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West Virginia • Live Time-Zone Reference

West Virginia Time Zone

West Virginia uses Eastern Time (ET) statewide. Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Beckley, Martinsburg and all 55 West Virginia counties share the same official civil time. West Virginia uses EST at UTC−05:00 during standard time and EDT at UTC−04:00 during daylight saving time.

Quick answer: West Virginia has one time zone and no internal time-zone boundary. Use America/New_York for date-aware software calculations. The Northern Panhandle, Eastern Panhandle, Ohio River Valley, New River Gorge and Appalachian interior all use the same Eastern Time clock.
Time zones1Eastern Time statewide
Standard timeESTUTC−05:00
Daylight timeEDTUTC−04:00
West Virginia Time Zone at a Glance Current Time in West Virginia West Virginia on the U.S. Time Zone Map
Search a West Virginia city, county, Eastern Time abbreviation, UTC offset, related state or time-zone tool.
Popular: U.S. Time Zones Eastern Time EST EDT West Virginia Time Now Eastern Time Zone Map Daylight Saving Time

West Virginia Time Zone at a Glance

West Virginia is a one-zone state. Every county and major region uses Eastern Time, while the abbreviation and UTC offset change seasonally with daylight saving time.

ET

Eastern Time in West Virginia

The entire state follows Eastern Time, including all 55 counties and every major West Virginia community.

Eastern Time details → EST

Eastern Standard Time

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

See EST time now → EDT

Eastern Daylight Time

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

See EDT time now → DST

West Virginia Daylight Saving Time

West Virginia Code §5-1-25 establishes the statewide March-to-November daylight-saving period.

See DST rules → WV

Current Time in West Virginia

See live Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling and Beckley clocks.

See West Virginia time now → ⇄

West Virginia Time Converter

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

Convert West Virginia time →

West Virginia Time Zone by Major City & Region

Every location below shares the same Eastern Time clock. Current abbreviations and UTC offsets update automatically with the date.

Current time across West Virginia →
West Virginia LocationCurrent TimeCurrent AbbreviationCurrent UTC OffsetReference
Charleston · Kanawha CountyLive——Charleston time now
Huntington · Cabell/Wayne CountiesLive——Huntington time now
Morgantown · Monongalia CountyLive——Morgantown time now
Parkersburg · Wood CountyLive——Parkersburg time now
Wheeling · Ohio CountyLive——Northern Panhandle
Beckley · Raleigh CountyLive——Southern West Virginia
Martinsburg · Berkeley CountyLive——Eastern Panhandle
Elkins · Randolph CountyLive——Allegheny Highlands
Eastern Time Zone Current Time in West Virginia U.S. Time Zone Map

West Virginia Time-Zone Guides & Related References

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

All U.S. time zones →
Statewide zoneEastern TimeThe time zone used throughout West Virginia.→ Standard timeESTUTC−05:00 during standard time.→ Daylight timeEDTUTC−04:00 while DST is active.→ Official related stateVirginiaEastern Time continues across West Virginia's southeastern border.→ Official related stateVermontAnother statewide Eastern Time reference.→ Live statewide timeCurrent Time in West VirginiaCharleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Wheeling and other city clocks.→ Western neighborOhioEastern Time continues across the Ohio River border.→ Northern neighborPennsylvaniaEastern Time continues across the Northern Panhandle border.→ Eastern neighborMarylandEastern Time continues around the Eastern Panhandle.→ Visual referenceU.S. Time Zone MapWest Virginia map intent consolidates here.→ Zone mapEastern Time Zone MapSee West Virginia inside the broader Eastern region.→ Seasonal rulesDaylight Saving TimeCurrent U.S. clock-change dates and rules.→
One West Virginia Clock

West Virginia Eastern Time & UTC Now

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

Eastern Time EST EDT UTC Offsets Time Zone Difference
West Virginia · Eastern TimeLive timeAmerica/New_York · current abbreviation and offset
Chicago · Central TimeLive timeNormally one hour behind West Virginia.
UTC ReferenceLive timeCoordinated Universal Time · UTC+00:00
West Virginia Counties55Every county uses Eastern Time.

West Virginia UTC Offset & Regional Reference

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

Explore UTC offsets →
West Virginia AreaIANA ZoneCurrent TimeCurrent UTC OffsetSeasonal Rule
Charleston / Kanawha ValleyAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Huntington / Ohio River ValleyAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Morgantown / North-Central West VirginiaAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Wheeling / Northern PanhandleAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Martinsburg / Eastern PanhandleAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04
Beckley / Southern West VirginiaAmerica/New_YorkLive—EST UTC−05 → EDT UTC−04

Do West Virginia Borders Change the Clock?

No at ordinary direct border crossings under current rules. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia use Eastern Time along West Virginia's borders. Kentucky uses two time zones statewide, but the eastern Kentucky counties that actually touch West Virginia are in Eastern Time, so crossing the Big Sandy or Tug Fork border does not immediately change the clock.

