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Flag at Half Staff

Flag Status per Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Post Date:05/06/2026 11:55 am

Please review the following flag status and half-staff notifications for the Town of Dedham and entire Commonwealth, as ordered by the Governor of Massachusetts:

May 6, 2026

Please be advised that in accordance with 4 U.S.C. § 7(m), Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings beginning immediately today, Wednesday May 6, 2026, until sunset on the day of interment, in honor and remembrance of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kevin Trainor, who was killed in the line of duty today, Wednesday May 6, 2026.

This gubernatorial order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations

February 13, 2026

Please be advised that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Sunday February 15, 2026, the day of interment, in honor of United States Army Staff Sergeant Robert Russell Arnold of Boston, Massachusetts.

This gubernatorial order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2.  Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3.  All state military installations


January 7, 2026

Please be advised that in accordance with 4 U.S.C. § 7(m), Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings beginning immediately today, Wednesday January 7, 2026, until sunset on the day of interment (Thursday, January 15, 2026), in honor and remembrance of Uxbridge Police Officer Stephen LaPorta, who was killed in the line of duty today, Wednesday January 7, 2026.
This gubernatorial order applies to:
  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls


December 16, 2025

Please be advised that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Wednesday December 17, 2025, the day of interment, in honor of United States Navy Petty Officer Third Class Jaden Booker of Hanson, Massachusetts.

This gubernatorial order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations

December 7, 2025

Please be advised that in accordance with Public Law 103-308, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in honor of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  The United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag shall be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset.

This gubernatorial order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations

December 4, 2025

Please be advised that as a mark of respect for the memory of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, West Virginia Army National Guard, and in accordance with a Presidential Proclamation, Governor Maura T. Healey has ordered the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings today, until sunset on December 4, 2025.
 
This order should be observed concurrent with the current order for State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante. Flags should remain at half staff until sunset on December 4, 2025.
 
This gubernatorial order applies to:
  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations


November 28, 2025

Please be advised that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff from sunrise until sunset on Saturday, November 29, 2025, the day of interment, in honor of United States Army Specialist Steven S. Guzman, of Braintree, Massachusetts, who passed away on November 16, 2025.

This order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations

November 27, 2025

Please be advised that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has ordered that the United States of America flag and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings beginning immediately today, November 27, 2025, until sunset on the day of interment (December 4, 2025), in honor of the life and legacy, and in recognition of the passing, of State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante.

This order applies to:

  1. The main or administration building of each public institution of the Commonwealth, e.g. town and city halls
  2. Other state-owned or state-controlled buildings
  3. All state military installations

Information About Flag Protocol

Orders to fly flags at half-staff are issued by the Governor in accordance with Federal Law, 4 U.S.C. 7(m), and Massachusetts Law, G.L. c. 2, § 6A, and are carried out by the Superintendent. The Bureau of the State House notifies other state-managed facilities in Massachusetts of this decision.

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