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Virginia • Live Time-Zone Reference

Virginia Time Zone

Virginia uses Eastern Time (ET) statewide. Virginia Beach, Richmond, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Arlington, Alexandria, Roanoke and every other Virginia locality share the same official civil time. The Commonwealth uses EST at UTC−05:00 during standard time and EDT at UTC−04:00 during daylight saving time.

Quick answer: Virginia has one time zone and no internal time-zone boundary. Use America/New_York for date-aware software calculations. Virginia's 95 counties and 38 independent cities all follow the same Eastern Time clock.
Time zones1Eastern Time statewide
Standard timeESTUTC−05:00
Daylight timeEDTUTC−04:00
Virginia Time Zone at a Glance Current Time in Virginia Virginia on the U.S. Time Zone Map
Search a Virginia city, county, independent city, Eastern Time abbreviation, UTC offset, related state or time-zone tool.
Popular: U.S. Time Zones Eastern Time EST EDT Virginia Time Now Virginia Beach Time Now Daylight Saving Time

Virginia Time Zone at a Glance

Virginia is a one-zone Commonwealth. Every county and independent city uses Eastern Time, while the abbreviation and UTC offset change seasonally with daylight saving time.

ET

Eastern Time in Virginia

The entire Commonwealth follows Eastern Time, including all 95 counties and all 38 independent cities.

Eastern Time details → EST

Eastern Standard Time

Virginia uses EST at UTC−05:00 during the standard-time portion of the year.

See EST time now → EDT

Eastern Daylight Time

Virginia uses EDT at UTC−04:00 while daylight saving time is in effect.

See EDT time now → DST

Virginia Daylight Saving Time

Virginia currently changes clocks in March and November under federal law and Virginia Code § 1-253.

See DST rules → VB

Current Time in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach has a dedicated current-time page; its time-zone questions are covered by this statewide Virginia reference.

See Virginia Beach time now → ⇄

Virginia Time Converter

Convert Virginia time to another U.S. or world location for a specific date and time.

Convert Virginia time →

Virginia Time Zone by Major City & Region

Every major Virginia city and region shares the same Eastern Time clock. Current abbreviations and UTC offsets below update automatically with the date.

Current time across Virginia →
Virginia LocationCurrent TimeCurrent AbbreviationCurrent UTC OffsetReference
Virginia Beach · Independent CityLive——Virginia Beach time now
Richmond · Independent CityLive——State capital reference
Norfolk · Independent CityLive——Hampton Roads reference
Chesapeake · Independent CityLive——Hampton Roads reference
Arlington · Arlington CountyLive——Northern Virginia reference
Alexandria · Independent CityLive——Northern Virginia reference
Roanoke · Independent CityLive——Southwest Virginia reference
Charlottesville · Independent CityLive——Central Virginia reference
Eastern Time Zone Current Time in Virginia U.S. Time Zone Map

Virginia Time-Zone Guides & Related References

Continue with Eastern Time, official related state references, statewide current time, Virginia Beach, neighboring states, daylight-saving guidance and the correct map owners.

All U.S. time zones →
Statewide zoneEastern TimeThe time zone used throughout Virginia.→ Standard timeESTUTC−05:00 during standard time.→ Daylight timeEDTUTC−04:00 while DST is active.→ Official related stateVermontAnother statewide Eastern Time reference.→ Official related stateWest VirginiaEastern Time continues across Virginia's western border.→ Live statewide timeCurrent Time in VirginiaStatewide clock plus major Virginia city times.→ Live city timeCurrent Time in Virginia BeachDedicated current-time owner for Virginia's largest city.→ Southern neighborNorth CarolinaEastern Time continues across Virginia's southern border.→ Northern neighborMarylandEastern Time continues across Virginia's Potomac boundary.→ Visual referenceU.S. Time Zone MapVirginia state-map intent consolidates here.→ Zone mapEastern Time Zone MapSee Virginia inside the broader Eastern region.→ Seasonal rulesDaylight Saving TimeCurrent U.S. clock-change dates and rules.→
One Virginia Clock

Virginia Eastern Time & UTC Now

Virginia has one statewide civil time, but its UTC offset changes seasonally. The live cards compare Virginia with Chicago and UTC while keeping the current EST/EDT status date-aware.

