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Flag of Nevada

The flag of Nevada is a cobalt blue field with, in the upper corner by the staff, a silver star inside a half wreath of sagebrush. The word NEVADA arcs below the star, and a golden-yellow scroll above reads "Battle Born," because Nevada became a state during the Civil War. The basic design won a 1926 contest and was adopted in 1929, but a clerical error meant the approved version was not flown until the law was corrected in 1991.

Verified October 23, 2026 against the state's law

Flag of Nevada
Flag of Nevada. Image: Caleb Moore, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What the flag shows

  • The field. Solid cobalt blue.
  • The star. A silver five-pointed star, one point up, in the upper corner nearest the staff.
  • The sagebrush. Two sprays of sagebrush, the state flower, crossed at the bottom to form a half wreath around the star.
  • The name. NEVADA in golden-yellow letters, in a half circle below the star and above the sagebrush.
  • The scroll. A golden-yellow scroll above the wreath, reading BATTLE BORN in black capitals, for Nevada’s admission during the Civil War.

The first flags

Nevada’s first state flag, from 1905, was designed by Governor John Sparks and Colonel Henry Day. It had a dark blue field with 36 stars for the 36th state and the words “silver” and “gold” for the mining industry. Only one is known to survive, at the Nevada Historical Society.

In 1915 a redesign led by the Carson City educator and historian Clara Crisler put the state seal on the flag, with the motto beneath it. That flag needed about 40 hand-stitched colors, so it was costly to make and seldom produced, and critics said it looked like the many other state flags that showed a seal.

The 1926 contest

A design contest with a $25 prize drew more than 100 entries. The Legislature chose the design of Louis Shellback III, a long-time state employee and part-time archaeologist, which added the sagebrush wreath and the “Battle Born” banner. But because of a clerical error, the bill sent for approval in 1929 showed the wrong design, with confusing lettering around the star.

Sixty years of the wrong flag

The 1929 flag was still costly and rarely flown. In 1953 lawmakers unanimously passed a cheaper replacement design, but the governor vetoed it, saying it lacked dignity. The 1929 law stood, and for more than 60 years Nevada flew a version of the flag that the Legislature had never actually approved.

The Legislature finally corrected the error in 1991, placing the state name below the star. That gave Nevada its current flag.

Questions about the Nevada state flag

What does "Battle Born" mean on the Nevada flag?
It recalls that Nevada joined the Union during the Civil War, on October 31, 1864.
What are the plants on the Nevada flag?
Two sprays of sagebrush, the state flower, crossed at the bottom to make a half wreath around the star.
Who designed the Nevada flag?
Louis Shellback III, also spelled Schellbach, a long-time state employee and part-time archaeologist, whose entry won a 1926 design contest.
What was the Nevada flag mistake?
The bill sent for approval in 1929 showed the wrong design, with confusing lettering around the star. For more than 60 years Nevada flew a version the Legislature had not actually approved, until it fixed the law in 1991.

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