Daylight saving time 2022: When does it end? And is it going away for good in Colorado?

Molly Bohannon, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read
10

Get ready to turn back your clocks and get an extra hour of sleep, Colorado.

Maybe even for the last time.

Daylight saving time — which began in March — will end in November, at which point most states will “fall back” an hour. The time change will happen at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov 6.

But there are national conversations happening about allowing states to make daylight saving time permanent, which would benefit those who prefer more light in the evening than in the morning.

Supporters of enacting permanent daylight saving time in Colorado have said changing clocks has negative impacts on businesses, individuals and families that result in a decrease in workplace productivity; an increase in heart attacks, strokes and traffic accidents; and disruption of residents' sleep patterns.

Daylight saving time was originally enacted to conserve energy and fuel by giving people more sun in their days.

This spring, Gov. Jared Polis signed the Daylight Saving Time Year Round measure, HB22-1297, into law for Colorado. But two other hurdles remain to permanently keep daylight saving time and get rid of standard time in the state.

What it would take to end daylight saving time in Colorado

First, the federal government must enact a law giving states the option to choose if they want to go on permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. In March, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, which would make daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time as of Nov. 5, 2023. But it’s still awaiting a House vote and USA Today reported it’s unclear if the House will get to it this session.

A state can already opt to observe standard time year-round and doesn't need a federal law change to do it. But the law change would repeal the time change entirely and make permanent DST an option.

Second, at least four other states in the Mountain Time Zone must choose year-round daylight saving time for the Colorado law to go into effect.

According to previous Coloradoan reporting, Montana, Wyoming and Utah all passed permanent daylight saving time measures in recent years. Arizona is on permanent standard time and New Mexico opted to keep the time change.

Currently, and until a federal law is passed allowing states to opt into permanent daylight time, all states but two change time each year: Arizona and Hawaii, which both observe standard time year-round.

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Editor's note: This story has a clarification. The federal government is considering a law that would give states the choice between permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. States can already choose to be on permanent standard time or observe daylight saving time from the the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Coloradoan reporter Miles Blumhardt contributed to this article.

Molly Bohannon covers city government and higher education for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Daylight saving time 2022: Here's when it ends in Colorado