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Flag of Wisconsin

The flag of Wisconsin is a royal blue field with the state coat of arms in the center, the word WISCONSIN in white capitals above it and the year of statehood, 1848, below. The coat of arms shows a shield with symbols of farming, mining, manufacturing and navigation, held by a sailor and a miner, with a badger and the motto "Forward" on top. The flag dates from 1863; the name and date were added in 1979.

Verified October 23, 2026 against the state's law

Flag of Wisconsin
Flag of Wisconsin. Image: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What the flag shows

  • The field. Royal blue, two units high by three long.
  • The coat of arms. In the center on both sides, sized to fit inside a circle half the flag’s height.
  • The shield. Quartered, with a plow for agriculture, a crossed pick and shovel for mining, an arm holding a hammer for manufacturing and an anchor for navigation. At its center a small US coat of arms, ringed by “E pluribus unum,” stands for Wisconsin’s loyalty to the Union.
  • Below the shield. A horn of plenty for prosperity and abundance, and a pyramid of 13 lead ingots for mineral wealth and the 13 original states.
  • The supporters. A sailor holding a coil of rope and a yeoman, usually taken to be a miner, resting on a pick: labor on water and on land.
  • The crest. A badger, the state animal, under a banner with the motto “Forward.”
  • The words. WISCONSIN in white condensed Gothic capitals above the arms and 1848 below.
  • The fringe. A yellow knotted fringe is optional.

A Civil War flag

Wisconsin’s flag began with its soldiers. During the Civil War, Wisconsin regiments were asking for flags, so the Legislature set up a five-member joint committee, whose work led to an 1863 joint resolution with a design very close to the regimental flags the troops already carried. In 1913 a law wrote the flag into the statutes for the first time: a dark blue flag with the state coat of arms in the center of each side.

Adding the name

After years of attempts to change or replace the flag, a 1979 law rewrote it. It added WISCONSIN and 1848 in white, to make the flag easier to tell from other blue state flags, and set exact proportions. The law was published on May 13, 1980, and applies to flags made from May 1, 1981; older flags may still be used. No redesign has been adopted since, and Wisconsin has no official pledge or salute to its flag.

Rules for the flag

State law makes it a misdemeanor to add words, marks or advertising to the Wisconsin flag, to sell merchandise showing it, or to use it in commercial advertising, though unaltered flags on documents, stationery, ornaments, pictures and jewelry are exempt. The statute’s annotations note that US Supreme Court rulings limit how it can be enforced against expressive displays.

Questions about the Wisconsin state flag

What do the symbols on the Wisconsin flag mean?
The shield's plow stands for agriculture, the pick and shovel for mining, the arm and hammer for manufacturing and the anchor for navigation. The sailor and miner stand for labor on water and on land, the horn of plenty for prosperity, the 13 lead ingots for mineral wealth and the 13 original states, and the badger for the state animal.
Why does the Wisconsin flag say WISCONSIN?
The name and the year 1848 were added in 1979 to make the flag easier to tell apart from the many other blue state flags.
When was the Wisconsin flag adopted?
The first design was set by a joint resolution in 1863, during the Civil War. It was written into law in 1913, and the current version dates from 1979, required for flags made from May 1, 1981.
Is it illegal to put advertising on the Wisconsin flag?
State law makes it a misdemeanor to add words, marks or advertising to the state flag or to use it in commercial advertising, although court rulings limit how the law can be enforced against expressive displays.

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