You’re driving down Grand Avenue, the sun is hitting your windshield at that specific angle that makes you squint even with sunglasses on, and you realize you have no idea what time it actually is. It happens. If you’re trying to pin down the current time in Surprise Arizona, you’re dealing with a city that refuses to play by the rules most of the country follows.
Arizona is stubborn.
Since 1968, the state has mostly ignored Daylight Saving Time (DST). While the rest of the United States is busy "springing forward" or "falling back," folks in Surprise are just sitting on their patios, probably at a spring training game at the Surprise Recreation Campus, watching the world lose an hour of sleep while they stay perfectly in sync with the sun. It sounds simple. It’s actually a bit of a logistical nightmare if you work remotely or have family in New York.
The Mountain Standard Mystery
Surprise operates on Mountain Standard Time (MST) all year. That’s the anchor. But here is where it gets weird for outsiders: because Arizona doesn't shift, Surprise effectively "changes" its relationship with every other time zone twice a year.
In the winter, Surprise is on the same time as Denver.
In the summer? It’s basically California time.
If you’re a resident or a visitor, you’ve likely felt that weird "time jet lag" without ever leaving the 85374 zip code. When the clocks change elsewhere in March, Surprise suddenly feels "behind" the East Coast by an extra hour. You’re three hours behind New York instead of two. If you’re doing business with a firm in Manhattan, your 8:00 AM start is their 11:00 AM. By the time you’re thinking about lunch, they’re basically heading home for the day.
It dictates the rhythm of the city. Surprise is a hub for retirees and young families alike, and that missing hour of DST means the sun sets earlier in the heat of the summer than it does in places like Chicago or Seattle. You’d think an extra hour of light would be nice, right? Wrong. In the desert, we want the sun to go away. The sooner it sets, the sooner the pavement stops radiating heat like a pizza oven.
The Navajo Exception You Should Know
It’s a common mistake to think the entire state of Arizona is a monolith when it comes to time. It isn't. If you’re planning a road trip from Surprise up toward the Four Corners or the Navajo Nation, your phone is going to go haywire.
The Navajo Nation does observe Daylight Saving Time.
The Hopi Reservation, which is completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation, does not.
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Imagine driving through that. You could theoretically change time zones four times in a couple of hours. But back home in Surprise, nestled in the West Valley, things remain constant. We stay on MST. No one is climbing up on a ladder to change the clock above the stove twice a year. It’s one of the small perks of living here, honestly.
Why Surprise Doesn't Want the Extra Hour
The history of why we don't change the time in Surprise Arizona boils down to energy and survival. Back in the late 60s, state leaders realized that if they moved the clocks forward in the summer, the sun wouldn't set until nearly 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM in some areas.
Think about that heat.
If the sun stays up later, people keep their air conditioning cranking at max capacity for an extra hour during the hottest part of the day. It’s an environmental and financial drain. By keeping the "early" sunset, we get a head start on the cooling process. Even then, "cooling" is a relative term when it's 114 degrees at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex.
The Digital Headache
Technology has made this easier, but it’s still not perfect. Most smartphones use cell tower data to pinpoint your location and should, in theory, keep you on the correct time in Surprise Arizona automatically. But "Automatic Time Zone" settings can be finicky.
If you live near the edges of the city or use a VPN for work, your computer might decide you’re actually in Los Angeles or Denver. I’ve seen people show up an hour early for tee times at Great Eagle Golf Club because their iPad updated to "Summer Time" and they didn't catch it.
- Pro Tip: Always manually set your digital calendars to "Phoenix" time rather than "Mountain Time." Phoenix is the global anchor for Arizona's no-DST stance. If you select "Mountain Time," your software might assume you want the DST shift that occurs in Colorado or Utah.
Scheduling Life in the West Valley
Surprise is a growing city. We aren't just a sleepy retirement community anymore. With the expansion of the Prasada shopping area and the influx of tech workers moving into Marley Park, the "time" issue has moved from a quirky trivia fact to a daily scheduling hurdle.
If you're a remote worker living in Surprise, you basically live a double life. You have "Surprise Time" for your grocery runs, your kids' school drop-offs at Dysart Unified schools, and your dinner reservations at State 48 Brewery. Then you have "Company Time."
