§ 491. Coat of Arms; Crest; Motto; and Badge
The Coat of Arms, Crest, Motto, and Badge of the State shall be and are described
as follows:
(1) Coat of Arms. Green, a landscape occupying half of the shield; on the right and left, in the background,
high mountains, blue; the sky, yellow. From near the base and reaching nearly to
the top of the shield, arises a pine tree of the natural color and between three erect
sheaves, yellow, placed diagonally on the right side and a red cow standing on the
left side of the field.
(2) Motto and Badge. On a scroll beneath the shield, the motto: Vermont; Freedom and Unity. The Vermonter’s
badge: two pine branches of natural color, crossed between the shield and scroll.
(3) Crest. A buck’s head, of natural color, placed on a scroll, blue and yellow.
§ 492. Design of Coat of Arms
The Secretary of State shall keep in the archives of his or her office a representation
of the Coat of Arms according to the foregoing description.
§ 493. State Seal
The State Seal shall be the Great Seal of the State, a faithful reproduction, cut
larger and deeper, of the original seal, designed by Ira Allen, cut by Reuben Dean
of Windsor, and accepted by resolution of the General Assembly, dated February 20,
1779. The Seal shall be kept by the Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs.
§ 494. Use of State Seal
The Vermont Development Board may, with the prior written consent of the Governor,
reproduce the seal of the State of Vermont in any State-sponsored publication whether
or not advertising is included in such publication. (Amended 1959, No. 329 (Adj. Sess.), § 18(a), eff. March 1, 1961.)
§ 495. State Flag
The Flag of the State shall be blue with the Coat of Arms of the State thereon.
§ 496. State Flags, purchase, distribution
The Secretary of State shall obtain, through the Department of Buildings and General
Services, State Flags. The Secretary may, on terms that he or she finds appropriate,
distribute these State Flags to other states; to State officials, departments, and
agencies; and to other persons the Secretary may determine should receive them. (Added 1961, No. 120, § 1, eff. May 16, 1961; amended 1963, No. 77, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 2, 1963; 1995, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(a), eff. May 6, 1996; 2017, No. 111 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)
§ 496a. Bennington Battle Flag
The Secretary of State shall obtain, through the Department of Buildings and General
Services, two copies of the Bennington Battle Flag, one for delivery to the Sergeant
at Arms to be flown at the State House in Montpelier, under the U.S. Flag, on the
15th, 16th, and 17th days of August each year to commemorate the Battle of Bennington,
and a second for delivery to the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, along
with one Vermont State Flag, to be flown at the Bennington Battle Monument Area. (Added 2017, No. 111 (Adj. Sess.), § 3.)
§ 496b. Green Mountain Boys Flag
The Secretary of State shall obtain, through the Department of Buildings and General
Services, a copy of the Green Mountain Boys Flag for delivery to the Sergeant at Arms
to be flown at the State House in Montpelier, under the U.S. Flag, on the 15th day
of January each year to commemorate Vermont’s independence. (Added 2017, No. 111 (Adj. Sess.), § 4.)
§ 496c. POW-MIA flag; flying on State flagpoles
The State of Vermont shall fly on State-owned flagpoles, where practicable, the National
League of Families Prisoner of War and Missing in Action flag, as designated in 36 U.S.C. § 902, provided the flag is donated. (Added 2017, No. 111 (Adj. Sess.), § 5; amended 2019, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)
§ 496d. Flag protocol
The Department of Buildings and General Services shall adopt and update as necessary
a protocol for the flying of any flag on a State-owned flagpole and on municipally
owned flagpoles if statutorily directed. The protocol shall incorporate any existing
flag-flying policies or protocols that the Department has previously adopted. (Added 2017, No. 111 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)
§ 496e. Honor and Remember Flag
The Honor and Remember Flag is designated as the flag that recognizes those Vermonters
who died during or as the result of serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
This designation will recognize their bravery and educate Vermonters about the sacrifices
their fellow citizens have made to protect our nation. The Department of Buildings
and General Services shall establish a protocol for the flying of the Honor and Remember
Flag and may accept donations of the flag to be flown on State-owned flagpoles. The
Honor and Remember Flag may be flown on State-owned and municipally owned flagpoles,
including those at military facilities, war memorials, and veterans cemeteries on
such days as the Department of Buildings and General Services shall designate in the
protocol. (Added 2017, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 3, 2018.)
