What Time Zone Is Nashville In?
- 4 sections
- 2 tables
- 2 sources cited
Nashville is in the Central Time Zone. From the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March it runs on Central Standard Time (UTC−6), and for the rest of the year on Central Daylight Time (UTC−5). In software and phone settings, the zone appears as America/Chicago, which Nashville shares with Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, and Minneapolis.
When the Clocks Change
Federal law sets the daylight saving schedule: clocks move forward at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and back at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November (15 U.S.C. 260a). Tennessee follows that schedule.
| Year | Clocks forward (spring) | Clocks back (fall) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, March 8 | Sunday, November 1 |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 14 | Sunday, November 7 |
In late October 2026, the next change is the November 1 fall-back, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. and Nashville returns to UTC−6.
Nashville Time Compared With Other Cities
| City | Difference from Nashville |
|---|---|
| New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Knoxville, Chattanooga | 1 hour ahead |
| Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, Kansas City, Minneapolis | same time |
| Denver | 1 hour behind |
| Phoenix | 1 hour behind in winter, 2 hours behind in summer (Arizona stays on standard time all year) |
| Los Angeles, Seattle | 2 hours behind |
So a noon meeting in New York is 11 a.m. in Nashville, and a 9 a.m. call from Los Angeles reaches Nashville at 11 a.m.
Tennessee Has Two Time Zones
Most of Tennessee, including Nashville and Memphis, is on Central Time. The eastern part of the state is on Eastern Time, and the legal line is drawn along county boundaries in the federal time zone regulation (49 CFR 71.5). Scott, Morgan, Roane, Rhea, and Hamilton counties sit on the Eastern side of that line, along with everything east of them, which puts Knoxville and Chattanooga an hour ahead of Nashville.
The practical consequences for a drive out of Nashville:
- Nashville to Knoxville on I-40: you stay on Central Time through Cookeville and Crossville. The change comes when the interstate leaves Cumberland County for Roane County, east of Crossville.
- Nashville to Chattanooga on I-24: Chattanooga is in Hamilton County, so you arrive on Eastern Time.
- Nashville to Memphis: no change; both are Central.
Leave Nashville at 9 a.m. for a noon lunch in Knoxville and you have two hours of clock time, not three, because 9 a.m. in Nashville is already 10 a.m. in Knoxville. If you are crossing the state for a ticketed event or a flight, check which side of the line the venue or airport is on before you set an alarm.
Planning Notes for Visitors
Flying in from the East Coast, you gain an hour on arrival; flying home, you lose it. Show times and transit schedules in Nashville are given in local time, which is Central. For a broader picture of how Nashville fits into the state around it, see what state Nashville is in.