Iowa: Does the state observe daylight saving time?
Iowa observes daylight saving time under state law and has not enacted a law to change that.
Iowa's code sets Central standard time and says clocks move ahead one hour each year for daylight saving time. The state law still lists the old April-to-October dates; in practice Iowa follows the current federal schedule, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. No enacted Iowa law for year-round daylight saving or standard time was found.
What the law says
The standard time in this state is the solar time of the ninetieth meridian of longitude west of Greenwich, England, commonly known as central standard time, except that from 2:00 ante meridiem of the first Sunday of April in every year until 2:00 ante meridiem of the last Sunday of October in the same year, standard time shall be advanced one hour. The period of time so advanced shall be known as “daylight saving time”.
Sources
- Iowa Code § 1D.1 (Iowa Code 2026) Official · legis.iowa.gov
- NIST: Daylight Saving Time Official · nist.gov
- 15 U.S.C. § 260a (Uniform Time Act) Mirror of official text · law.cornell.edu
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Iowa Legislature
- Website
- legis.iowa.gov
How bordering states compare
- Illinois Observes DSTIllinois observes daylight saving time and has not enacted a law to change that.
- Minnesota Observes DST, law to go year-roundMinnesota observes daylight saving time but enacted a 2021 law to stay on it year-round once federal law allows.
- Missouri Observes DSTMissouri observes daylight saving time; no law to change that has been enacted, though the House passed a trigger bill in 2026.
- Nebraska Observes DSTNebraska observes daylight saving time under state law and has not enacted a year-round time law.
- South Dakota Observes DSTSouth Dakota observes daylight saving time under federal law and has not passed a law to change that.
- Wisconsin Observes DSTWisconsin observes daylight saving time by statute and has not passed a law to change that.