§ 497. State Bird
The State Bird shall be the hermit thrush.
§ 498. State Flower
The State Flower shall be the red clover.
§ 499. State Tree
The State Tree shall be the sugar maple.
§ 500. State Animal
The State Animal shall be the Morgan horse. (1961, No. 42, § 1, eff. March 23, 1961.)
§ 501. State Fish
The State Cold Water Fish shall be the brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis) and the State Warm Water Fish shall be the walleye pike (sander vitreus). (Added 2011, No. 82 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 13, 2012.)
§ 502. State Insect
The State Insect shall be the honeybee. (Added 1977, No. 124 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Feb. 17, 1978.)
§ 503. State Beverage
The State Beverage shall be milk. (Added 1983, No. 22, § 1, eff. April 22, 1983.)
§ 504. State Soil
The State Soil shall be the Tunbridge soil series. (Added 1985, No. 9, § 1, eff. Mar. 27, 1985.)
§ 505. State Butterfly
The State Butterfly shall be the monarch. (Added 1987, No. 72, § 1, eff. June 8, 1987.)
§ 506. State Gem
The State Gem shall be the grossular garnet. (Added 1991, No. 221 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 28, 1992.)
§ 507. State Rocks
The State Rocks shall be marble, granite, and slate. (Added 1991, No. 221 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 28, 1992.)
§ 508. State Mineral
The State Mineral shall be talc. (Added 1991, No. 221 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. May 28, 1992.)
§ 509. State Fossils
(a) The State Marine Fossil shall be the white whale fossilized skeleton at the University
of Vermont’s Perkins Geology Museum.
(b) The State Terrestrial Fossil shall be the Mount Holly mammoth tooth and tusk at the
Mount Holly Community Historical Museum. (Added 1993, No. 66, § 1, eff. June 6, 1993; amended 2013, No. 116 (Adj. Sess.), § 15a.)
§ 510. State Flavor
The State Flavor shall be maple from the Vermont sugar maple tree. (Added 1993, No. 139 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 26, 1994.)
§ 511. State Amphibian
The State Amphibian shall be the northern leopard frog. (Added 1997, No. 126 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 21, 1998.)
§ 512. State Pie
The State Pie shall be apple pie. (Added 1999, No. 15, § 1, eff. May 10, 1999.)
§ 513. State Fruit
The State Fruit shall be the apple. (Added 1999, No. 15, § 3, eff. May 10, 1999.)
§ 514. State Song
The State Song shall be “These Green Mountains.” (Added 1999, No. 99 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 5, 2000.)
§ 515. State Heritage Livestock Breed
The Randall Lineback breed of cattle shall be an official State Heritage breed of
livestock. (Added 2005, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 2.)
§ 516. State Sports
The State Winter Sports shall be skiing and snowboarding. (Added 2011, No. 77 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. March 8, 2012.)
§ 517. State Fly-Fishing Fly
The State Fly-Fishing Fly shall be the Governor Aiken bucktail streamer. (Added 2013, No. 116 (Adj. Sess.), § 14.)
§ 518. State Latin Motto
The State Latin Motto shall be Stella quarta decima fulgeat (May the 14th star shine bright). (Added 2015, No. 6, § 1.)
§ 519. State Vegetable
The State Vegetable shall be the Gilfeather turnip. (Added 2015, No. 127 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)
§ 520. State Mushroom
The State Mushroom shall be Hericium Americanum, commonly known as the bear’s head
tooth mushroom. (Added 2023, No. 101 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 7, 2024.)