No, Colorado is not getting rid of daylight saving time yet. The legislature passed a law in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, but it sits dormant on the books because two conditions written into the law haven’t been met: Congress hasn’t changed federal law to allow it, and not enough neighboring Mountain Time Zone states have passed matching legislation. Until both happen, Colorado clocks keep springing forward in March and falling back in November.
What Colorado’s 2022 Law Says
Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 22-1297 on June 2, 2022. The law designates daylight saving time, coordinated universal time minus six hours, as Colorado’s year-round standard time. In practice, that would eliminate the November switch to Mountain Standard Time and keep the state on its summer schedule permanently.1Colorado General Assembly. HB22-1297 Daylight Saving Time Year Round
But the law does not activate on its own. It contains two built-in triggers. First, Congress must amend federal law to let states observe daylight saving time year-round. Second, at least four other Mountain Time Zone states must enact similar legislation making daylight saving time their permanent standard.1Colorado General Assembly. HB22-1297 Daylight Saving Time Year Round
Neither has happened.
Why Colorado Can’t Just Do This on Its Own
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 controls how states observe time. Under 15 U.S.C. § 260a, clocks advance on the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November. A state can opt out of that advancement and stay on standard time year-round, but no state can unilaterally adopt permanent daylight saving time. Congress reserved that power to itself, and federal law supersedes any state law that sets a different advancement schedule.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 260a Advancement of Time or Changeover Dates
The U.S. Department of Transportation, which administers time zone rules, states plainly that states do not have the authority to choose permanent daylight saving time.3US Department of Transportation. Uniform Time That is why Colorado’s law, along with similar laws in roughly 19 other states, remains inactive.
Where the Federal Bill Stands
The main federal vehicle is the Sunshine Protection Act. The U.S. Senate passed it by unanimous consent in March 2022, which would have made daylight saving time permanent nationwide starting in November 2023.4Senator Patty Murray. Senator Murray Reintroduces Bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act Alongside Rick Scott to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent and Lock the Clock The bill never received a House vote. The House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman at the time said members were split between permanent daylight saving time, permanent standard time, and no change at all.
The bill was reintroduced as H.R. 139 in January 2025 and referred back to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As of early 2026 there has been no further action.5Congress.gov. H.R.139 – 119th Congress (2025-2026) Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 Permanent DST has cleared the Senate once and stalled in the House repeatedly.
Where the Neighboring States Stand
Colorado’s law also requires four other Mountain Time Zone states to pass matching legislation. Three have:
- Utah signed SB 59 into law in March 2020, making Mountain Daylight Time permanent if Congress allows it and at least four other western states do the same.6Utah Legislature. S.B. 59 Daylight Saving Time Amendments
- Wyoming passed HB 44 in 2020, adopting year-round daylight saving time contingent on federal authorization and three nearby states enacting similar laws.7Wyoming Legislature. Bill Summary HB0044
- Montana enacted SB 254 in 2021, with triggers requiring federal approval and at least three other western states to follow.8Montana State Legislature. Topic Primer Daylight Savings Time
That leaves Colorado one state short. Idaho passed legislation in 2021 covering its northern portion, which sits in the Pacific Time Zone. Other Mountain Time Zone states such as New Mexico and Nebraska have considered bills without enacting them. Each state’s law also carries its own trigger language, and those triggers don’t always list the same neighboring states, which makes regional coordination harder than it might look on a map.
The One Change Colorado Could Make Without Congress
Federal law gives every state a second option it can exercise on its own: drop daylight saving time and stay on standard time year-round. Colorado could sit on Mountain Standard Time, UTC minus seven hours, through the entire year and eliminate the clock change without a single vote in Congress.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 260a Advancement of Time or Changeover Dates Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii have done this for decades.
The tradeoff is the mirror image of permanent DST. Mornings would be brighter year-round, but summer evenings would arrive an hour earlier than Coloradans are used to, and the state would fall an hour behind its neighbors during the months they observe daylight saving time.
Colorado has considered this route. HB 17-1118, introduced in 2017, would have exempted the state from daylight saving time entirely.9Colorado General Assembly. HB17-1118 Exempt State From Daylight Saving Time It did not advance. An earlier permanent-DST bill, Senate Bill 20-105, included only the federal trigger and not the neighboring-state requirement, and it also failed to become law.10Colorado General Assembly. SB20-105 Daylight Saving Time Observed Year Round The legislature has consistently preferred permanent daylight saving time over permanent standard time, so the unilateral option, while legally available, has not gained traction.
What to Expect in the Meantime
For now, Colorado clocks will keep changing. The state has done what it can by passing HB 22-1297, but both triggers remain unmet. Federal legislation has stalled in the House despite passing the Senate in 2022, and the 2025 reintroduction shows no signs of moving. Three Mountain Time Zone neighbors have matching laws on the books, but Colorado needs four. Until Congress acts and one more neighboring state follows through, expect to keep springing forward in March and falling back in November.1Colorado General Assembly. HB22-1297 Daylight Saving Time Year Round