Tennessee time zone and daylight saving time

Central and Eastern Time Next clock change: Nov 1

Nashville, UTC−5Sunrise 7:07 a.m. · Sunset 5:54 p.m. · 10 h 47 min of daylight

Tennessee at a glance

Time zone
Central; Eastern (east)
Daylight saving time
Observed. UTC−5 in summer, UTC−6 in winter (Central Time areas).
Upcoming clock changes
  • Sunday, November 1, 2026: clocks fall back
  • Sunday, March 14, 2027: clocks spring forward
  • Sunday, November 7, 2027: clocks fall back
  • Sunday, March 12, 2028: clocks spring forward
Each change happens at 2:00 a.m. local time.
Permanent daylight time law
Enacted in 2019. It needs federal approval before it can take effect.

Tennessee is split between two time zones: Middle and West Tennessee, including Nashville and Memphis, use Central Time, and 30 counties in East Tennessee use Eastern Time. The whole state observes daylight saving time.

Which parts of Tennessee use which time

Eastern Time: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union and Washington counties. These include Knoxville, Chattanooga, Johnson City and Kingsport.

Central Time: the rest of the state, including Nashville, Memphis and Clarksville.

Time zones in bordering states

Tennessee borders eight states. Most of its borders match whichever zone they meet, with two exceptions.

Select a state on the map to see its time zone details.

Time zone map of Tennessee and surrounding states. Each state is a link to its page.Counties are shaded by time zone. Hatched counties are split between two zones; dotted areas do not observe daylight saving time.AlabamaGeorgiaIndianaNorth CarolinaMissouriWest VirginiaIllinoisArkansasKentuckyMississippiOhioVirginiaSouth CarolinaLouisiana

Current time in each zone

  • Eastern
  • Central
  • Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri: same time; they share Central Time with Middle and West Tennessee.
  • Virginia and North Carolina: same time; they share Eastern Time with East Tennessee.
  • Kentucky: same time along almost the entire border. The exception is where Pickett County, Tennessee (Central) meets Wayne County, Kentucky (Eastern), 1 hour apart.
  • Georgia: same time around Chattanooga, which uses Eastern Time. Farther west, Marion County, Tennessee uses Central Time and is 1 hour behind Georgia.

What permanent time would mean for Tennessee

Ending clock changes would mean keeping one time all year: either permanent daylight time or permanent standard time. Here’s how each would shift sunrise and sunset in Nashville.

Permanent daylight time

Later winter mornings

7:54 a.m.

Sunrise on the shortest day, December 21 (now 6:54 a.m.).

Winter sunset: 5:36 p.m. (now 4:36 p.m.).

Permanent standard time

Earlier summer evenings

7:08 p.m.

Sunset on the longest day, June 21 (now 8:08 p.m.).

Summer sunrise: 4:30 a.m. (now 5:30 a.m.).

Times for Nashville, calculated for 2026. Actual sunrise and sunset can differ by a few minutes with terrain and weather.

Tennessee and permanent daylight time

In 2019, Tennessee enacted a law to observe daylight saving time year-round (Senate Bill 1100 and House Bill 247, signed by Governor Bill Lee). It takes effect only if Congress allows states to adopt permanent daylight time; until then, Tennessee keeps changing its clocks. Tennessee is among the 19 states the Congressional Research Service lists as having enacted such a law.

Lawmakers have also considered the opposite approach: in 2026, a bill to keep standard time year-round instead (House Bill 1300) was introduced.

The U.S. House passed the federal Sunshine Protection Act in July 2026, and it is now with the Senate.

Common questions

What time zone is Tennessee in?

Both. Middle and West Tennessee, including Nashville and Memphis, use Central Time; East Tennessee, including Knoxville and Chattanooga, uses Eastern Time.

Is Chattanooga on Eastern Time?

Yes. Hamilton County, home to Chattanooga, uses Eastern Time.

Didn’t Tennessee pass a law to stop changing clocks?

Tennessee passed a law in 2019 to observe daylight saving time year-round, but it takes effect only if Congress allows it. Until then, clocks keep changing.

Sources: U.S. Department of Transportation (49 CFR Part 71); Congressional Research Service; Congress.gov.

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