Current Time in America/Los_Angeles Time Zone
IANA Name: America/Los_Angeles
Standard Offset: UTC −08:00
Daylight Saving: Yes
DST Offset: UTC −07:00
DST Abbreviation: PDT
Currently Observing DST: Yes ✅
America/Los_Angeles: The Pacific Time Zone Anchor
America/Los_Angeles is the canonical IANA time zone for the Pacific Time Zone (PT) in the United States. It covers the west coast states of California and Washington, most of Oregon, and the Nevada region around Las Vegas, plus the Idaho panhandle. The zone observes standard time (PST, UTC-08:00) during winter and daylight saving time (PDT, UTC-07:00) in summer. Los Angeles serves as the anchor city, but the zone extends from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.
Where America/Los_Angeles Applies
The zone is used throughout the U.S. states of California, Washington, Oregon (except most of Malheur County), Nevada (except West Wendover), and the northern Idaho counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shoshone. Major cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas (Nevada), and Vancouver (Washington). The zone also covers the Pacific coast from the Oregon-California border north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Offset and Abbreviation
Standard time is Pacific Standard Time (PST), which is UTC-08:00. During daylight saving time, clocks advance to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC-07:00. The abbreviation PST is used from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March; PDT is used the rest of the year. The offset is 8 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in winter and 7 hours behind in summer.
Daylight Saving Time Rhythm
America/Los_Angeles observes daylight saving time (DST) each year, following U.S. federal law. Clocks spring forward 1 hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time on the second Sunday of March, becoming 3:00 a.m. PDT. They fall back 1 hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time on the first Sunday of November, becoming 1:00 a.m. PST. Recent and upcoming dates: 2025-03-09 (forward), 2025-11-02 (back), 2026-03-08 (forward), 2026-11-01 (back). This pattern repeats annually.
Comparison with Other Zones at UTC-08:00
Several other IANA zones share the same standard offset: America/Tijuana (used in Baja California, Mexico), America/Vancouver (used in British Columbia, Canada), Canada/Pacific (a canonical alias for America/Vancouver), Pacific/Pitcairn (Pitcairn Islands, which does not observe DST), and US/Pacific (an alias for America/Los_Angeles). All except Pacific/Pitcairn follow DST on the same schedule as the U.S. (Mexico may have different DST rules, but Baja California aligns with the U.S. Pacific time).
Practical Guidance for Scheduling
When coordinating with other regions, note that America/Los_Angeles is 3 hours behind Eastern Time (America/New_York) during standard time and 3 hours behind during DST (since both observe DST). It is 2 hours behind Central Time (America/Chicago) and 1 hour behind Mountain Time (America/Denver). For Europe, during PST (winter), Los Angeles is 8 hours behind London (GMT/UTC), 9 hours behind Central European Time (CET), and 11 hours behind Moscow (MSK). During PDT (summer), the difference is 7 hours behind London (BST), 8 hours behind Central European Summer Time (CEST), and 10 hours behind Moscow (MSK). For Asia, Tokyo is 17 hours ahead of PST (winter) and 16 hours ahead of PDT (summer). Sydney is 18 hours ahead of PST (winter) and 17 hours ahead of PDT (summer). Best overlap for business calls with East Coast U.S. is 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PT (1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET). With London, good overlap is 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PT (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. London) in winter; in summer, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PT (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. London).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current time in America/Los_Angeles?
You can check the current time on our world clock page for Los Angeles. The zone uses PST (UTC-08:00) from November to March and PDT (UTC-07:00) from March to November.
Does America/Los_Angeles observe daylight saving time?
Yes. It observes DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Clocks spring forward 1 hour in March and fall back 1 hour in November.
What is the difference between PST and PDT?
PST (Pacific Standard Time) is UTC-08:00, used in winter. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) is UTC-07:00, used in summer. The switch happens twice a year.
Which other cities share the same time as Los Angeles?
Major cities in the same zone include San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, and Vancouver (Canada). Also Tijuana (Mexico) and the Pitcairn Islands (no DST).
When does the time change in 2025?
In 2025, clocks spring forward to PDT on March 9 at 2:00 a.m. and fall back to PST on November 2 at 2:00 a.m.
What is the best time to call someone in New York from Los Angeles?
New York is 3 hours ahead. For a business call, aim for 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PT, which is 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Avoid early mornings or late evenings.