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Tennessee • Live Time-Zone Reference

Tennessee Time Zone

Tennessee has two time zones. Nashville, Memphis, Clarksville and most of Middle and West Tennessee use Central Time (CT). Knoxville, Chattanooga and most of the eastern part of the state use Eastern Time (ET).

Quick answer: Tennessee is split between Central and Eastern Time. 65 counties are in Central Time and 30 counties are in Eastern Time. Eastern Tennessee is normally one hour ahead of Central Tennessee. The federal boundary follows county lines from the Kentucky border to Georgia.
Time zones2Central + Eastern
Nashville / MemphisCentral TimeCST / CDT
Knoxville / ChattanoogaEastern TimeEST / EDT
Tennessee Time Zones at a Glance Tennessee Time Zone Map Current Time in Tennessee
Search a Tennessee city, county, related state, time-zone name, abbreviation or UTC offset.
Popular: U.S. Time Zones Central Time Eastern Time Nashville Time Zone Memphis Time Zone Knoxville Time Zone Chattanooga Time Zone

Tennessee Time Zone at a Glance

Tennessee's Central–Eastern split follows county lines, not the state's East/Middle/West “Grand Divisions.” That distinction matters because several counties commonly described as East Tennessee—including Cumberland, Fentress, Bledsoe and Marion—are officially in Central Time.

CT

Central Time in Tennessee

Nashville, Memphis, Clarksville, Cookeville and 65 Tennessee counties use Central Time.

Central Time details → ET

Eastern Time in Tennessee

Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities and 30 Tennessee counties use Eastern Time.

Eastern Time details → DST

Tennessee Daylight Saving Time

Both Tennessee zones currently change clocks in March and November under the U.S. DST schedule.

See DST rules → ⌖

Tennessee Time Zone Map

See the county-line Central–Eastern boundary, cities and I-40 context visually.

View Tennessee map → BNA

Nashville Time Zone

Nashville is the state's highest-signal Central Time city reference.

Open Nashville guide → TYS

Knoxville Time Zone

Knoxville is a major Eastern Time reference for Tennessee.

Open Knoxville guide →

Tennessee Time Zones by Major City

Major Tennessee cities span both zones. Nashville and Memphis are Central; Knoxville and Chattanooga are Eastern.

Current time across Tennessee →
Tennessee LocationCurrent TimeCurrent AbbreviationCurrent UTC OffsetReference
Nashville · Davidson CountyLive——Nashville Time Zone
Memphis · Shelby CountyLive——Memphis Time Zone
Clarksville · Montgomery CountyLive——Central Tennessee
Cookeville · Putnam CountyLive——Upper Cumberland · Central
Knoxville · Knox CountyLive——Knoxville Time Zone
Chattanooga · Hamilton CountyLive——Chattanooga Time Zone
Johnson City · Washington CountyLive——Tri-Cities · Eastern
Sevierville · Sevier CountyLive——Smokies · Eastern
Central Time Zone Eastern Time Zone Tennessee Time Zone Map

Tennessee Time-Zone Guides & Related References

Continue with both zone families, Tennessee's four major city owners, official related states, live statewide time, DST and the dedicated Tennessee map.

All U.S. time zones →
Western & middle zoneCentral TimeUsed by Nashville, Memphis and 65 Tennessee counties.→ Eastern zoneEastern TimeUsed by Knoxville, Chattanooga and 30 Tennessee counties.→ Central city ownerNashvilleDedicated zone, offset and DST reference for the state capital.→ Central city ownerMemphisDedicated Central Time reference for Memphis.→ Eastern city ownerKnoxvilleDedicated Eastern Time reference for Knoxville.→ Eastern city ownerChattanoogaDedicated Eastern Time reference for Chattanooga.→ Official related stateKentuckyTwo-zone neighbor directly north of Tennessee.→ Official related stateAlabamaCentral Time neighbor south of Middle Tennessee.→ Live statewide timeCurrent Time in TennesseeCentral and Eastern clocks side by side.→ Dedicated state mapTennessee Time Zone MapSee the legal county-line boundary and major cities.→ Zone mapCentral Time Zone MapSee western and middle Tennessee in the broader Central region.→ Zone mapEastern Time Zone MapSee eastern Tennessee in the broader Eastern region.→
Two Tennessee Clocks

Central & Eastern Time in Tennessee Now

Both Tennessee zones currently follow the same U.S. daylight-saving schedule, so Eastern Tennessee normally remains one hour ahead of Central Tennessee. Current abbreviations and UTC offsets are calculated from the date.

