The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 1: General Provisions

Chapter 011: Flag, Insignia, Seal, etc.

• § 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.)