Virginia does not observe Daylight Saving Time primarily because of the state’s current legislative and political stance, which reflects the complexities and debates surrounding the issue nationally. Along with Virginia, two U.S. states—Hawaii and most of Arizona—do not observe Daylight Saving Time officially.
The very simple reason these states, including Virginia in some legislative contexts, do not engage in the biannual clock changes is tied to minimizing disruptions that Daylight Saving Time causes. These disruptions include negative effects on health, sleep cycles, productivity, and energy use. For many residents, the shift in time is seen as unnecessary and burdensome. Hawaii and Arizona largely avoid DST because their geographic location (near the equator for Hawaii and desert climate for Arizona) means there is less practical benefit to shifting clocks to extend evening daylight. For Virginia and some other states, efforts to either adopt permanent standard time or permanent DST are ongoing, but no final move has been made, leaving Virginia effectively not changing its clocks meaningfully in practice or aligning with federal requirements.
In essence, Virginia’s reluctance to do Daylight Saving Time mirrors broader concerns about the benefits and drawbacks of the practice nationwide, reflected in legislative proposals and public opinion. For now, like Hawaii and Arizona, Virginia remains among the few states factoring geographic, health, and social considerations into its time observance policies, resulting in no active participation in Daylight Saving Time clock changes or moves toward permanence as some other states pursue.
Sources
(https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5464355-daylight-saving-time-which-states-want-to-stop-changing-the-clocks/)
(https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/daylight-saving-time-2025-start-date-time-change-impacts-usa/articleshow/118763323.cms)
(https://www.transportation.gov/regulations/daylight-saving-time)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States)
(https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/08/when-daylight-saving-time-2025/85821111007/)