Central Time CST CDT Eastern Time EST EDT
Nashville · CentralLive timeAmerica/Chicago · current abbreviation and offset
Knoxville · EasternLive timeAmerica/New_York · current abbreviation and offset
UTC ReferenceLive timeCoordinated Universal Time · UTC+00:00
Tennessee Zone Difference1 hourEastern Time is normally one hour ahead of Central Time.

Tennessee UTC Offsets: Central vs Eastern

Tennessee does not have one statewide UTC offset. The correct offset depends on location and date.

Explore UTC offsets →
Tennessee AreaIANA ZoneCurrent TimeCurrent UTC OffsetSeasonal Rule
Nashville / Middle TennesseeAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Memphis / West TennesseeAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Cookeville / Putnam CountyAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Knoxville / Knox CountyAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Chattanooga / Hamilton CountyAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Tri-Cities / Northeast TennesseeAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04

Tennessee Standard Time vs Daylight Time

Both Tennessee time zones currently observe the U.S. daylight-saving schedule, preserving their normal one-hour difference throughout the year.

Daylight Saving Time guide →
Tennessee ZoneStandard TimeStandard OffsetDaylight TimeDaylight Offset
Central Time · 65 countiesCSTUTC−06:00CDTUTC−05:00
Eastern Time · 30 countiesESTUTC−05:00EDTUTC−04:00
Tennessee DST Rules When DST Starts When DST Ends DST by State

Compare Tennessee Central & Eastern Time

Compare Nashville with Knoxville, Memphis with Chattanooga, or switch either side to another U.S. or world location. The live comparison uses each location's current civil-time rules.

Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Open Full Converter Time Zone Difference

How Tennessee Time Zones Work

Six facts explain nearly every Tennessee time-zone question, including the 65/30 county split, the federal boundary, Grand Division confusion, current IANA IDs and Tennessee's conditional permanent-time law.

01 · Two Zones

Tennessee Uses Central & Eastern Time

Nashville and Memphis are Central; Knoxville and Chattanooga are Eastern.

02 · County Count

65 Central Counties & 30 Eastern Counties

The federal boundary follows county lines, so Tennessee has no split county under the current rule.

03 · Grand Divisions

East Tennessee Is Not the Same as Eastern Time

Cumberland, Fentress, Bledsoe and Marion are examples of counties associated with East Tennessee geographically but assigned to Central Time.

04 · Boundary

The Line Runs Scott → Morgan → Roane → Rhea → Hamilton

49 CFR §71.5(d) traces the legal Central–Eastern line south from Kentucky to Georgia along county boundaries.

05 · IANA

Use America/Chicago & America/New_York

Use Chicago for Central Tennessee and New_York for Eastern Tennessee in current and future date-aware calculations.

06 · State Law

Permanent DST Is Conditional, Not Active

Tennessee's 2019 statute requires federal authorization and additional state steps before year-round daylight time can begin.

Which Tennessee Counties Are in Eastern Time?

Thirty Tennessee counties are in Eastern Time: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union and Washington.

The remaining 65 Tennessee counties are in Central Time. The legal line in 49 CFR §71.5(d) comes south from Kentucky along the west line of Scott County, then the north and west lines of Morgan County, the north line of Roane County, the north and west sides of Rhea County, and the west line of Hamilton County to Georgia. Federal regulation also assigns municipalities located directly on the Eastern–Central boundary to Central Standard Time.

Eastern Time · 30 countiesIncludes Knox, Hamilton, Sullivan, Washington, Sevier, Blount, Bradley, Scott, Morgan, Roane and Rhea.
Central Time · 65 countiesIncludes Davidson, Shelby, Montgomery, Rutherford, Williamson, Putnam, Cumberland, Fentress, Bledsoe and Marion.
No split countiesThe current Tennessee portion of the federal boundary follows county lines rather than cutting through a county.
See the Tennessee Time Zone MapEastern Time Zone

Is Tennessee Ending Daylight Saving Time?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. Tennessee Code §4-1-401 currently ties each part of the state to the standard time fixed for that area by the U.S. Department of Transportation. A 2019 amendment created a conditional path to year-round daylight saving time, but it requires federal authorization, certification by the Tennessee transportation commissioner and a confirming joint resolution of the General Assembly. Those conditions have not been completed.