Eastern Time EST EDT UTC Offsets Time Zone Difference
Virginia · Eastern TimeLive timeAmerica/New_York · current abbreviation and offset
Chicago · Central TimeLive timeNormally one hour behind Virginia.
UTC ReferenceLive timeCoordinated Universal Time · UTC+00:00
County-Level Jurisdictions13395 counties + 38 independent cities.

Virginia UTC Offset & Regional Reference

Virginia has no regional UTC-offset split. Every county and independent city changes together between EST at UTC−05:00 and EDT at UTC−04:00.

Explore UTC offsets →
Virginia AreaIANA ZoneCurrent TimeCurrent UTC OffsetSeasonal Rule
Northern Virginia / Arlington & AlexandriaAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Richmond / Central VirginiaAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Virginia Beach / Hampton RoadsAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Charlottesville / PiedmontAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Roanoke / Blue RidgeAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Southwest Virginia / Bristol AreaAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04

Virginia's 38 Independent Cities Still Use the Same Time

Virginia is unusual because its 38 independent cities are legally separate from surrounding counties and function as county-equivalents. That affects administrative geography, but not civil time: Virginia Beach, Richmond, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Alexandria, Roanoke and every other independent city use the same Eastern Time rules as Virginia's 95 counties.

Current Time in Virginia Current Time in Virginia Beach Eastern Time Zone Map U.S. Time Zone Map

Virginia Standard Time vs Daylight Time

Virginia currently observes the U.S. daylight-saving schedule statewide. In 2026 the Commonwealth advanced clocks on March 8 and is scheduled to return to standard time on November 1.

Daylight Saving Time guide →
Virginia ZoneStandard TimeStandard OffsetDaylight TimeDaylight Offset
Eastern Time · entire CommonwealthESTUTC−05:00EDTUTC−04:00
Virginia DST Rules When DST Starts When DST Ends DST by State

Compare Virginia Eastern Time

Compare Virginia with Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, London or another location. The live comparison uses current civil-time rules rather than assuming a fixed year-round difference.

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

How Virginia Time Works

Six facts explain nearly every Virginia time-zone question, from statewide Eastern Time to independent cities, Appalachian border travel, IANA calculations and Virginia's current permanent-DST proposal.

01 · Statewide

Virginia Has One Time Zone

The entire Commonwealth uses Eastern Time. There is no Central, Mountain or Atlantic Time area inside Virginia.

02 · Counties

All 95 Counties Share One Clock

Every Virginia county follows the same EST/EDT schedule, from Fairfax and Accomack to Lee and Buchanan counties.

03 · Independent Cities

All 38 Independent Cities Match

Virginia's independent cities are county-equivalents, but they do not create separate time-zone rules.

04 · Borders

Virginia Itself Never Creates a Clock Change

Virginia stays Eastern statewide; a time change becomes possible only farther into Central portions of Kentucky or Tennessee.

05 · IANA

Use America/New_York

America/New_York is the correct date-aware IANA zone for current and future Virginia civil-time calculations.

06 · Virginia Law

Va. Code § 1-253 Codifies EST/EDT

Virginia law expressly applies Eastern Standard Time statewide except while Eastern Daylight Time is in effect under federal law.

Does All of Virginia Have the Same Time?

Yes. All 95 Virginia counties and all 38 independent cities use Eastern Time. That means the Commonwealth has 133 county-level jurisdictions for many administrative and statistical purposes, yet every one of them follows the same EST/EDT clock.

This includes Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area, Richmond and Central Virginia, Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge and Roanoke Valley, and far Southwest Virginia. Virginia Beach and Richmond are independent cities rather than parts of surrounding counties, but their legal classification has no effect on time-zone rules.

95 countiesEvery Virginia county follows the same official Eastern Time rules.
38 independent citiesEvery independent city also follows Eastern Time and is treated as a county-equivalent.
No in-state zone lineYou never change official time zones simply by traveling within Virginia.
Current Time in VirginiaEastern Time Zone

Is Virginia Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. Current Virginia Code § 1-253 states that United States Eastern Standard Time applies in all parts of the Commonwealth except while United States Eastern Daylight Time is in effect under federal law. The statute also applies that legal time broadly to state and local government actions, public schools, contracts and other legal timing.

