It's almost time - on Sunday, March 8, 2026, most Americans will "spring forward" for Daylight Saving Time. The official time for the change is 2 a.m.
Daylight Saving Time occurs every year on the second Sunday in March. It runs until the first Sunday in November, which is when Standard Time returns and clocks "fall back" one hour.
The process of manually re-setting clocks has been supplanted in many cases by electronic devices over the last several years, as most cell phones, tablets, watches, and computers automatically adjust the time.
Some people enjoy the twice-yearly ritual of adjusting clocks, feeling that “springing forward” or “falling back” helps to usher in a more seasonal atmosphere.
Other people, however, don’t like the idea of trying to trick our bodies - and our daily routines - by adjusting the clocks.
Some history—according to the US Department of Defense, Daylight Saving Time first started in American on March 19, 1918 with the signing of the Standard Time Act. It was meant to save energy costs during World War I. It was only in place for about a year and a half, and repealed with the war’s end.
Daylight Saving Time was implemented again in February 1942, during World War II. The time change was in place until the war ended in 1945.
Nationally-standard rules for Daylight Saving Time were established in 1966 with the passing of the Uniform Time Act.
According to TimeAndDate.com, in recent years, several states have passed legislation for permanent DST, including Montana, but it's up to Congress to determine whether the nation will ever do away with the time-tinkering practice.
In Montana, lawmakers have talked about getting rid of the time change during several legislative sessions—2009, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. A bill draft was requested for the 2025 session, but it didn’t go anywhere.
The most substantial action the Montana Legislature took was approving Senate Bill 254 during the 2021 session, which authorized year-round Daylight Saving Time, but only if was approved by the US Department of Transportation and if three other western states approved a similar measure.
Since those contingencies have not been met, Montanans still have to change their clocks twice a year.
Standard Time will resume on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
