Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, flag orders are issued by the Governor but administered and archived by the Department of Military Affairs, which maintains a dedicated flag-lowering page with a genuine archive of past orders. That archive is rare — most states publish only the current order — and it makes Wisconsin one of the easiest states in which to verify what was in effect on a given date.
The flag of Wisconsin
A blue field carries the state coat of arms: a sailor and a miner flank a shield bearing a plow, an arm and hammer, a pick and shovel, and an anchor — representing agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and navigation.
Wisconsin on the American flag
Wisconsin’s star joined the national flag on July 4, 1848 — the Fourth of July after admission, as the Flag Act of 1818 provides.
Sunrise and sunset in Madison
The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Today at the state capital:
How Wisconsin became a state
Settled by Native peoples and later by French fur traders, Wisconsin was carved from the Wisconsin Territory and joined the Union on May 29, 1848 as the 30th state. Its German and Scandinavian immigrants built a dairy industry — “America’s Dairyland” — that remains central to the state’s economy and identity.
Admitted May 29, 1848 — the 30th state.
Wisconsin at a glance
Did you know
- Wisconsin produces more than a quarter of all U.S. cheese.
- The Republican Party was founded in Ripon in 1854.
- Wisconsin has more than 15,000 lakes.
- Milwaukee was once the largest beer-brewing city in the world.
Born or raised here: Frank Lloyd Wright (architect; Richland Center) · Harry Houdini (escape artist; raised in Appleton) · Georgia O’Keeffe (painter; Sun Prairie) · Orson Welles (filmmaker; Kenosha) · Spencer Tracy (actor; Milwaukee)
Wisconsin in the American Record
Moments from the daily edition that happened in Wisconsin.
Official source
Orders are announced by the Governor’s office.
Common questions.
Is the flag at half-staff in Wisconsin today?+
The status above answers that for today. A national half-staff order applies in Wisconsin as it does everywhere else; the Governor can also lower flags within the state independently.
Who orders flags to half-staff in Wisconsin?+
In Wisconsin, flag orders are issued by the Governor but administered and archived by the Department of Military Affairs, which maintains a dedicated flag-lowering page with a genuine archive of past orders. That archive is rare — most states publish only the current order — and it makes Wisconsin one of the easiest states in which to verify what was in effect on a given date.
Does a county order mean the whole of Wisconsin 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, Wisconsin has no statewide order in effect regardless of any local one.
When should the flag be raised and lowered in Wisconsin?+
The flag flies from sunrise to sunset. Today at the state capital, Madison, 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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