# Arizona Time Zone: Why Most of Arizona Skips Daylight Saving

> Arizona stays on MST (UTC−7) all year, matching Denver in winter and Los Angeles in summer. Why, the Navajo Nation exception, and meeting tips.
>
> Markdown version of https://wherora.com/guides/arizona-time-zone/ for AI agents and assistants. Live clocks and interactive tools need JavaScript: open the page in a browser to use them.

GUIDES · TIME ZONES

# Arizona time zone: why most of Arizona skips daylight saving

Updated November 1, 2026

## Quick answer

Arizona uses **Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−7) all year** and doesn’t change its clocks. In winter, Phoenix has the same time as Denver; in summer, when the rest of the Mountain zone moves to UTC−6, Phoenix has the same time as [Los Angeles](https://wherora.com/time/los-angeles/). The exception is the **Navajo Nation** in the northeast, which does use daylight saving time.

## Arizona compared with other US cities

Because Arizona stays put while most of the US changes its clocks, the difference between Arizona and the rest of the country changes twice a year.

| Compared with | Winter (November–March) | Summer (March–November) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Los Angeles](https://wherora.com/time/los-angeles/) | Phoenix is 1 hour ahead | Same time |
| Denver | Same time | Phoenix is 1 hour behind |
| [Chicago](https://wherora.com/time/chicago/) | Phoenix is 1 hour behind | Phoenix is 2 hours behind |
| [New York](https://wherora.com/time/new-york/) | Phoenix is 2 hours behind | Phoenix is 3 hours behind |

The rest of the US changes its clocks on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. Arizona’s clocks don’t move on either date.

## Why Arizona doesn’t change its clocks

Arizona tried daylight saving time in 1967, the first year the federal Uniform Time Act applied, and repealed it by state law in 1968. The usual explanation is the climate: in a desert summer, an extra hour of evening sun means more heat and more air conditioning, not more pleasant evenings. Hawaii is the only other US state that stays on standard time all year.

## The Navajo Nation and Hopi exceptions

The **Navajo Nation**, which covers much of northeastern Arizona and extends into New Mexico and Utah, does observe daylight saving time, so its clocks match Utah and New Mexico all year. In summer it’s an hour ahead of Phoenix (UTC−6).

The **Hopi Reservation**, which is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, follows Arizona and stays on MST. In summer, a drive across northeastern Arizona can cross several clock changes.

## What it means for meetings

If you have a regular call with someone in Arizona, it moves twice a year for everyone except them. A 9 AM call set in Phoenix is 11 AM in New York in winter and noon in summer. Put the Arizona time in the invite, or use a calendar app that understands time zones; don’t write “MT” or “Mountain Time”, which is ambiguous in summer.

On phones and computers, the Arizona time zone is called `America/Phoenix`. The Navajo Nation uses `America/Denver`.

## Common questions

### Does Arizona change its clocks?

No. Most of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) all year. The Navajo Nation in the northeast is the exception: it moves its clocks forward in March and back in November like the rest of the US.

### Is Arizona on Pacific time in the summer?

Not officially. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time, but in summer that’s the same clock time as Pacific Daylight Time, so Phoenix and Los Angeles show the same time from March to November.

### What time zone is Phoenix in?

Phoenix is on Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−7) all year, with no daylight saving time. On computers and phones the zone is called America/Phoenix.

## Check Arizona time

Compare Phoenix with your own cities in the [time converter](https://wherora.com/convert/?cities=phoenix,los-angeles,denver), which applies each place’s rules for the date you pick.

[Phoenix, Los Angeles and Denver side by side →](https://wherora.com/convert/?cities=phoenix,los-angeles,denver)[Guide: time zone abbreviations explained →](https://wherora.com/guides/time-zone-abbreviations/)[Guide: clock change dates →](https://wherora.com/guides/daylight-saving-time-dates/)[All WherOra guides →](https://wherora.com/guides/)

## Sources

- [IANA time zone database: North America (Arizona and Navajo Nation notes)](https://data.iana.org/time-zones/tzdb/northamerica)
- [FOX 10 Phoenix: Why Arizona (mostly) doesn’t spring forward and fall back](https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/daylight-saving-time-why-arizona-mostly-does-not-spring-forward-and-fall-back)

## Compare city pairs

[See shared working hours for all pairs →](https://wherora.com/compare/)

North America ↔ Europe

- [New York–London](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-london/)
- [Chicago–London](https://wherora.com/compare/chicago-london/)
- [Toronto–London](https://wherora.com/compare/toronto-london/)
- [Dallas–London](https://wherora.com/compare/dallas-london/)
- [New York–Berlin](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-berlin/)

North America ↔ Asia & Pacific

- [New York–Tokyo](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-tokyo/)
- [New York–Manila](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-manila/)
- [New York–Mumbai](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-mumbai/)
- [New York–Sydney](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-sydney/)
- [Los Angeles–Tokyo](https://wherora.com/compare/los-angeles-tokyo/)
- [Los Angeles–Manila](https://wherora.com/compare/los-angeles-manila/)
- [Chicago–Manila](https://wherora.com/compare/chicago-manila/)
- [Toronto–Manila](https://wherora.com/compare/toronto-manila/)
- [San Francisco–Mumbai](https://wherora.com/compare/san-francisco-mumbai/)
- [San Francisco–Bengaluru](https://wherora.com/compare/san-francisco-bengaluru/)

Europe ↔ Asia & Middle East

- [London–Dubai](https://wherora.com/compare/london-dubai/)
- [London–Singapore](https://wherora.com/compare/london-singapore/)
- [London–Tokyo](https://wherora.com/compare/london-tokyo/)

Close time zones

- [New York–Los Angeles](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-los-angeles/)
- [San Francisco–Austin](https://wherora.com/compare/san-francisco-austin/)
- [New York–Buenos Aires](https://wherora.com/compare/new-york-buenos-aires/)
- [Berlin–Lisbon](https://wherora.com/compare/berlin-lisbon/)
- [Singapore–Sydney](https://wherora.com/compare/singapore-sydney/)
- [Dubai–Mumbai](https://wherora.com/compare/dubai-mumbai/)

Badges show how far ahead or behind the second city is today.

---

Source: https://wherora.com/guides/arizona-time-zone/ · Site guide for agents: https://wherora.com/llms.txt · How times are calculated: https://wherora.com/about/methodology/