Pacific Time Zone (PT)
The Pacific Time Zone (PT) is the West Coast zone, covering California, Washington, most of Oregon and Nevada, and the northern panhandle of Idaho. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Las Vegas keep Pacific Time. It is the westernmost of the four contiguous-US zones; Alaska and Hawaii are further behind.
| General abbreviation | PT |
|---|---|
| Standard time | PST — Pacific Standard Time, UTC−8 |
| Daylight time | PDT — Pacific Daylight Time, UTC−7 (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November) |
| IANA identifier | America/Los_Angeles |
| Military letter | U (Uniform) for PST, T (Tango) for PDT |
States in the Pacific Time Zone
Entirely on Pacific Time
California and Washington.
Mostly or partly on Pacific Time
- Oregon — everything except most of Malheur County in the southeast, which is Mountain.
- Nevada — the whole state including Las Vegas and Reno, except West Wendover (Mountain) and a few small communities on the Idaho border that informally follow Mountain Time.
- Idaho — the northern panhandle and north-central Idaho (north of the Salmon River), including Coeur d'Alene, Moscow and Lewiston.
Major cities on Pacific Time
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Salem, Las Vegas, Reno, Coeur d'Alene and Lewiston. Boise, Idaho is not on Pacific Time — southern Idaho uses Mountain Time.
West Coast vs East Coast time
The Pacific and Eastern zones change clocks on the same dates, so the gap between them is a constant 3 hours. A 9:00 AM meeting in Los Angeles is noon in New York; a 5:00 PM close of business in New York is 2:00 PM in California. Arizona is the exception to keep in mind: in summer it shows the same time as California, in winter the same time as Denver.
Is Alaska on Pacific Time?
No. Almost all of Alaska, including Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau, uses Alaska Time, which is 1 hour behind Pacific Time all year. Southeast Alaska sits next to British Columbia geographically, but its clocks still follow Alaska Time. See the Alaska Time Zone page.
Pacific time compared with other US zones
The table shows what time it is elsewhere when it is 12:00 PM in the Pacific zone (Los Angeles). Differences change during daylight saving time because Arizona and Hawaii keep their clocks fixed. For any other time, use the time zone converter.
| Zone | Winter (Nov–Mar) | Difference | Summer (Mar–Nov) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (New York) | 3:00 PM | 3 h ahead | 3:00 PM | 3 h ahead |
| Central (Chicago) | 2:00 PM | 2 h ahead | 2:00 PM | 2 h ahead |
| Mountain (Denver) | 1:00 PM | 1 h ahead | 1:00 PM | 1 h ahead |
| Arizona (Phoenix) | 1:00 PM | 1 h ahead | 12:00 PM | same time |
| Alaska (Anchorage) | 11:00 AM | 1 h behind | 11:00 AM | 1 h behind |
| Hawaii (Honolulu) | 10:00 AM | 2 h behind | 9:00 AM | 3 h behind |
| UTC | 8:00 PM | 8 h ahead | 7:00 PM | 7 h ahead |
Right now in the other zones
Frequently asked questions
What is PST vs PDT?
PST (Pacific Standard Time) is UTC−8 and is used from early November to mid-March. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) is UTC−7 and is used during daylight saving time. PT covers both.
If it is 12:00 PM Eastern, what time is it on the West Coast?
It is 9:00 AM Pacific Time. The West Coast is always 3 hours behind the East Coast.
Is Las Vegas on Pacific Time?
Yes. Las Vegas and nearly all of Nevada use Pacific Time and observe daylight saving time.
Is Hawaii 2 or 3 hours behind California?
Hawaii is 2 hours behind California in winter and 3 hours behind during daylight saving time, because Hawaii does not change its clocks.
Related guides
- Mountain Time Zone, Alaska Time Zone and Hawaii Time Zone.
- Time zone converter & chart — convert any time between US zones for any date.
- US time zones by state — every state, including the thirteen split states.
- Daylight saving time — the second-Sunday-in-March / first-Sunday-in-November rule and its exceptions.
- Time zone abbreviations — ET vs EST vs EDT, and the rest.