Which US states do not observe Daylight Saving Time?

For over 100 years, daylight saving has been a practice in most of the United States. Twice a year, the majority of the country switches its clock forward and backward to take advantage of the extended hours of sunlight during the summer months. According to its advocates, it helps save energy and reduces crime and road accidents. Its detractors say that it takes a toll on people’s health that the advantages cannot overcome.

Legislation has been introduced across the country and at the federal level, like the Sunshine Protection Act, to end the practice of adjusting clocks twice a year. However, some states don’t bother switching the biannual hour back and forth each year.

Which US states are not changing their clocks?

Those living in states participating in daylight savings time (DST) will set their clocks back an hour on Sunday, November 3.

However, residents of Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa will not participate.

Arizona experimented with the change beginning in 1918 but decided to opt out of DST permanently in 1968. Although the state observes Standard Time, the Navajo Nation, a Native American territory in the northeast of the state that also crosses over into New Mexico and Utah, does make the twice-a-year time shift.

Hawaii is the only other state in the US that does not observe Daylight Saving Time. Similarly, the US Pacific and Caribbean Sea territories also do not follow this practice. These regions are located close to the equator, which results in no significant difference in sunrise and sunset times throughout the year. Therefore, there are no noticeable benefits from changing the clocks an hour forward or backward.

States call for time change but not as expected

The semi-annual time change can be a nuisance for some, prompting demands to abolish Daylight Saving Time or to implement it permanently. Currently, 29 states have proposed laws to end the bi-annual switch, with 19 having already passed laws as of October 2022 to implement year-round Daylight Saving Time.

Those states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, are “Colorado and Kentucky (resolution) (2022), Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana (2021). Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio (resolution), South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming (2020). Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington (2019). Florida (2018)”.

California voters authorized doing so in 2018, but legislative action is pending. “Other states have commissioned studies on the topic, including Massachusetts (2017) and Maine (2021),” NCSL explains.

Several states are proposing legislation regarding Daylight Savings and Standard Time. In Nebraska, the legislation will only take effect if one of its neighboring states also passes the same legislation. In New Mexico, two bills are being considered to make either Daylight Savings or Standard Time permanent. Meanwhile, lawmakers in the Texas House overwhelmingly approved keeping year-round DST but the legislation stalled in the Texas Senate. Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia had introduced similar legislation, but it failed to pass.

Since 1966, the Department of Transportation has the power to change time zones, and such a change would require Congressional approval. However, if a state decides to stick to Standard Time throughout the year, it won’t need to seek the federal government’s permission.

How does Daylight Saving Time work?

Most Americans adjust their clocks for Daylight Saving Time twice a year, on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. The transition is always executed on a weekend at 2:00 a.m. to minimize disruption.