Arms were often granted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire (and their constituent countries, Austria and Hungary) and Republic of Venice when Croatia was occupied by their forces.

[1] Although largely unregulated, there are bodies such as the Croatian Heraldic and Vexillologic Association in Croatia.

The main coat of arms is a checkerboard (chequy) that consists of 13 red and 12 silver (white) fields.

In Hungarian-inspired Croatian heraldry, a common charge was the bloodied head of a Turk, this being a reference to various invasions of the area by the Ottoman Empire.

[2] Article 9 of the Law on local self-government and administration says: The municipality, town and county can, with approval of the central state administration body that is competent for local self-government matters, have its coat-of-arms and its flag.