Sunday · September 27, 2026
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Flag status›Tennessee

Tennessee Flag Status — Is the Flag at Half-Staff Today?

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State flag of Tennessee
The 16th state · 1796

Who lowers the flag in Tennessee

In Tennessee, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the state website. Tennessee is split across two time zones, and the state issues a substantial number of county-level orders honouring fallen first responders, so a Tennessee notice is often local rather than statewide.

The flag of Tennessee

A red field with three white stars in a blue circle — the stars represent East, Middle, and West Tennessee, the state’s three Grand Divisions. Designed by LeRoy Reeves in 1905.

Tennessee on the American flag

20-Star Flag
20-Star Flag · 1818–1819

The Flag Act of 1818 returned the stripes permanently to thirteen and specified that a new star would be added on the Fourth of July following each state's admission. Twenty stars recognized the original thirteen plus Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi.

Sunrise and sunset in Nashville

The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:

Sunrise
6:38 AM
Sunset
6:36 PM
Capital
Nashville

How Tennessee became a state

Tennessee evolved out of North Carolina’s western lands and the short-lived state of Franklin. It joined the Union on June 1, 1796 as the 16th state, earning the “Volunteer” nickname for the thousands of Tennesseans who answered the call to fight in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.

Admitted June 1, 1796 — the 16th state.

1796
Tennessee becomes the 16th state.
1838
Forced Cherokee removal proceeds along the Trail of Tears.
1925
Scopes “Monkey Trial” captivates the nation in Dayton.
1933
Tennessee Valley Authority is created to electrify the rural South.
1968
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis.
1982
Knoxville hosts the 1982 World’s Fair.

Tennessee at a glance

Nickname
The Volunteer State
Motto
Agriculture and Commerce
Largest city
Nashville
State bird
Northern Mockingbird
State flower
Iris
State tree
Tulip Poplar

Did you know

  • Memphis is the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll and the blues; Nashville is the capital of country music.
  • Tennessee borders eight states — tied with Missouri for the most.
  • The Great Smoky Mountains is the most-visited national park in the U.S.
  • Tennessee whiskey requires charcoal filtering before aging.

Born or raised here: Andrew Jackson (7th President; lived in Nashville) · James K. Polk (11th President; Columbia) · Andrew Johnson (17th President; Greeneville) · Davy Crockett (frontiersman; Greene County) · Dolly Parton (singer-songwriter; Sevierville) · Aretha Franklin (singer; Memphis)

Official source

Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.

Tennessee, answered plainly

Common questions.

Is the flag at half-staff in Tennessee today?+

The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Tennessee as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.

Who orders flags to half-staff in Tennessee?+

In Tennessee, flags are lowered by order of the Governor and announced through the state website. Tennessee is split across two time zones, and the state issues a substantial number of county-level orders honouring fallen first responders, so a Tennessee notice is often local rather than statewide.

Does a county order mean the whole of Tennessee 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, Tennessee has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.

When should the flag be raised and lowered in Tennessee?+

The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Nashville, 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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