Maine: Does the state observe daylight saving time?
Maine observes daylight saving time; its law switches to year-round Eastern daylight time once federal law allows it.
The 2019 law first required every Eastern time zone state and Washington, D.C. to go year-round as well. A 2025 amendment dropped that condition, so only federal permission is now needed. The Secretary of State must watch for that change and announce the date the switch takes effect.
Conditions
- Federal law or regulation must allow year-round daylight saving time
- Secretary of State issues a public notice of the effective date
What the law says
The standard time for the State is the time as determined by 15 United States Code, Sections 260 to 267 except that the standard time year-round for the State is the time commonly known as eastern daylight time or eastern daylight saving time, referred to in this section as "eastern daylight time," if federal law or regulation permits the year-round observation of daylight time.
Sources
- 1 M.R.S. § 151 (PL 2019, c. 268; PL 2025, c. 191) Official · legislature.maine.gov
- NCSL: Daylight Saving Time State Legislation Secondary · ncsl.org
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Maine Legislature (General Information)
- Phone
- (800) 301-3178
- Website
- legislature.maine.gov
How bordering states compare
- New Hampshire Observes DSTNew Hampshire observes daylight saving time under state law and has not enacted a year-round time law.