It is a vertical bicolor triband of black and gold with the municipal coat of arms in the center.

[1] In tribute to the flag, all four professional athletic teams in Pittsburgh in the sports of baseball, football, hockey, and soccer are black and gold.

The flag is defined in the Code of Ordinances, City of Pittsburgh, Title I, Article I, Chapter 103, Section 3 as follows:[2] The phrase Benigno Numine was the motto of the Earl of Chatham.

[6] The crest of the city's coat of arms serves as a sort of mural crown, featuring an image of a fortress.

The Fraternal Order of Police, whose first lodge was founded in Pittsburgh, additionally features the city's coat of arms within its emblem.