Whether you can use a state logo depends entirely on what you plan to do with it. News reporting, classroom teaching, and authorized official work are generally fine. Almost anything that could make a reader think the state endorses your product, service, event, or organization is not, and the penalties for getting it wrong run from modest fines to years in federal prison. When your use falls outside the clearly permitted categories, you need written permission from the state, usually through the Secretary of State’s office.
Uses That Are Generally Allowed
The federal statutes that protect government seals aim at one specific harm: false impressions of government sponsorship. That leaves several categories of use intact.
News reporting is the clearest. A newspaper running a state seal next to a story about the governor is informing readers, not posing as the state. Educational use works the same way. A textbook or classroom slide showing a seal to explain how state government functions creates no confusion about endorsement. Official government business by authorized agencies is permitted by definition.
Political parody and satire sit in a harder space. The First Amendment protects expressive speech that references government symbols, so a cartoon that alters a state seal to make a critical point is generally protected. The line courts look at is whether the use reads as commentary or as a genuine imitation of an official communication. If a reasonable viewer could mistake your version for the real thing, the parody defense weakens fast.
Uses That Cross the Line
The core prohibition in both federal and state law is using a government seal or logo in a way that creates a false impression the government sponsors, endorses, or is affiliated with what you are doing.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 713 – Use of Likenesses of the Great Seal of the United States and Other Government Seals You do not have to say the words “endorsed by” to violate it. A state seal on your product packaging, website header, or marketing materials can be enough if a reasonable person might read an official connection into it.
Manufacturing or selling reproductions of protected insignia is a separate problem. Making, selling, or possessing a badge, identification card, or other official insignia designed for federal employees, including anything that is a “colorable imitation,” is illegal without authorization.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 701 – Official Badges, Identification Cards, Other Insignia You can be liable for the reproduction itself even if you never claim any government affiliation.
State laws add another layer. Every state restricts unauthorized use of its own seal and logo, and the specifics differ. Some states treat misuse as a misdemeanor with modest fines. Others classify counterfeiting the state seal as a felony carrying years in prison. Before using any state emblem for a purpose that isn’t clearly permitted, check that state’s government code or ask the Secretary of State’s office directly.
Penalties If You Get It Wrong
Federal exposure is heavier than most people expect. Displaying a likeness of the Great Seal or the seals of the President, Vice President, Senate, House, or Congress in a way that falsely suggests government sponsorship, whether in advertisements, publications, meetings, buildings, or stationery, carries up to six months in prison and a fine.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 713 – Use of Likenesses of the Great Seal of the United States and Other Government Seals At a six-month maximum, that is a Class A misdemeanor, and the fine for an individual can reach $100,000.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3571 – Sentence of Fine
The felony tier is more serious. Counterfeiting a department or agency seal carries up to five years in prison and a fine.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 506 – Seals of Departments or Agencies Wrongfully affixing a real government seal to a certificate, document, or other paper carries the same five-year maximum.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1017 – Government Seals Wrongfully Used and Instruments Wrongfully Sealed Individual fines for a felony conviction can reach $250,000.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 3571 – Sentence of Fine If the counterfeiting is done to help someone fraudulently obtain a federal benefit, the penalties double, pushing the imprisonment ceiling to 15 years.
State penalties layer on top of these and vary by jurisdiction.
How to Get Permission to Use a State Logo
When your use isn’t clearly a permitted category, get authorization in writing before you publish, print, or manufacture anything. The Secretary of State (called Secretary of the Commonwealth in some states) is generally the office that controls use of the seal and related emblems.
Start on that office’s website. Many states post a request form or list a contact for the communications office. If there’s no formal process online, a direct email or phone call to the Secretary of State’s office or the governor’s communications team will point you to the right person.
Be ready to provide your name, organization, and contact information, along with a specific description of how and where the logo will appear: print, digital, physical signage, and the surrounding content. A mock-up of the finished piece usually helps, because the reviewer is checking both graphic standards and whether the placement suggests endorsement. If you need a particular file type, say so. High-resolution vector files are the norm for professional printing, while a standard image file works for digital display.
Fees and turnaround vary. Some states charge nothing; others assess administrative fees. Give the process at least a few weeks, longer if legal review is involved. An approval typically comes as a letter setting out the terms and any restrictions on how the logo may appear.
Your Request May Become a Public Record
One point worth knowing before you send anything sensitive: the information in your request may be disclosable. The federal Freedom of Information Act reaches only federal executive-branch agencies, but every state has its own public records or open records law, and those generally make government records available on request. Your application, your project details, and the state’s response could all be released if someone asks. Privacy exemptions exist in most states but are narrower than people assume. If confidentiality matters, ask the office about its records policies before you submit.