Yes. Utah still observes daylight saving time in 2026, following the same federal schedule as most of the country. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026, and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.1KSL.com. Everything You Need to Know About Utah’s Daylight Saving Time
When Clocks Change in Utah in 2026
Utah sits in the Mountain Time Zone and follows the federal schedule set by the Uniform Time Act: the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 260a – Advancement of Time or Changeover Dates
In 2026, daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 a.m., when clocks jump ahead to 3:00 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. It ends Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 a.m., when clocks fall back to 1:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.1KSL.com. Everything You Need to Know About Utah’s Daylight Saving Time Set your clocks before bed Saturday night either way.
Why Utah Still Changes Clocks
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 gives states only two legal choices. A state can observe DST on the federal schedule, or it can opt out entirely and stay on standard time year-round. A state cannot adopt permanent daylight saving time on its own.3US Department of Transportation. Uniform Time The statute allows a state to exempt itself from the spring-forward provision only if the whole state (or an entire time zone within it) reverts to standard time.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 260a – Advancement of Time or Changeover Dates Arizona and Hawaii have used that opt-out to stay on standard time permanently. No state has been able to lock in permanent daylight time.
Utah lawmakers have tried twice to get off the clock-change cycle and come up short both times. In 2020, the legislature passed Senate Bill 59, which would place Utah on year-round Mountain Daylight Time, but only if Congress first authorizes permanent DST and at least four other western states pass similar legislation.4Utah Legislature. SB0059 – Daylight Saving Time Amendments Neither condition has been met, so the law sits dormant.
In 2025, House Bill 120 took the opposite approach and proposed permanent Mountain Standard Time starting January 1, 2026, with an automatic switch to permanent daylight time if Congress ever authorizes it. HB 120 passed the House but was tabled by the Senate Business and Labor Committee on February 19, 2025, which killed it for the session.5Utah Legislature. HB 120 Time Change Amendments The underlying disagreement is which permanent time to pick: standard time means earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets year-round, while daylight time means later sunsets but darker winter mornings.
Crossing State Lines During DST
Utah’s DST observance creates a time patchwork for anyone traveling south. Arizona does not observe daylight saving time and stays on Mountain Standard Time all year. From March through November, Utah is one hour ahead of Arizona. In the winter, both states are on the same time.
The Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, does observe DST so its communities stay synchronized across all three states.6Office of the Navajo Nation President. Navajo Nation Spring Forward – Daylight Savings Times The Hopi Reservation, landlocked within the Navajo Nation in Arizona, does not. During summer months, driving south from Utah into the Navajo Nation keeps you on the same time, crossing into the Hopi Reservation means setting your clock back an hour, and re-entering the Navajo Nation on the other side means setting it forward again.
What Could Change This
The main federal vehicle for ending clock changes is the Sunshine Protection Act. The Senate unanimously passed a version in March 2022, but the House never voted on it. Senator Marco Rubio reintroduced the bill in 2025 as S.29.7Congress.gov. S.29 – Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 If it becomes law, it would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, and Utah’s dormant SB59 trigger would activate automatically. As of mid-2026, the bill has not advanced to a vote in either chamber.
Until Congress acts or Utah lawmakers settle on which permanent time to adopt, expect the clock change to continue every March and November.