California Laws: Government Code Section 420
Section 420
The Bear Flag is the State Flag of California. As viewed with
the hoist end of the flag to the left of the observer there appears
in the upper left-hand corner of a white field a five-pointed red
star with one point vertically upward and in the middle of the white
field a brown grizzly bear walking toward the left with all four paws
on a green grass plot, with head and eye turned slightly toward the
observer; a red stripe forms the length of the flag at the bottom,
and between the grass plot and the red stripe appear the words
CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC.
Dimensions, excluding heading and unfinished flag ends: The hoist
or flag width is two-thirds of the fly or flag length; the red
stripe width is one-sixth of the hoist width. The state official
flag hoist widths shall be two, three, four, five, six and eight
feet. The diameter of an imaginary circle passing through the points
of the star is one-tenth of the fly length; the distance of the star
center from the hoist end is one-sixth of the fly length and the
distance from the star center to the top of the flag is four-fifths
of the star-center distance from the hoist end. The length of the
bear diagonally from the nose tip to the rear of right hind paw is
two-thirds of the hoist width; the height of the bear from shoulder
tip vertically to a line touching the bottoms of the front paws is
one-half the length of the bear; the location of the bear in the
white field is such that the center of the eye is midway between the
top and bottom of the white field and the midpoint of the bear's
length is midway between the fly ends. The grass plot in length is
eleven-twelfths of the hoist width and the plot ends are equidistant
from the fly ends; the average width of the plot between the rear of
the left front paw and the front of the right rear paw is one-tenth
of the grass plot length. The height of the condensed gothic
letters, as shown on the representation, is one-half of the red
stripe width and they occupy a lineal space of two-thirds of the fly
length with the beginning and ending letters of the words equidistant
from the fly ends.
Colors: The following color references are those of the Textile
Color Card Association of the United States, Inc., New York; the
colors on the flag are to be substantially the same as these color
references. White--of the white field, front of bear's eye, and on
the bear's claws is White, cable number 70001. Red--of the red
stripe, the star, and the bear's tongue is Old Glory, cable number
70180. Green--of the grass plot is Irish Green, cable number 70168.
Brown--of the bear is Maple Sugar, cable number 70129. Dark
brown--of the bear outline, paws, shading, fur undulations, iris of
the eye, the 12 grass tufts in the grass plot, and the letters is
Seal, cable number 70108.
The general design and the details of the Bear Flag, excluding
colors, shall correspond substantially with the following
representation:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NOTICE OF INCOMPLETE TEXT: The Bear Flag appears in the
hard-copy publication of the chaptered bill.
See Chapter 1140, page 2639, Statutes of 1953.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This shall be the official State Flag of all state, county, city
and town agencies. The flags now issued or in use shall continue in
service until replacement is required.
Section: 420
