Daylight saving time: How long until the clocks change?

(NEXSTAR) – The kids are back in school, the leaves are starting to change, and summertime is quickly fading away (summer doesn’t technically end until September 22). That means most of the U.S. will soon undergo one of its least favorite pastimes: the end of daylight saving time. 

The unofficial holiday is denoted by our cellphone clocks falling back an hour in the middle of the night, granting some of us an extra hour of sleep. Despite that positive, it also brings some less-favorable conditions, like earlier sunsets and interrupted sleep schedules. 

Regardless, unless you live in one of two states, you’ll soon see the clocks change. 

When does daylight saving time end in 2024?

We’ve been on daylight saving time since March 10, enjoying extra sun through the summer. 

We’ll remain on daylight saving time until 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 3. Your tech — like your phone, smartwatch, and TVs — will most likely reset on their own. The same may not be applicable for the clock in your car, on your wall, or on your oven.

Who decides when daylight saving time starts and ends?

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees our observance of daylight saving time. The agency cannot, however, change or end the twice-a-year changing of the clocks (more on this in a moment). 

Daylight saving time lasts 238 days, according to the current rules laid out by Congress. It begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. In both cases, it happens at 2 a.m., according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

What states don’t participate?

Under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which put us on the daylight saving time cycle, states can exempt themselves from daylight saving time by observing permanent standard time year-round. They cannot, however, observe permanent daylight saving time all year.

Only two states, Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation), observe standard time all year. In both cases, the abundance of daylight in the states is to blame.

What states wish they didn’t observe daylight saving?

In recent years, nearly every state has tried to lock its clocks. Most, however, are hoping to stay on daylight saving time all year — an option they don’t have under the aforementioned Uniform Time Act of 1966.

Several states have passed bills that would allow them to observe daylight saving time permanently, if Congress allows. 

There have also been resolutions, including recent bills in Ohio and Oklahoma, calling on Congress to keep the country on daylight saving time permanently, to no avail. 

Will the federal government ever lock the clocks?

Federal lawmakers have tried multiple times to stop the changing of the clocks. That includes the 2023 version of Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) Sunshine Protection Act, which Ohio and Oklahoma lawmakers expressed support for in their resolutions. If passed, the bill would put the U.S. on daylight saving time year-round.

Rubio’s bill was introduced in March 2023 and was quickly referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Despite receiving bipartisan support, the bill has remained in committee. 

Two other daylight saving time-related bills — one introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and the other by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) —  related to daylight saving time have also been stalled.

Unless any of those bills are able to pass Congress (or you live in Hawaii or Arizona), prepare to gain an hour of sleep on November 3.