If signed during DST (summer months), no further clock change occurs. If signed during standard time (winter months), one final spring-forward happens before the new regime begins.
State-level DST laws since 2018
| State | Year | Law type | Status |
|---|
| California | 2018 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Washington | 2019 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Oregon | 2019 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Florida | 2018 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Texas | 2021 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Colorado | 2020 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Tennessee | 2019 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
| Arkansas | 2021 | Permanent DST contingent on federal | Pending federal action |
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures DST tracker (2026). 18 states total have passed DST-related laws; most are contingent on federal action.
These state laws cannot take effect independently. They activate only when Congress passes a federal law authorizing permanent DST and only if neighboring states also opt in (in some cases).
States that stay on standard time
Hawaii and most of Arizona are the two states that do not currently observe DST.
Hawaii stays on Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (UTC-10) year-round by state law passed in 1967.
Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) year-round by state law passed in 1968. The Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, does observe DST to keep time alignment with the rest of the Navajo Nation territory.
The US territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa also stay on Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-4) year-round.
These areas are unaffected by the Sunshine Protection Act - the bill specifically allows them to continue opting out (US Department of Transportation, 2026).
Public opinion on permanent DST vs permanent standard time
A 2025 AP-NORC poll found that 56% of US adults prefer permanent DST (more evening light), while 40% prefer permanent standard time (more morning light). About 4% have no preference.
Public health groups have generally favored permanent standard time. The American Medical Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine have all endorsed ending the twice-yearly change by moving to standard time, citing circadian rhythm research.
The Sunshine Protection Act picks the opposite option - permanent DST. Medical groups argue morning darkness would worsen driver fatigue, increase school commute accidents, and disrupt children's sleep (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2026).
What changes in November 2026
Without federal action, the November 1, 2026 clock change happens as scheduled. Clocks fall back one hour at 2:00 AM local time.
The practical effects compound through December. Most US cities see sunrise between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM local time by mid-December, with sunset shifting to 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM.
Morning commutes stay darker in early November than they were at the end of October. But the sun is up by 7:00 AM for most school drop-offs and shift starts.
Retail and hospitality businesses report measurable effects on consumer behaviour. Shopping centres see foot traffic shift earlier in the day. Restaurants report earlier dinner service.
Healthcare scheduling - particularly elective procedures - tends to move earlier in the day. None of these are scientifically studied at scale, but operators consistently note the patterns.
Eastern states move from EDT (UTC-4) to EST (UTC-5). Central states move from CDT (UTC-5) to CST (UTC-6). Mountain states move from MDT (UTC-6) to MST (UTC-7). Pacific states move from PDT (UTC-7) to PST (UTC-8) (US Code of Federal Regulations, 2026).
Hawaii stays on UTC-10. Arizona (most) stays on UTC-7. The territories stay on UTC-4. Alaska and its zones shift accordingly.
What teams should watch
Three calendar events matter for engineering and operations teams in the next 60 days.
First, the November 1, 2026 clock change. Code that uses `Date.now()` and local-time timezone conversions should be tested for the fall-back edge case where 1:00-1:59 AM local repeats.
Most modern date libraries (Luxon, date-fns-tz, Temporal) handle this correctly. Legacy Java SimpleDateFormat and POSIX strftime `%s` can produce silent off-by-one-hour bugs.
Second, the Senate vote if it gets scheduled. A Senate floor vote would be high-news-volume and worth tracking for any team scheduling cron jobs or distributed-system maintenance windows.
Third, any state-level legislative movement. State laws activating contingent on federal action mean the legislative clock is running independently of the federal calendar.
Internal links
For the parallel UK clocks-back change on October 25, 2026, see our UK clocks go back October 2026 post.
For the Canada fall-back on November 1, 2026, see our Canada daylight saving ends November 2026 post.
For the broader US economic context that affects the bill timing, see our September Fed rate decision post.
Fazlur Rahman