In 2026, lawmakers also considered the opposite approach. An amendment to SB 1406 / HB 1300 would have required year-round standard time beginning in March 2027; the Senate version failed in committee on March 17, 2026, and the House bill was taken off notice the next day. HB 2071 separately proposed year-round standard time beginning in 2027 but remained in subcommittee. The 114th General Assembly later adjourned sine die, so Tennessee continues its normal CST/CDT and EST/EDT cycle.

Daylight Saving Time Is Daylight Saving Time Ending? Central Time Zone Eastern Time Zone
Visual Geography

Tennessee Time Zone Map

Tennessee's dedicated map is especially useful around the Cumberland Plateau, Upper Cumberland, Chattanooga region and the I-40 corridor. The zone line follows county boundaries rather than the state's cultural Grand Division boundaries, which is why some places commonly described as East Tennessee still use Central Time.

Tennessee Time Zone Map Central Time Zone Map Eastern Time Zone Map

Looking for the Current Time in Tennessee?

This page explains Tennessee time zones, UTC offsets, abbreviations, the federal boundary and DST. If your main question is what time it is right now, use the statewide current-time page or one of the four major Tennessee city clocks.

Statewide current timeCurrent Time in Tennessee
Central city current timeCurrent Time in Nashville
Central city current timeCurrent Time in Memphis
Eastern city current timeCurrent Time in Knoxville

Sources & Methodology

CalendarHours uses location-aware, date-aware time-zone logic rather than hardcoding one Tennessee offset. America/Chicago is used for representative current Central Time locations such as Nashville and Memphis; America/New_York is used for representative Eastern Time locations such as Knoxville and Chattanooga.

The current legal Eastern–Central boundary is checked against 49 CFR §71.5(d) and (h). U.S. daylight-saving dates are checked against NIST. Tennessee's 95-county structure is checked against state government sources. Current state time policy is checked against Tennessee Code §4-1-401 and official 2026 General Assembly records.

IANA — Time Zone Database 49 CFR §71.5 — Eastern–Central Boundary NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules State of Tennessee — 95 Counties Tennessee Code §4-1-401 — Standard Time & Conditional Year-Round DST Tennessee General Assembly — SB 1406 / HB 1300

Reviewed August 20, 2026. IANA architecture baseline: tzdb 2026c. Live clocks, current abbreviations and UTC offsets update automatically from supported browser time-zone data.

Tennessee Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is Tennessee in?

Tennessee uses two time zones. Nashville, Memphis, Clarksville and most of Middle and West Tennessee use Central Time, while Knoxville, Chattanooga and most of eastern Tennessee use Eastern Time.

How many time zones are in Tennessee?

Tennessee has two official time zones: Central Time and Eastern Time.

Which Tennessee counties are in Eastern Time?

Thirty counties are in Eastern Time: Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union and Washington.

Which Tennessee counties are in Central Time?

Sixty-five counties are in Central Time. This includes Davidson, Shelby, Montgomery, Rutherford, Williamson, Putnam, Cumberland, Fentress, Bledsoe, Marion and Sequatchie.

What time zone is Nashville in?

Nashville is in Central Time. See the dedicated Nashville Time Zone guide.

What time zone is Memphis in?

Memphis is in Central Time and follows the same CST/CDT schedule as Nashville. See Memphis Time Zone.

What time zone is Knoxville in?

Knoxville is in Eastern Time and uses EST/EDT. See Knoxville Time Zone.

What time zone is Chattanooga in?

Chattanooga is in Eastern Time and follows the same EST/EDT schedule as Knoxville. See Chattanooga Time Zone.

What is Tennessee's UTC offset?

Central Tennessee is UTC−06:00 during CST and UTC−05:00 during CDT. Eastern Tennessee is UTC−05:00 during EST and UTC−04:00 during EDT.

Does Tennessee observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Both Tennessee time zones currently observe DST. In 2026, daylight saving time runs from March 8 at 2:00 a.m. local time to November 1 at 2:00 a.m. local time.

What IANA time zones should I use for Tennessee?

Use America/Chicago for Central Tennessee and America/New_York for Eastern Tennessee.

Is Tennessee ending daylight saving time?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. Tennessee's 2019 year-round DST statute remains conditional, while 2026 year-round standard-time proposals did not become law before the 114th General Assembly adjourned.