Three horizontal stripes of blue, white, blue, overlaid with a red letter C enclosing a gold disc.
The design
The Flag of usa-state/colorado/" data-it-autolink="1">Colorado is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses red, gold, white, blue, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Red | red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Blue | blue | Frequently symbolises sky, sea, freedom, vigilance or perseverance. |
Symbolism & heraldry
Blue stripes represent the Colorado sky, white the snow-capped mountains, the gold disc abundant sunshine, and the red C the colour of the earth and Colorado itself ("colour red" in Spanish).
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Colorado — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1911. It is credited to Andrew Carlisle Carson. Earlier banners flown by Flag of Colorado reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Colorado should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Flag of Colorado | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1911 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | red, gold, white, blue | — |
| Designer | Andrew Carlisle Carson | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
Colorado is one of only four US state flags that includes a letter from the Latin alphabet (alongside Maryland, Tennessee's tri-star arrangement excluded).
