The Arizona time zone is the Mountain Standard Time (MST) zone. Other states included in this time zone are Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.
The Mountain Standard Time zone is 7 hours behind UTC (Universal Time, Coordinated).
Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time (March through November). We do not "spring Forward" in Phoenix -- we always stay on Mountain Standard Time. During Daylight Saving Time (DST) most of Arizona is at the same time as California (Pacific Daylight Time or PDT).
On the first Sunday in November, when DST ends, most everyone else in the country "falls back" or sets their clock back one hour. We do not. From that first Sunday in November through the second Sunday in March we are one hour ahead of those states on Pacific Standard Time, like California and Nevada; one hour behind states in the Central Time zone, such as Texas and Illinois; and only two hours behind those states on Eastern Time, such as New York and Florida.
The only exception in Arizona is the Navajo Nation, in northeastern Arizona, which does observe Daylight Saving Time.
You might ask, isn't the changing of the clocks a federal law? The answer is that although Daylight Saving Time was established by federal law in 1986, a state or area may choose not to observe it. Other areas in the U.S. that don't observe Daylight Saving Time are Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands. In Arizona, we just don't need another hour of sunlight!
Final tip: It is NOT Daylight Savings time--there's no "s" after Saving. It's Daylight Saving Time, singular.
See what time it is in Arizona right now.
