In 1883, Las Vegas was a railway stop that got assigned to the Pacific Zone so trains could keep a single timetable. The clock has been shifted away from the sun’s highest point ever since. Today, solar noon arrives between roughly 11:40 a.m. and noon, not at 12:00.
Las Vegas operates on Pacific Time (PT). That means Pacific Standard Time (PST) from early November to mid-March and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) from mid-March to early November. The official IANA time zone identifier is America/Los_Angeles.
Las Vegas time zone at a glance
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| IANA zone | America/Los_Angeles |
| Winter time | Pacific Standard Time (PST), UTC−8 |
| Summer time | Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC−7 |
| DST starts | Second Sunday March at 2:00 a.m. local → 3:00 a.m. |
| DST ends | First Sunday November at 2:00 a.m. local → 1:00 a.m. |
| State law | Nevada Revised Statutes NRS 235.010-235.040 codify Pacific Time |
| Exceptions | West Wendover and Jackpot unofficially observe Mountain Time |
Pacific Standard Time (PST): UTC−8 explained
PST is the winter setting, running from the first Sunday in November until the second Sunday in March. Las Vegas sits at UTC−8. On 15 January 2026, here is how that looked against major cities:
- New York: 3 hours ahead
- London: 8 hours ahead
- Paris: 9 hours ahead
- Dubai: 12 hours ahead
- Mumbai: 13.5 hours ahead
- Singapore: 16 hours ahead
- Tokyo: 17 hours ahead
- Sydney: 19 hours ahead
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT): UTC−7 explained
PDT runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Las Vegas shifts to UTC−7. On 15 July 2026, the differences change for cities that also observe daylight time:
- New York: 3 hours ahead (both on daylight time)
- London: 8 hours ahead
- Paris: 9 hours ahead
- Dubai: 11 hours ahead (no DST)
- Mumbai:12.5 hours ahead
- Singapore:15 hours ahead
- Tokyo:16 hours ahead
- Sydney:17 hours ahead
The safe year-round term is Pacific Time (PT). Saying “PST” during summer is a common error.
The IANA time zone: America/Los_Angeles
The IANA database assigns the zone America/Los_Angeles to the entire state of Nevada. This zone covers all of Pacific Time in the United States and Canada: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Las Vegas.
Las Vegas coordinates: 36.175, -115.137, elevation 610 m, population 641,903 (GeoNames).
For the current time and full transition rules, see the America/Los_Angeles Time Zone page.
How Las Vegas got its time zone: railroad origins to today
Before 1883, towns used local mean time based on the sun. Railroads needed a single timetable. In 1883, North American railroads divided the continent into four zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. Las Vegas, then a small railway stop, was assigned to the Pacific Zone.
The Standard Time Act of 1918 made the system federal law. Nevada was placed entirely in the Pacific Time Zone. The act also introduced daylight saving time.
Nevada’s official time zone statutes
Nevada law is clear. NRS 235.010 through 235.040 codify the state’s observance of Pacific Time. The state has chosen to observe daylight saving time under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Multiple bills have proposed ending DST or switching to year-round daylight time, but none have passed.
The Arizona border anomaly: a DST boundary
Arizona does not observe daylight saving time (except the Navajo Nation). Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−7) year-round.
- Summer: Las Vegas (PDT, UTC−7) and Phoenix (MST, UTC−7) share the same clock time.
- Winter: Las Vegas (PST, UTC−8) is one hour behind Phoenix (MST, UTC−7).
That border is a DST boundary in winter. For a full comparison, see Las Vegas vs Phoenix Time.
Las Vegas time zone vs other U.S. zones
| City | Time zone | Winter offset from Las Vegas | Summer offset from Las Vegas |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Eastern | +3 hours | +3 hours |
| Chicago | Central | +2 hours | +2 hours |
| Denver | Mountain | +1 hour | +1 hour |
| Phoenix | Mountain (no DST) | +1 hour | 0 hours |
| Los Angeles | Pacific | 0 hours | 0 hours |
| Honolulu | Hawaii-Aleutian (no DST) | −2 hours | −3 hours |
Common misconceptions about the Las Vegas time zone
“Las Vegas is in Mountain Time.” No. Nevada is entirely Pacific Time except West Wendover and Jackpot, which unofficially follow Mountain Time.
“PST is the year-round time zone.” PST is winter only. From March to November, Las Vegas is on PDT (UTC−7).
“Las Vegas and Phoenix always have the same time.” Only in summer. In winter, Phoenix is one hour ahead.
“The Strip operates 24/7, so everything in Las Vegas is 24 hours.” Casinos and many Strip attractions run 24/7. Banks, post offices, DMV, and most government offices keep standard hours. See the Las Vegas Business Hours Guide.
“The Nevada-California border is a time zone change.” It is not. Primm, Nevada, is on Pacific Time, same as California.