Ohio Time Zone Pennsylvania Time Zone Virginia Time Zone Kentucky Time Zone

West Virginia Standard Time vs Daylight Time

West Virginia currently observes daylight saving time statewide. In 2026 the state advanced clocks on March 8 and is scheduled to return to standard time on November 1.

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

Compare West Virginia Eastern Time

Compare West 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 West Virginia Time Works

Six facts explain nearly every West Virginia time-zone question, from statewide Eastern Time to 55 counties, Appalachian border travel, IANA calculations and competing permanent-time proposals.

01 · Statewide

West Virginia Has One Time Zone

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

02 · Counties

All 55 Counties Share One Clock

Every West Virginia county follows the same EST/EDT schedule, from Hancock and Jefferson to McDowell and Mingo.

03 · Panhandles

Both Panhandles Stay on Eastern Time

Wheeling in the Northern Panhandle and Martinsburg in the Eastern Panhandle share the same clock as Charleston.

04 · Borders

No Direct Border Crossing Requires a Clock Change

Every neighboring border area that touches West Virginia is currently on Eastern Time.

05 · IANA

Use America/New_York

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

06 · State Law

§5-1-25 Codifies the DST Season

West Virginia law explicitly makes daylight saving time the statewide official time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Does All of West Virginia Have the Same Time?

Yes. All 55 West Virginia counties use Eastern Time. Those counties are Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood and Wyoming.

Mountainous geography does not create a time-zone exception. The Northern Panhandle, Eastern Panhandle, Allegheny Highlands, New River Gorge region, southern coalfields and Ohio River communities all remain synchronized under the same EST/EDT rules.

55 countiesEvery West Virginia county follows the same official Eastern Time rules.
Both panhandlesWheeling and Martinsburg remain on the same clock despite West Virginia's unusual shape.
No in-state zone lineYou never change official time zones simply by traveling within West Virginia.
Current Time in West VirginiaEastern Time Zone

Is West Virginia Ending Daylight Saving Time?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. Current West Virginia Code §5-1-25 states that daylight saving time is the statewide official time beginning at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and ending at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. The rule applies to public schools, institutions of higher learning, state agencies, departments and political subdivisions.

Recent proposals point in opposite directions. HB 2546, introduced in 2025, proposed ending seasonal DST and making Eastern Standard Time the statewide official time, but it did not become law. SB 528, introduced January 20, 2026, instead proposes year-round Eastern Daylight Time if Congress authorizes states to observe DST permanently. Its latest official action remains referral to the Senate Committee on Government Organization, so West Virginia continues to alternate between EST and EDT.

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

West Virginia on the U.S. Time Zone Map

West Virginia sits entirely inside Eastern Time, including both panhandles and every Appalachian region of the state. Because there is no internal time-zone boundary, West 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 West Virginia?

This page explains West Virginia's time zone, UTC offsets, abbreviations, DST, borders and current law. If your main question is what time it is right now in Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown or anywhere else in the state, use the statewide current-time page.

Statewide current timeCurrent Time in West Virginia
Statewide zoneEastern Time Zone
Visual zone referenceEastern Time Zone Map
U.S. visual contextU.S. Time Zone Map

Sources & Methodology

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

The IANA Time Zone Database is the primary rules source for civil offsets and transitions. The reviewed data baseline is tzdb 2026c. U.S. daylight-saving dates are checked against NIST. West Virginia's current statutory DST rule is checked against W. Va. Code §5-1-25; the official 55-county structure against WV.gov; and current permanent-time proposals against official West Virginia Legislature records for HB 2546 and SB 528.

IANA — Time Zone Database NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules West Virginia Code §5-1-25 — Daylight Saving Time State of West Virginia — 55 Counties West Virginia Legislature — HB 2546 Permanent EST Proposal West Virginia Legislature — SB 528 Permanent EDT Proposal

Reviewed August 20, 2026. Live clocks, current abbreviations and UTC offsets update automatically from supported browser time-zone data.

West Virginia Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is West Virginia in?

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

How many time zones are in West Virginia?

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

Does all of West Virginia have the same time?

Yes. Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Beckley, Martinsburg and all 55 counties share the same official Eastern Time rules.

What time zone is Charleston, West Virginia in?

Charleston is in Eastern Time and uses EST during standard time and EDT during daylight saving time. For the live clock, see Current Time in West Virginia.

What time zone is Morgantown, West Virginia in?

Morgantown is in Eastern Time and follows the same EST/EDT schedule as Charleston and the rest of West Virginia.

What is West Virginia's UTC offset?

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

Does West Virginia observe daylight saving time?

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

Is West Virginia on EST or EDT right now?

West 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 West Virginia?

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

How many counties are in West Virginia?

West Virginia has 55 counties, and every county uses Eastern Time.

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

Not at ordinary direct crossings under current rules. The adjoining parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky all use Eastern Time.

Is West Virginia ending daylight saving time?

No change is in force as of August 20, 2026. W. Va. Code §5-1-25 still provides for seasonal DST. HB 2546's permanent-EST proposal did not become law, while SB 528's permanent-EDT proposal remains pending and would require federal authorization.