HB 9 proposes a different future rule: year-round Eastern Daylight Time if Congress enacts a law allowing states to observe EDT permanently. The measure was continued to the 2027 session on February 6, 2026 and remained an in-committee proposal rather than current law. Virginia therefore continues to switch between EST and EDT on the federal schedule.

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

Virginia on the U.S. Time Zone Map

Virginia sits entirely inside Eastern Time, from the Atlantic coast and Eastern Shore to the Cumberland Plateau and far Southwest Virginia. Because the Commonwealth has no internal time-zone boundary, Virginia map intent is best served by the U.S. Time Zone Map, with the Eastern Time Zone Map providing the wider regional context.

U.S. Time Zone Map Eastern Time Zone Map World Time Zone Map

Looking for the Current Time in Virginia?

This page explains Virginia's time zone, UTC offsets, abbreviations, DST, local-government structure and current law. If your main question is what time it is right now, use the statewide current-time page or the dedicated Virginia Beach current-time page.

Statewide current timeCurrent Time in Virginia
Virginia Beach current timeCurrent Time in Virginia Beach
Statewide zoneEastern Time Zone
Visual zone referenceEastern Time Zone Map

Sources & Methodology

CalendarHours uses location-aware, date-aware time-zone logic rather than permanently hardcoding Virginia as UTC−5 or UTC−4. America/New_York supplies the Eastern Time rules used throughout the Commonwealth.

The IANA Time Zone Database is the primary rules source for civil offsets and transitions. U.S. daylight-saving dates are checked against NIST. Virginia's current legal time rule is checked against Va. Code § 1-253. The Commonwealth's official statistics page is used for the 95 counties and 38 independent cities count, and current permanent-daylight-time policy is checked against official Virginia Legislative Information System records for HB 9.

IANA — Time Zone Database NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules Code of Virginia § 1-253 — Time Zone Commonwealth of Virginia — 95 Counties & 38 Independent Cities Virginia LIS — HB 9 Permanent Eastern Daylight Time Proposal

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

Virginia Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is Virginia in?

Virginia is entirely in Eastern Time. The Commonwealth uses EST (UTC−05:00) during standard time and EDT (UTC−04:00) during daylight saving time.

How many time zones are in Virginia?

Virginia has one official time zone: Eastern Time. There is no internal time-zone boundary.

Does all of Virginia have the same time?

Yes. Virginia Beach, Richmond, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Arlington, Alexandria, Roanoke and every Virginia county and independent city share the same official Eastern Time rules.

What time zone is Richmond, Virginia in?

Richmond is in Eastern Time and uses EST during standard time and EDT during daylight saving time.

What time zone is Virginia Beach in?

Virginia Beach is in Eastern Time and follows the same EST/EDT schedule as the rest of Virginia. For the live clock, see Current Time in Virginia Beach.

What is Virginia's UTC offset?

Virginia is UTC−05:00 during Eastern Standard Time and UTC−04:00 during Eastern Daylight Time.

Does Virginia observe daylight saving time?

Yes. In 2026, daylight saving time in Virginia runs from March 8 at 2:00 a.m. local time to November 1 at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Is Virginia on EST or EDT right now?

Virginia uses EST during standard time and EDT during daylight saving time. The live clock above calculates the current abbreviation from the date.

What IANA time zone should I use for Virginia?

Use America/New_York for current and future Virginia civil-time calculations.

How many counties and independent cities does Virginia have?

Virginia has 95 counties and 38 independent cities. The independent cities are county-equivalents rather than parts of surrounding counties, but all 133 county-level jurisdictions use Eastern Time.

Do I change time when crossing Virginia's state borders?

Usually not. Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. match Virginia along their borders. Kentucky and Tennessee include Central Time farther west, so a clock change can occur only after traveling into those Central portions.

Is Virginia making daylight saving time permanent?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. Va. Code § 1-253 still applies EST except while federal EDT is in effect. HB 9 would allow permanent EDT after federal authorization, but it was continued to 2027 and has not become law.