Sunita Somvanshi
US clocks fall back one hour on November 1, 2026, the first Sunday of November, as daylight saving time ends for most states. For years, Florida has expressed its preference for making daylight saving time permanent and eliminating the twice-yearly clock change — but a state-level preference is not enough to make that happen without an act of Congress.
Under the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, states in the US can opt out of daylight saving time and observe standard time year-round, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but they cannot unilaterally adopt permanent daylight saving time. Federal legislation is required. Florida passed a state-level Sunshine Protection Act in 2018 signalling support for permanent DST, but that law has no practical effect on when Florida residents change their clocks until Congress passes and the president signs a corresponding federal law. Several other states have passed similar preference measures. A federal Sunshine Protection Act has been introduced in Congress, including a version that passed the US Senate in March 2022, but no federal law making daylight saving time permanent nationally has been enacted.
US residents should continue following the existing clock-change schedule unless federal law changes. A state resolution or signed bill supporting permanent daylight time does not eliminate the November 1 time change. On November 1, 2026, clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m. in all states that observe daylight saving time. Residents should check official state guidance rather than relying on headlines about proposed state legislation to determine whether their clocks actually change this year.
Can States Change the Clocks on Their Own?
Under current federal law, states have two options: observe the national clock-change schedule or opt out of daylight saving time entirely by staying on permanent standard time year-round. Choosing permanent daylight saving time requires Congressional action because the Uniform Time Act does not grant states that authority independently.
The difference between permanent standard time and permanent daylight saving time is more than a preference question. Health researchers and sleep scientists have generally expressed stronger support for permanent standard time, which aligns more closely with solar noon and natural light cycles, than for permanent daylight saving time, which keeps evenings brighter at the cost of darker winter mornings.
States that have passed permanent-DST-preference bills have done so without changing when their residents set clocks. The confusion between a declared preference and a legally effective change is the most consequential gap in media coverage of this issue. A signed state bill supporting permanent daylight saving time has no effect on clock-change obligations. Federal action is the only mechanism that changes the national system.
Can Florida adopt permanent daylight saving time on its own? No. Florida’s Sunshine Protection Act expresses the state’s preference for permanent daylight saving time, but it has no legal effect without a corresponding act of Congress. Under the federal Uniform Time Act, states can independently observe permanent standard time, but not permanent daylight saving time. Clocks in Florida fall back one hour on November 1, 2026, under current law.
Clocks fall back one hour at 2 a.m. on November 1, 2026, for all US states that observe daylight saving time. Any change to that schedule requires Congressional action. Check back if Congress advances federal permanent-DST legislation before the November clock change.
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Clock change context: DST sleep health risks and Manitoba permanent DST.
