Current time in Washington DC
Eastern Time UTC−5 · one zone across the district
Washington DC's time zone
Washington DC — a federal district rather than a state — observes Eastern Time: EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. The district covers only 68 square miles, and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs naturally share the same clock.
As the seat of the federal government, DC gives Eastern Time outsized weight in national life: congressional sessions, Supreme Court arguments, Federal Reserve announcements, and White House schedules are all published in ET. The US Naval Observatory, on Massachusetts Avenue in the district, keeps the master clock that — together with NIST — defines official US time.
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 |
|---|---|
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 |
| IANA zone | America/New_York |
| vs Chicago | −1 h |
| vs Denver | −2 h |
| vs Los Angeles | −3 h |
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Washington DC in?
The district is on Eastern Time — EST (UTC−5) in winter, EDT (UTC−4) in summer — the same zone as New York, Baltimore, and its own Virginia and Maryland suburbs.
What is the time difference between Washington DC and Los Angeles?
DC is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles year-round: noon in the capital is 9:00 AM in LA. Full chart: EST to PST.
Does Washington DC observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks go forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November. Dates through 2030: DST page.