Minnesota's Capitol complex has 120 state flags that will be replaced with new design in May

The Department of Administration has counted 120 flags in nearly two dozen buildings around the Minnesota State Capitol complex, all of which will have to come down in less than two months as the state raises its new flag for the first time.

At the start of the year, the state spent several weeks taking an inventory of all the state flags and seals, both indoors and outdoors, in 23 buildings used by the government. There are also 71 versions of the current seal in 10 buildings located in the Capitol complex.

Lowering flags will be simpler than removing some versions of the state's seal around the Capitol, which are affixed to everything from podiums and floors to etched into door handles. State law differentiates between permanently affixed seals and those on expendable material.

"The seals are in a variety of different materials varying from bronze, decals, paint, metal, and plastic," said Department of Administration spokesman Curt Yoakum. "We will work with the Historical Society on the most appropriate solution for seals that are incorporated into historic art in the Capitol and Judicial Center."

This count doesn't include flags used in local government buildings, schools and private homes. Some local governments have said they're concerned about the cost of replacing the seal on law enforcement uniforms and in their buildings. Legislative Republicans have introduced a bill that would help cover some of those costs.

The DFL-led House and Senate passed the legislation last session to create a commission to redesign the flag and the seal after decades of criticism that the imagery on both was racially insensitive. The state seal, which is at the center of the flag, shows a white settler plowing a field in the foreground while a Native American man on horseback rides into the sunset.

After months of debate and thousands of public submissions, the 13-member commission landed on a new flag design that features the shape of Minnesota, cast in a deep blue and topped with an eight-point star facing north. The stripped-down design also features a solid block of light blue to represent Minnesota's water. The new state seal prominently features a loon, the state bird, at its center with red eyes.

The changeover from the current flags and seal will happen at the Capitol on Statehood Day, which is May 11.

Here's an inventory of how many state seals there are in state buildings:

The Department Administration building - 4

The Minnesota Capitol - 9

The Centennial building - 13

The Freeman building - 1

The Judicial Center - 4

The state Senate building - 8

The Stassen building - 18

The State Office Building = 8

The Department of Transportation building - 2

The state Veterans building - 4