Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the commonwealth maintains a flag-status page at pa.gov. Pennsylvania orders routinely distinguish between commonwealth facilities and a full statewide lowering, and the page states which applies.
The flag of Pennsylvania
A deep blue field carries the state coat of arms — flanked by two black draft horses and topped by an American bald eagle — symbolizing strength and willingness to work for liberty. An olive branch and stalk of corn evoke peace and prosperity.
Pennsylvania 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 Harrisburg
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Pennsylvania became a state
Chartered to William Penn in 1681 as a refuge for Quakers and other persecuted religious minorities, Pennsylvania became a deliberately tolerant colony at the heart of the American experiment. Philadelphia hosted both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and Pennsylvania ratified the new Constitution five days after Delaware to become the second state.
Admitted December 12, 1787 — the 2nd state.
Pennsylvania at a glance
Did you know
- Pennsylvania is officially a “commonwealth,” along with Virginia, Massachusetts, and Kentucky.
- The first daily newspaper in the U.S. was published in Philadelphia in 1784.
- Hershey, Pennsylvania is the largest chocolate-manufacturing plant in the world.
- Punxsutawney Phil has predicted spring every February 2 since 1887.
Born or raised here: Benjamin Franklin (Founding Father; adopted Pennsylvanian) · James Buchanan (15th President) · Andrew Mellon (financier, Treasury Secretary) · Rachel Carson (author of Silent Spring) · Andy Warhol (artist) · Taylor Swift (born in Reading)
Pennsylvania in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Pennsylvania.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Pennsylvania today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Pennsylvania as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Pennsylvania?+
In Pennsylvania, flags are lowered by the Governor, and the commonwealth maintains a flag-status page at pa.gov. Pennsylvania orders routinely distinguish between commonwealth facilities and a full statewide lowering, and the page states which applies.
Does a county order mean the whole of Pennsylvania 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, Pennsylvania has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Pennsylvania?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Harrisburg, 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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