seized by the English in 1664, the colony was renamed for the Duke of York. New York ratified the U.S. Constitution on July 26, 1788 — only after a fierce ratification debate — and New York City served as the nation’s first capital from 1785 to 1790.
Admitted July 26, 1788 — the 11th state.
New York at a glance
Did you know
- More than 800 languages are spoken in New York City.
- The state’s Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Glacier combined.
- Niagara Falls produces about 4 million kilowatts of hydroelectric power.
- Saratoga Race Course, opened 1863, is the oldest organized sporting venue in the U.S.
Born or raised here: Theodore Roosevelt (26th President; NYC) · Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President; Hyde Park) · Donald Trump (45th & 47th President; NYC) · Walt Whitman (poet; Long Island) · Lucille Ball (entertainer; Jamestown) · Jay-Z (musician; Brooklyn)
New York in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in New York.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in New York today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in New York as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in New York?+
In New York, flag status is administered by the Office of General Services — the agency that runs state buildings — rather than by the Governor’s press office, and OGS maintains the official flag-status page. Orders themselves come from the Governor and are announced through the Governor’s newsroom, so New York effectively has two records: the announcement and the standing OGS page.
Does a county order mean the whole of New York 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, New York has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in New York?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Albany, 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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