Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office. Rhode Island is the smallest state and the entire jurisdiction sits within a few minutes of the same sunrise and sunset, so unlike the larger states there is no meaningful internal variation in when a flag goes up or comes down.
The flag of Rhode Island
A white field carries a gold anchor — the state’s emblem since 1647 — circled by thirteen gold stars and beneath the single-word motto “Hope.”
Rhode Island 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 Providence
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Rhode Island became a state
Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams as a refuge for religious dissenters from Massachusetts, Rhode Island enshrined liberty of conscience long before it became a national ideal. The smallest state was the last of the original Thirteen to ratify the U.S. Constitution, joining the Union on May 29, 1790 only after a threatened trade embargo.
Admitted May 29, 1790 — the 13th state.
Rhode Island at a glance
Did you know
- Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area.
- Its full official name was “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” until 2020.
- The first U.S. tennis championships were held in Newport in 1881.
- The state has more than 400 miles of coastline despite its size.
Born or raised here: Gilbert Stuart (painter, portrait of Washington on the dollar bill) · George M. Cohan (composer of “Yankee Doodle Dandy”) · H.P. Lovecraft (horror author; Providence) · Nelson Eddy (singer, actor) · Spalding Gray (writer, performer)
Rhode Island in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Rhode Island.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Rhode Island today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Rhode Island as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Rhode Island?+
In Rhode Island, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office. Rhode Island is the smallest state and the entire jurisdiction sits within a few minutes of the same sunrise and sunset, so unlike the larger states there is no meaningful internal variation in when a flag goes up or comes down.
Does a county order mean the whole of Rhode Island 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, Rhode Island has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Rhode Island?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Providence, 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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