South Dakota 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 South Dakota
In South Dakota, flags are lowered by the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office. South Dakota is split across two time zones, and its orders commonly honour an individual and run until the day of interment rather than for a stated number of days.
The flag of South Dakota
A sky-blue field with a gold sun centered around the state seal, ringed by the words “South Dakota” above and “The Mount Rushmore State” below.
South Dakota on the American flag
South Dakota’s star joined the national flag on July 4, 1890 — the Fourth of July after admission, as the Flag Act of 1818 provides.
Sunrise and sunset in Pierre
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How South Dakota became a state
Admitted alongside North Dakota on November 2, 1889, South Dakota is conventionally counted as the 40th state. The Black Hills gold rush of 1874 drew settlers in violation of treaty with the Lakota Sioux — a dispute Mount Rushmore later complicated rather than resolved.
Admitted November 2, 1889 — the 40th state.
South Dakota at a glance
Did you know
- South Dakota’s Mt. Rushmore depicts Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
- The state has the highest concentration of bison in the country.
- The Badlands cover roughly a quarter of a million acres.
- Sturgis hosts one of the world’s largest motorcycle rallies each August.
Born or raised here: Sitting Bull (Hunkpapa Lakota chief; born along the Grand River) · Crazy Horse (Lakota war leader; born in present-day SD) · Hubert Humphrey (Vice President; Wallace) · George McGovern (presidential candidate; Avon) · Tom Brokaw (broadcast journalist; Webster) · Mary Hart (TV host; Sioux Falls)
South Dakota in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in South Dakota.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in South Dakota today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in South Dakota as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in South Dakota?+
In South Dakota, flags are lowered by the Governor and announced through the Governor’s office. South Dakota is split across two time zones, and its orders commonly honour an individual and run until the day of interment rather than for a stated number of days.
Does a county order mean the whole of South Dakota 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, South Dakota has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in South Dakota?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Pierre, 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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