ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today raised Howard County’s new flag outside the County’s George Howard Building in Ellicott City for the first time. The Howard County Council formally adopted the flag on May 5th with the passage of Council Bill 22-2025 and Ball signed the legislation into law on May 6th. Today’s ceremony included an honor guard comprised of Howard County Fire and Police Officers as well as Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) cadets from Atholton High School. Photos from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr website.
For more than 56 years, Howard County’s former flag flew high. While it served us well as a central symbol of our county, today, we welcome in a new flag, whose lasting design reflects our county’s vibrancy and diversity, is a perfect blend of our past, present, and future, and is an inspiration to all who live, work, and play here. As we mark the end of a two-year process with this flag raising, I’d like to take a moment to thank all who were involved along the way. From the members of our resident-led Howard County Flag Commission whose time, input, and recommendations led us through the process, to all who took the time to dream up and submit a new flag design for our county, and to our community members who shared their feedback and participated along the way, we sincerely thank you.
Designed by Ellicott City resident, Ms. Esen Paradiso, Howard County’s new flag features rich, arching lines of gold and white over a field of green and blue. The flag’s design reflects the diversity and inclusion of Howard County’s natural and human resources – an historically proud and future-oriented central Maryland community and represents an evolving agricultural past blended with an optimistic cultural, environmental, and economic future which is cosmopolitan, vibrant, and thriving.
According to Ms. Paradiso, the arch represents both the historical past of Howard County – the Thomas Viaduct in Elkridge, and its dynamic future – the Chrysalis in Downtown Columbia. The stripes represent Howard County’s historical and contemporary abundance of agricultural and natural resources. The golden circle represents the boundless energy of the sun empowering a diverse community with a view toward the horizon, a bright and optimistic future – and a primary color from the Maryland flag as a location anchor for Howard County. The blue represents the optimism of endless skies, the hope of a bright future, and the abundance of natural and recreational resources – lakes, rivers, and waterways. The green color represents the planned preservation and utilization of the natural environment, the continuing investment in a thriving agriculture economy, and the promise of growing a culturally appreciative community.
In March, Ball announced the selection of Ms. Paradiso’s design, from amongst three final designs recommended by the Howard County Flag Commission in its Final Report dated February 25, 2025. The recommendations were informed by a public vote on the top 10 designs chosen from the 184 eligible design submissions by the Commission in the fall. The Flag Commission was established by Executive Order in January 2024 and charged with conducting a public design process to create a new official Howard County flag.
Brief History of County’s Former Flag:
In 1968, Howard County's official flag was chosen from among 40 entries in a contest sponsored by The Central Maryland News. This winning entry was submitted by Howard County resident Jean O. Hannon, who described the flag as “a red and white design which incorporates part of the Maryland flag” and on the first quarterly, a sheaf of wheat in gold symbolizes the agricultural heritage of the county and in the fourth quarterly, a green outline of the county is set in a triangle of gold symbolizing the unique position of the county in the future development of the eastern seaboard. The flag was presented to the Howard County Commissioners on September 19, 1968, and was raised on the flagpole in front of the Court House by Commissioner Harry T. Murphy.
To learn more about the Flag Commission, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/flag.
Buying the new flag:
The County's new flag is now on sale both online and in person.
At this time, we have 4'x6' nylon flags with reinforced edges and 2 metal grommets. Price: $100.
- Online sales are available now here. Order online and receive your flag by mail. Additional charges for shipping and handling may apply.
- Customers may also visit the Department of Finance Cashier's Office at the George Howard Building - 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City - during regular business hours to purchase a new flag.