The usa-state/vermont/" data-it-autolink="1">Vermont state coat of arms on a navy blue field — a pine tree, a cow, and sheaves of wheat with the Green Mountains behind.
The design
The Flag of Vermont is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 11:19, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses navy blue, gold, white, brown, green, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Navy blue | navy blue | A nationally significant colour for this flag — see the symbolism section below for the country-specific meaning. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Brown | brown | Suggests soil, indigenous heritage or the working land. |
| Green | green | Tends to evoke land, agriculture, hope, Islam or the natural environment. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The pine tree represents Vermont's forests. The cow and sheaves of wheat represent dairy farming and agriculture. The mountains in the background are the Green Mountains, source of the state's name (vert + mont, French for "green mountain"). The motto: "Freedom and Unity."
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Vermont — 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 1923. Earlier banners flown by Flag of Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1923 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 11:19 | height : length |
| Colours | navy blue, gold, white, brown, green | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
Vermont was an independent republic from 1777 to 1791 — making it, alongside Texas, one of only two US states that existed as a sovereign nation before joining the Union.
