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Maricopa County, Arizona (U.S.)

image by Jens Pattke, 13 April 2005

Description of the flag
Seal
Previous flag
Sheriff's Office flag

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

Municipal flags in Maricopa County:

See also:

Description of the flag

The Maricopa County flag was created in 1954 by William D. Gunn, who was part of a local American Legion precision drill color guard that entered a national competition held in Miami, Florida. To qualify he needed national, state, county and post flags, but discovered the County did not have a flag. After researching state legislative requirements, Gunn, guard commander from William Bloys Post No. 2 in Tempe, contacted the board of supervisors and got their approval to hold a county flag contest. On November 9, 1954, a panel of judges, including Board Chairman James Hart and County Manager Tom Sullivan, reviewed 97 entries and selected the winning design, submitted by Michael J. Groves from Phoenix Technical High School. The design, adopted by the supervisors a week later, featured the words "Maricopa County" in red and "Arizona" in purple, encircled by 14 gold stars on an inner field of white, with a purple outer field. The official flag was commissioned from the lowest bidder at the cost of $270 for two six-foot flags.

The county is currently in the process of updating the county flag for the second time. Soon a newly designed county flag will be flying. Today the original Maricopa County flag, along with its historical documents, are housed in the Clerk of the Board archives.

The Maricopa County Flag History is described in the People's Court Chronicle, Volume 2/Issue 2

submitted by Dov Gutterman, 15 December 2002

Evidently there was indeed a new design adopted; the county website has a thumbnail of it at www.maricopa.gov/dist1/community.asp. Photos with partial views of it can be seen at www.maricopa.gov/pio/swearing_in/pages/Dsc00963.htm, www.maricopa.gov/pio/swearing_in/pages/Dsc00965.htm, and www.maricopa.gov/pio/swearing_in/pages/Dsc00966.htm. While details on the seal are not clear, at least we now have a general idea of the new design. A much clearer image of the seal is at www.maricopa.gov/mission/images/MAR-Seal-RGB_samp.gif.
Ned Smith, 13 April 2005

I was sent meeting minutes by the Clerk of the Board, which approve the flag of Maricopa County.

The flag of Maricopa County was approved on February 1, 1999. It was designed by county employees Robert Kussarow and Vince Murray.

Red, yellow, and blue are reflective of the colors in the flag of Arizona, of which Maricopa County belongs. The seal of Maricopa County is on the block of red, "symbolizing the striking beauty of the sunrises, sunsets, the desert flowers, and the energy and lifeblood commitment of so many citizens who have built, and continue to build, Maricopa County, safeguarding it for future generations.

The central golden band signifies the great abundance of what gives the Valley of the Sun its moniker. It also represents one of the first stimulants to local commerce – the gold mines of the Wickenburg area that brought settlers into the area and led to the creation of the original concept of a County called Maricopa. It symbolizes the continuing prosperity of Maricopa County, which truly is the “golden corridor” of economic growth for the State of Arizona.

The blue field represents the infinite blue skies that embrace the county 300 days a year and the waters of the rivers, lakes, and canals, which have made a desert lush with vegetation and ripe with recreation. It represents the dreams of all who have come here and those who have gone, leaving their mark for others to see.

On the blue field are five stars. These stars represent many things. They represent the five groups of Yuman speaking Native Americans that we call the Maricopa and for whom the county is named. They represent the five influxes of diversified peoples, Native Americans, Europeans, Mexicans, Americans, and the people of all other nationalities that have created a cultural dynamic in the Sonoran desert and for whom heritage and future are symbiotic. They represent the five supervisorial districts in which the county is divided and the 2.8 million people who call Maricopa County their home and on whose shoulders the future of Maricopa County rests."

Quoted is the presentation of the flag of Maricopa County by Supervisor Brewer.
Daniel Rentería, 1 February 2024

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 21 December 2017

Image source: gacc.nifc.gov
Paul Bassinson, 21 December 2017

Previous flag

image by Daniel Rentería, 25 January 2024

By resolution, the first flag was adopted officially on November 18, 1954. The construction sheet for the flag, the image of it given to me by the county clerk. Gutterman mentioned on the current page that there was a purple outer field, although exact colors are not known.
Daniel Rentería, 4 January 2024

Construction sheet

image located by Daniel Rentería, 4 January 2024

Sheriff's Office flag

image by Randy Young, 13 May 2015

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is a local law enforcement agency in Maricopa County, Arizona. The largest sheriff's office in Arizona, it not only provides law enforcement services for Maricopa County and the cities and towns within the county, but also operates the county jail system.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maricopa_County_Sheriff%27s_Office)

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office flag can be seen in the background of photographs online, particularly at
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2387174/Veteran-prison-officer-shot-dead-outside-Arizona-home-way-work.html. The flag features the sheriff's office's six-pointed star badge centered on a white field. Arched above the badge are the words "MARICOPA COUNTY" in brown capital letters, with the words "SHERIFF'S OFFICE" arched below the badge in similar letters. The badge itself shows the Arizona state seal at the center of the star, with the word "SHERIFF" on a banner above and the words "MARICOPA COUNTY" on a banner below.
Randy Young, 13 May 2015