Official state symbol Utah State Flag Adopted 2024

Utah State Flag

Utah's 2024 flag replaced a century-old seal-on-blue with a beehive in a gold hexagon and mountain silhouettes. What the sego lily, star, and stripes mean.

Utah State Flag

Utah State Flag

Official State Flag of Utah

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State Flag of Utah

Utah adopted a new state flag in 2024, featuring a beehive in a gold hexagon. The design includes horizontal stripes of blue, white, and red. A five-pointed star sits below the beehive, and the redesign now stands out among the official U.S. state flags.

How the Utah State Flag Is Designed

The Utah state flag serves as the official flag of the state of Utah. The flag displays horizontal stripes in three colors. A blue stripe runs across the top. A white stripe forms irregular mountain peaks in the middle. A red stripe fills the bottom section.

A gold hexagon sits in the center of the flag. Inside the hexagon, a gold beehive appears with a white five-pointed star below it. This design replaced the previous flag on March 9, 2024.

What the Utah State Flag Means

The Utah state flag meaning comes from symbols reflecting Utah's geography, settlement history, and civic ideals. The design reflects Utah's geographic features and cultural identity.

The beehive stands for industry and community. Utah uses the beehive as its official emblem and calls itself the Beehive State. The hexagon shape represents strength and unity among Utah's people.

The five-pointed star honors the five original tribal nations in Utah. It also marks 1896, when Utah became the 45th state, and complements the state's formal motto Industry.

How Utah Chose Its State Flag

Utah authorized a new state flag through legislation signed on March 21, 2023. The bill went into effect on March 9, 2024. Governor Spencer Cox signed the measure after the Utah Legislature approved it. The State Flag Task Force managed the redesign process starting in 2021.

The task force received 5,703 design submissions from the public. More than 2,500 came from students. Twenty semifinalist designs were announced in September 2022. Utahns submitted 44,000 survey responses during the comment period. The task force presented a final proposal to the legislature in November 2022.

Utah's first state flag was created in March 1903 for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. The flag showed the state seal embroidered on a blue field. The legislature made it official in 1911. That design served as Utah's flag for 113 years before the 2024 redesign. The old flag now holds status as the Historic State Flag and remains co-official; that same 1911 era also gave Utah its official state flower.

Earlier Versions of the Utah Flag

1903–1911
Governor's Flag
2024–present
Beehive Flag
Governor's Flag Beehive Flag
1903–1911
2024–present

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1903–1911 — Governor's Flag

Original flag with state seal hand-embroidered in white thread before becoming official.

2024–present — Beehive Flag Current

Current state flag adopted March 9, 2024, featuring tricolor stripes and gold hexagon with beehive.

All versions

Key Symbols on the Utah Flag

Utah State Flag Beehive

Utah State Flag Beehive

A gold beehive sits inside the hexagon at the flag's center. The beehive represents Utah's history and sense of community. It connects to Utah's official state motto, Industry.

Utah State Flag Hexagon

Utah State Flag Hexagon

A gold hexagon frames the beehive in the flag's center. The hexagon shape resembles honeycomb. It represents strength and unity.

Utah State Flag Star

Utah State Flag Star

A white five-pointed star sits below the beehive. The star honors Utah's five original tribal nations. These include the Navajo, Shoshone, Goshute, Paiute, and Ute peoples.

Utah State Flag Mountains

Utah State Flag Mountains

The white middle stripe forms five irregular peaks. These represent Utah's snowy mountain ranges. Mountains have sheltered residents from time immemorial.

Utah State Flag Blue Stripe

Utah State Flag Blue Stripe

A blue stripe runs across the top of the flag. Blue represents Utah's wide-open skies and lakes. It links to the background of the historic flag.

Utah State Flag Red Stripe

Utah State Flag Red Stripe

A red stripe fills the bottom section of the flag. This represents Southern Utah's red-rock canyon landscape. Millions of people travel to see these formations each year.

Utah State Flag Colors

The Utah state flag uses four colors. Blue, white, and red reference the colors of the United States flag. Gold appears in the hexagon and beehive, aligning with Utah's long black-and-gold visual tradition.

Interesting Facts

Quick Answers

Which flag serves as Utah's official banner?
The Utah state flag is the official banner of Utah, featuring horizontal blue, white, and red stripes with a gold hexagon containing a beehive and star.
What are the main visual elements on Utah's flag?
The flag shows three horizontal stripes in blue, white, and red. A gold hexagon sits in the center with a beehive and a five-pointed star inside it.
In what year did Utah's current flag become official?
The beehive represents Utah's history, sense of community, and the state motto Industry. Utah is known as the Beehive State.
What does the Utah state flag represent?
Utah adopted its current state flag on March 9, 2024. The previous flag was adopted in 1911.
How do historians explain the symbolism of Utah's flag?
Utah changed its flag to create a more distinctive design that better represents the state's values, landscape, and history. The redesign process involved public input and thousands of submitted designs.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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