You’re trying to plan a Zoom call or maybe just wondering if your favorite streamer is live yet. You Google it. You see a list. But honestly? Most of those quick-answer snippets on the web are kinda lying to you by omission. They’ll tell you "California and Washington," and they aren't wrong, but they're leaving out the messy parts.
The Pacific Time Zone isn't just a clean line drawn down the side of the map. It’s a jagged, political, and sometimes totally confusing boundary that cuts through forests and splits counties in half.
If you want the real answer to what states are in PST, you have to look at the "big three" plus the two "sometimes" states.
The Heavy Hitters: California, Washington, and Nevada
These are the easy ones. Well, mostly.
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California is the anchor. The entire state, from the redwoods of Humboldt down to the taco stands in San Diego, lives on Pacific Time. They don't mess around with split zones. However, there’s been a ton of talk lately—you've probably heard it—about Prop 7. Voters basically said, "We're tired of switching clocks." But until the federal government gives the green light, California stays on PST in the winter and PDT in the summer.
Washington is in the same boat. Everything from Seattle to the Idaho border follows the same rhythm. Like their neighbors to the south, Washington's legislature actually passed a law to stay on Daylight Saving Time forever. But again, it's stuck in federal limbo.
Nevada is where things get a little weird. For the most part, Nevada is a Pacific Time state. Las Vegas and Reno are both firmly in PST. But if you drive out to the eastern edge, to a place called West Wendover, you'll suddenly find yourself an hour ahead. They officially switched to Mountain Time to stay in sync with their neighbors in Utah. Commerce over consistency, right?
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The "Split" States: Oregon and Idaho
This is where people usually get tripped up. If you assume Oregon is 100% Pacific Time, you're going to be late for dinner in Ontario.
Most of Oregon is on Pacific Time. Portland, Salem, Bend—they’re all PST. But there’s a massive chunk of Malheur County out on the eastern border that identifies as Mountain Time. Why? Because the people there do most of their business in Boise, Idaho. It wouldn't make sense for them to be on a different clock than the city where they shop and work.
Then there’s Idaho. Most people think of Idaho as a Mountain Time state. They aren't wrong! Boise and the southern plains are definitely Mountain Time. But the Idaho Panhandle? Everything north of the Salmon River—places like Coeur d'Alene and Moscow—is on Pacific Time.
If you're driving north on Highway 95, you’ll actually cross the "Time Zone Bridge" at Riggins. One side of the river is one time; the other side is another. It’s a literal bridge through time. Sorta.
The Arizona Confusion
We have to talk about Arizona because everyone asks. Arizona is not in the Pacific Time Zone. It’s in the Mountain Time Zone.
However, because Arizona (mostly) doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time, they spend half the year sharing the exact same clock time as California. From March to November, if it’s 2:00 PM in Los Angeles, it’s 2:00 PM in Phoenix. This leads to a massive misconception that Arizona is "in PST." It’s not. It’s just that California moves its clocks to meet Arizona for the summer.
Tracking the 2026 Clock Changes
In 2026, the shift is happening earlier than you might expect. According to the current federal calendar, Daylight Saving Time kicks off on March 8, 2026.
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At exactly 2:00 AM on that Sunday, "Pacific Standard Time" (PST) technically ceases to exist for a few months as everyone transitions to "Pacific Daylight Time" (PDT). We won't see actual PST again until November 1, 2026, when the clocks "fall back."
The Expert Breakdown of Pacific Time
To keep it simple, here is the real breakdown of where the Pacific clock actually ticks:
- California: Always. The whole thing.
- Washington: Always. No exceptions.
- Nevada: Almost all of it, except for West Wendover and a few tiny border towns that "unofficially" follow Mountain Time.
- Oregon: About 95% of the state. If you aren't in Malheur County, you're on Pacific Time.
- Idaho: Only the northern Panhandle.
Actionable Steps for Staying on Time
If you're traveling or doing business across these lines, don't just trust your phone to update instantly—especially in the "dead zones" along the Oregon-Idaho border where cell towers might ping from a different state.
- Verify the County: If you're in Eastern Oregon or Northern Idaho, check if you've crossed the Salmon River or entered Malheur County.
- Sync for DST: Mark March 8, 2026, on your calendar. Even if your phone updates, your oven and car clock probably won't, and being an hour late for a Sunday brunch is a bad way to start the week.
- Double-Check Arizona: Remember that while they "feel" like PST in the summer, they are Mountain Standard Time (MST) year-round. If you're scheduling a meeting for November, they will be an hour ahead of the West Coast.
The Pacific Time Zone is more of a cultural agreement than a strict geographical one. Whether you're in the rainy streets of Seattle or the high deserts of the Idaho Panhandle, you're part of a time zone that covers some of the most diverse terrain in the country. Just keep an eye on those river crossings.