Is Alabama in Central or Eastern Time?
Officially, Alabama is in Central Time. The federal Eastern–Central boundary in 49 CFR § 71.5 follows the Alabama–Georgia boundary southward. The same rule states that municipalities located on the boundary line are in the Central Standard Time Zone.
That makes Central Time the correct statewide legal reference for Alabama. For date-aware clocks and software, America/Chicago supplies the appropriate CST/CDT rule set: UTC−06:00 in standard time and UTC−05:00 while daylight saving time is active.
Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Mobile & TuscaloosaOfficial Central Time. Use America/Chicago for current offset and DST transitions.
Alabama–Georgia boundaryThe federal zone line follows the state boundary. Alabama remains on the Central side; Georgia is on the Eastern side.
Municipalities on the boundaryFederal rules assign municipalities located on the boundary line to Central Standard Time.
Why Does Phenix City Use Eastern Time Locally?
Phenix City is the practical Alabama exception travelers and schedulers need to know. The city sits directly across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia, and the municipal government commonly publishes court hours, planning meetings and other city events in Eastern Time.
This does not create a second federal time zone for Alabama. It means that an appointment in Phenix City may be labeled one hour ahead of the official Central Time used elsewhere in the state. When a Phenix City notice explicitly says Eastern Time, follow the stated ET schedule; when no local convention is specified, Central Time remains Alabama's official state-zone reference.
