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Howard County, Maryland (U.S.)

image located by Dave Fowler, 19 March 2025

Description of the flag
Previous flag
History of Howard County
County seal
Sheriff's office

- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.

Municipal flags in Howard County:

See also:

Description of the flag

Howard County picks new flag, opting for sunny, colorful design
Jess Nocera, The Baltimore Banner
18 March, 2025
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/howard-county-flag-calvin-ball-EW3B25UPKZGXJFKHH7B5JUZJRY/

Esen Paradiso doesn’t think Howard County has straight lines. Rather, the farmland showcases the county’s curves, while the aqueducts and the Chrysalis amphitheater at Merriweather Park both boast arches. She incorporated these characteristics into her design entry for a new county flag.
On Tuesday afternoon, county leaders announced that Paradiso’s design had been selected from among three finalists to replace a county flag that has been flying since 1968. Around 100 people gathered outside the county government’s offices for the announcement, the culmination of a yearlong process that drew more than 200 entries.
“I didn’t expect it, honestly, but we’ve lived here for so long, and it means so much to me,” said Paradiso, a county resident of nearly 50 years, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.
County Executive Calvin Ball, reading a description of Paradiso’s flag, said her design “represents an evolving agricultural past blended with an optimistic cultural, environmental and economic future, which is cosmopolitan, vibrant and thriving.”

The design shows arching gold and white lines over a field of green and blue, intended to reflect “the diversity and inclusion” of Howard County’s natural and human resources and a historically proud and future-oriented community, the description reads.
It notes that the golden circle represents the sun’s “boundless energy”; the blue represents “the optimism of endless skies,” hope, and the abundance of natural resources and waterways; and the green represents the preservation of the environment, with a nod to the county’s agricultural economy and “the promise of growing a culturally appreciative community.”

Tuesday’s decision was nearly 14 months in the making. The county established a flag commission in January 2024, and from there community members submitted more than 200 flag designs.
“When it comes to art, its meaning and beauty are in the eye of the beholder. The commission was selected to represent our community and is made up of people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences,” said Coleen West, chair of the flag commission.

The group reviewed each submission and deemed 184 were eligible for further consideration after assessing them according to the guidelines and rules.
After holding a public meeting last fall, the commission narrowed the number of finalists down to 10. Howard residents voted on 10 options from November until this past January. The commission then recommended three designs to Ball, who chose Paradiso’s design.
“I want each of our commission members to know how incredibly grateful I am for your contributions, your time and your talent,” Ball said.
Pending County Council approval, the new flag will be raised in a couple months, according to Brian Shepter, a deputy chief of staff to Ball. It will replace the current county flag, which dates back to Sept. 19, 1968.

The current flag includes a red-and-white design that incorporates part of the Maryland flag, with a sheaf of wheat in gold in one window and a green outline of the county set in a triangle of gold in the other. That design was picked from among 40 entries.
“After 56 years,” Ball said Tuesday, “the time has come to update and modernize Howard County’s flag design to align to our realities, our present values and our future.”
Paradiso received an $1,500 honorarium for her winning entry. The other two finalists were Jennifer Murphy and Paul Burke, who each got an honorarium of $1,000 for their work. All top 10 finalists were recognized Tuesday afternoon.

Previous flag

image by Steve Kramer, 10 May 1996

Its flag was designed by Mrs. Jean O. Hannon, who won a design contest sponsored by the Central Maryland News. It adds two symbols to the Crossland Banner of Maryland: a sheaf of wheat in the first quarter, to represent the county's agricultural heritage (specifically the Ellicotts and the Carrolls of Howard County, founding families who made wheat the county's staple crop rather than tobacco), and the county's silhouette in green in the fourth quarter, ringed with a golden triangle, symbolizing the county's 'unique position in future development of the Eastern seaboard.'

It was first raised over Ellicott City on 19 September 1968.

Steve Kramer, 10 May 1996

History of Howard County

The area almost directly between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., was established in 1650 -- but as part of Anne Arundel County. It later became the Howard District (after local statesman John Eager Howard), gaining its own seal in 1840, and becoming a full-fledged separate county in 1851.
Steve Kramer, 10 May 1996

County seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 8 July 2018

Image obtained from msa.maryland.gov
Paul Bassinson, 8 July 2018

Sheriff's office

image located by Paul Bassinson, 8 May 2021

Image of the flag of the Howard County Sheriff’s Office obtained from https://www.facebook.com/HCSheriff/photos/2835885646670746
Paul Bassinson, 8 May 2021