A large unfurled flag waving in the breeze above the State Capital, or any government building in the state of Utah is legal–an approved government-sanctioned state, county, or city flag. All other flags are essentially illegal. Bill HB77, sponsored by Representative Trevor Lee, went into effect March 27, 2025.
A “thin blue line” flag–an American flag with one white stripe replaced by a blue stripe–is illegal. A rainbow flag, traditionally with red and white stripes replaced by red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, is also forbidden under the same law.
But a photo, drawing or any graphic depiction of these flags, made into a sticker, regardless of size, is perfectly legal according to HB77–even on Utah State government property.
After a Utah state resident recently complained about a Box Elder Sheriff truck sporting a thin blue line flag sticker on his truck, Lt. Blanchard said the sticker was removed and a memo was dispersed instructing officers to remove all thin blue line flag stickers from government property.
Rep. Trevor Lee, however, said the law does not apply to flag stickers. When asked if rainbow sticker flags were legal on government property, he paused. “Yes,” Lee said. Technically the law applies only to fabric flags. He said that Salt Lake City has since adopted multicolored city flags to skirt the law. Lee said, “Everyone knows what we’re trying to do here…We may have to address [the sticker problem].”