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From March to November, your 9-to-5 job in the Midwest starts at 7:00 AM for you.
In the winter, that same 9-to-5 job starts at 8:00 AM.
It’s a biannual shift in your sleep schedule that nobody outside of Arizona or Hawaii really understands. You’re not moving your clock, but you’re moving your entire life’s itinerary. Honestly, it’s kinda exhausting to explain to East Coast colleagues why you can't make a 9:00 AM EST call because it's 6:00 AM in Surprise and you haven't even had coffee yet.
The Sun is the Real Clock
In Surprise, the sun is the boss. During the winter months—the "Goldilocks" season—the time in Surprise Arizona feels like a gift. The sun rises around 7:30 AM and sets around 5:30 PM. It’s perfect for hiking the White Tank Mountain Regional Park just to the west.
But when June hits? The sun is up before 5:30 AM.
If you aren't out walking your dog or hitting the pavement by 6:00 AM, you’ve missed your window. By 8:00 AM, the heat is already climbing toward triple digits. This creates a very specific local culture. Surprise is an "early bird" city. We do our yard work, our grocery shopping, and our socializing in those early morning hours because the clock says it's early, even if the sun says it's time to hide indoors.
A Quick Reference for Travelers
If you're flying into Sky Harbor and driving out to Surprise, here is the "cheat sheet" for what time it is compared to back home:
When it is Summer (March to November):
- Surprise is the SAME as Los Angeles (PDT).
- Surprise is 1 hour BEHIND Denver (MDT).
- Surprise is 2 hours BEHIND Chicago (CDT).
- Surprise is 3 hours BEHIND New York (EDT).
When it is Winter (November to March):
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- Surprise is 1 hour AHEAD of Los Angeles (PST).
- Surprise is the SAME as Denver (MST).
- Surprise is 1 hour BEHIND Chicago (CST).
- Surprise is 2 hours BEHIND New York (EST).
The Business Reality of Surprise Time
For local business owners in Surprise, the time zone thing is more than just a conversation starter. If you’re shipping products out of a warehouse near the Loop 303, you have to be hyper-aware of shipping cutoffs. FedEx and UPS drivers have schedules that are dictated by national networks.
If the rest of the country shifts their clocks, those "last call" times for overnight shipping can effectively move by an hour. This impacts everything from the local manufacturing plants to the small Etsy shop owner operating out of a garage in Sun City Grand.
We also have to talk about sports. Surprise is the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. When fans are trying to tune in from Kansas City or Arlington, they are constantly googling "what time is it in Surprise?" because the game start times seem to drift every year. One year a 1:00 PM local start is 3:00 PM for the fans back home, and the next it’s 2:00 PM. It keeps everyone on their toes.
Actionable Steps for Staying On Schedule
Living with the unique time in Surprise Arizona requires a bit of a strategy. You can't just wing it, especially if your life touches anyone outside the Arizona border.
First, fix your digital footprint. Go into your Google Calendar or Outlook settings right now. Don't just let it "detect" your time zone. Specifically select (GMT-07:00) Arizona or Phoenix. This prevents your calendar from adding "phantom" meetings or shifting your appointments when the rest of the world enters DST.
Second, if you're a morning person, lean into it. The lack of DST means our summer mornings start very early. Use that time. It's the only time of day in the Arizona summer when the air feels even remotely breathable.
Third, if you have family out of state, set up a dual-clock widget on your phone's home screen. I have one for Surprise and one for Philadelphia. It prevents those awkward 5:00 AM "Just calling to say hi!" wake-up calls from my mother who forgot that Surprise is currently three hours behind her.
Lastly, accept the chaos. At some point, you will mess up a conference call or show up late to a virtual wedding because of the time difference. It’s a rite of passage for living in the West Valley. Just blame it on the "Arizona Time Tax." Everyone here gets it.
Check your clock. Look at the sun. Welcome to Surprise, where the time is always exactly what we want it to be, regardless of what the rest of the country thinks.
Next Steps for New Residents:
- Update your smartphone's "Date & Time" settings to "Phoenix" rather than "Automatic."
- Download a time zone converter app if you manage teams in multiple states.
- Schedule your outdoor activities in Surprise for at least 30 minutes before sunrise during the months of June through August to beat the heat.