Arizona Time Zone Map
Mountain Time with no DST (Navajo Nation observes MDT).
Time zones in Arizona
| Zone | IANA | Standard | Daylight | Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Time (no DST) | America/Phoenix | UTC−7 | — (no DST) | MST |
| Mountain Time | America/Denver | UTC−7 | UTC−6 | MST / MDT |
Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) all year, so in summer it runs the same clock as Pacific Time. The exception is the Navajo Nation in the northeast, which observes daylight saving time like Utah and New Mexico. The Hopi Reservation, surrounded by the Navajo Nation, follows the rest of Arizona and does not — so in summer a drive through northeastern Arizona can change the clock more than once.
Frequently asked questions
Does Arizona observe daylight saving time?
No — Arizona stays on MST (UTC−7) year-round, except the Navajo Nation, which observes MDT in summer. So from March to November, Phoenix is on the same clock as Los Angeles.
What time zone is Phoenix in?
Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) year-round, IANA zone America/Phoenix. In winter Phoenix is one hour ahead of Los Angeles; in summer they’re the same.
Why doesn’t Arizona use daylight saving time?
Arizona tried daylight saving time in 1967 and the legislature exempted the state from 1968 on, using the option the federal Uniform Time Act gives states. In a hot desert climate, an extra hour of evening sun is unwelcome.
Sources: zone boundaries from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s time zone regulations (49 CFR Part 71); offsets and daylight saving rules from the IANA time zone database. See Data Sources for how this site uses them.