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Placer County, California (U.S.)

image located by Valentin Poposki, 8 August 2019

Placer County
Description of the flag
Seal
Flag proposal
Former flag

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

Municipal flags in Placer County:

See also:

Counties of California
Municipal flags of California (index page)
California
States of the United States

External sites:
County website

Placer County

The Placer in Placer County is of the Gold Bearing variety. Placer County is one of the Gold Country counties running along the Sierra Nevadas.
Rich Hansen, 12 June 2000

From the county website: Placer County was home to the peaceful Nisenan Native Americans for hundreds of years before the discovery of gold in 1848 brought hordes of miners from around the world. Only three years after the discovery of gold, the fast-growing county was formed from portions of Sutter and Yuba counties on April 25, 1851 with Auburn as the county seat. Placer County took its name from the Spanish word for sand or gravel deposits containing gold. Miners washed away the gravel, leaving the heavier gold, in a process known as "placer mining."
Jarig Bakker, 12 June 2000

Description of the flag

Placer County has unveiled a new flag: https://www.rosevilletoday.com/news/auburn/placer-county-unveils-new-flag/
Dave Fowler, 16 January 2020

A newly redesigned county flag was officially unveiled during yesterday’s meeting of the Placer County Board of Supervisors. The redesign incorporates the popular branding and design elements of Placer County’s logo and color palette, which were adopted in 2015 and have become strongly associated with the region.

The county seal and year of incorporation are most prominent on the flag along with six stars, one for each incorporated municipality in the county. Swaths of Placer blue and green also add bold color to the flag representing the region’s abundant water and forested lands, which are home to numerous small towns throughout the unincorporated areas.

“Our previous flag, which was bright yellow and blue, was adopted in 1996 and its design drew heavily from our gold mining heritage,” said Board Chair Bonnie Gore. “We are pleased to bring forward a redesign using the blue and green which includes symbolism that represents all aspects of our beautiful Placer County. I am also proud of the inclusion of the six gold stars, which represent our cities and towns as we continue to build partnerships to work together in the best interest of our residents.”

Also featured is the famed Twin Peaks mountain, which runs along the Pacific Crest Trail on the edge of the Granite Chief Wilderness overlooking Lake Tahoe between Alpine Meadows and Homewood. These majestic mountain peaks are iconic in nature and are easily identifiable as Placer County mountains.

District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes initiated the redesign effort in early 2019, 25 years after the first flag was adopted. “Our vision was to develop a flag that represented the distinct nature of Placer County from its suburban centers to its forested lands, abundant lakes and rivers, and majestic mountain ranges,” said Holmes. “I believe we scored a home run on the design as it captures much of what we were hoping to convey.”

The county flag flies under the American flag and the California flag at three county facilities: the historic Auburn Courthouse, the Finance Administration Building and the Placer County Administrative Center.
located by Dave Fowler, 16 January 2020

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 27 December 2017

Image source: www.placer.ca.gov
Paul Bassinson, 27 December 2017

Proposed flag change

Placer County Board of Supervisors on June 25th 2019 discussed about the change of the County flag and two proposed designs. Here is the PDF document containing two proposals: https://www.placer.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/37546/11C

June 25, 2019
The first and current Placer County flag was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on December 3, 1996. Since that time, Placer County has undergone a comprehensive effort to re-brand its visual identity; primarily through the development of a County logo and related color and typography guidelines. The County logo, distinct from the official County seal, is protected by a registered trademark. Through its prevalent placement on County vehicles, buildings, community welcome signs, websites and other official communications since its adoption in October 2015, it has become a recognizable symbol, through its various forms, of both the place and government of Placer County.

image located by Valentin Poposki, 8 August 2019

The option "A" re-designed county flag incorporates the Placer County logo, year of incorporation, and a vibrant 'Placer green' swoosh to provide balance and a swatch of color across the flag's crisp white field. This new Placer County flag presents a consistent, unified image to our residents and businesses alike, helping them to easily identify and recognize all the wonderful services provided Placer County.

image located by Valentin Poposki, 8 August 2019

The option "B" re-designed county flag incorporates the historic Placer County seal, year of incorporation, and six stars representing each of the incorporated municipalities. The green and blue colors on the flag and the mountain background presents various portions of the county including water, agriculture, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. By incorporating the seal, this new Placer County flag presents a timeless symbol that is easily recognized by its citizens.
Valentin Poposki, 8 August 2019

Former flag

image by Dov Gutterman, 12 June 2000

According to an article by The Sacramento Bee, the former Placer County flag was made official after a five member committee was formed to create a Placer County flag to recommend to the county government. The flag of course depicts the county courthouse from 1898, the county's foundation date of 1851, the star as the county capital. The entire project was spearheaded by Bob Gieck of Rocklin, who was chairman of the committee. The other names are not known. In this government document, it says the flag was adopted by the Board of Supervisors on December 3, 1996.
Daniel Rentería, 29 September 2023