If you just landed at Sky Harbor or you're trying to call a friend for happy hour in Old Town, you're probably staring at your phone wondering why the math isn't mathing. Honestly, figuring out what time is it in Scottsdale Arizona is less about checking a watch and more about understanding a decades-old rebellion against the sun.
Right now, Scottsdale is on Mountain Standard Time (MST). It’s Sunday, January 18, 2026.
But here’s the kicker: Scottsdale never changes. Ever. While the rest of the country is busy "springing forward" or "falling back" and losing their minds over a lost hour of sleep, Scottsdale stays exactly where it is.
The "No DST" Reality in Scottsdale
Arizona is one of the only states in the U.S.—Hawaii being the other—that flat-out ignores Daylight Saving Time. This means if you are looking for the time in Scottsdale, you are always looking for UTC-7.
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Why? Because it is hot.
Seriously, that's the main reason. Back in the late 60s, Arizona tried the whole Daylight Saving thing for a year. It was a disaster. In a place where summer temperatures regularly hit 115 degrees, the last thing anyone wanted was an extra hour of blistering sunlight in the evening. Imagine trying to get a kid to go to bed when it’s still 110 degrees outside and the sun is beaming through the window at 9:00 PM. No thanks.
By staying on Standard Time year-round, the sun sets earlier in the summer. This allows the desert to start cooling off at a reasonable hour. It saves a fortune on air conditioning costs, too.
How Scottsdale compares to your time zone
Because Scottsdale doesn't move its clocks, it effectively "shifts" its relationship with every other city twice a year. It’s kinda like that friend who refuses to move, so everyone else has to walk around them.
- During the Winter (November to March): Scottsdale is on the same time as Denver and Salt Lake City. It is two hours behind New York and one hour ahead of Los Angeles.
- During the Summer (March to November): This is where it gets weird. When the rest of the country moves their clocks forward, Scottsdale stays put. Suddenly, Scottsdale is on the same time as Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It becomes three hours behind New York.
If you’re scheduling a Zoom call or a tee time at TPC Scottsdale, you’ve gotta be careful. If you’re calling from New York in July, you’re three hours ahead. If you’re calling in January, you’re only two hours ahead. It’s a mess for out-of-towners.
The Navajo Nation Exception
Now, just to make things more complicated—because why not—there is one part of Arizona that does observe Daylight Saving Time. The Navajo Nation, which covers a massive chunk of the northeast corner of the state, follows the rest of the country.
If you drive from Scottsdale up to the Monument Valley area during the summer, you will actually lose an hour as soon as you cross onto tribal land. Then, if you drive into the Hopi Reservation (which is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation), you jump back an hour because the Hopi stay on Arizona time.
You can literally change time zones three times in a single afternoon without ever leaving the state. Thankfully, Scottsdale is nowhere near that border, so you don't have to worry about it unless you're planning a massive road trip.
Why the Current Time Matters for Visitors
Scottsdale is basically the golf and spa capital of the world. If you're here for a bachelor party or a corporate retreat, time is everything.
- Tee Times: If you book a 7:00 AM tee time, and your body is still on Eastern Standard Time, you're going to be waking up at what feels like 9:00 AM. That's a win. But in the summer, that 7:00 AM start is crucial because by 11:00 AM, you’ll be melting.
- Dinner Reservations: Old Town Scottsdale is packed on the weekends. If you’re trying to sync up with a group flying in from different coasts, always tell them to set their "World Clock" app to Phoenix or Scottsdale specifically. Do not just rely on "Mountain Time," because your phone might default to Denver time, which could be an hour off.
- The Heat Factor: In Scottsdale, the time of day dictates your survival. Between June and September, "outside time" happens before 9:00 AM or after 8:00 PM. Everything in between is spent moving from one air-conditioned box to another.
A quick history lesson for the curious
The decision to opt out was officially codified in 1968. Governor Jack Williams signed the bill after a massive outcry from residents who were tired of the "extra" evening sun. It’s become a bit of a point of pride for Arizonans. We like being the "independent" state that doesn't follow the herd.
Actionable Advice for Syncing with Scottsdale
If you need to keep track of what time is it in Scottsdale Arizona for work or travel, don't try to do the mental math. You'll get it wrong eventually.
- Use Phoenix as your Anchor: Most digital calendars and world clocks use "Phoenix" as the representative for Arizona time. Since Scottsdale is a neighbor, it’s the same thing.
- The "Rule of Thumb": If it’s summer, Scottsdale is Pacific Time. If it’s winter, Scottsdale is Mountain Time.
- Check the Date: Remember that the "switch" for the rest of the U.S. usually happens the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. Those are the days your time difference with Scottsdale will change.
Basically, Scottsdale is the place where time stands still—at least on the clock. It’s one less thing to worry about in a city designed for relaxation. Just show up, set your watch once, and forget about it until you cross the state line.
To ensure your devices are accurate, manually set your timezone to America/Phoenix rather than letting it "auto-detect" based on a generic Mountain Time setting, which can sometimes glitch during the DST transition weeks. If you are planning a trip, verify your flight arrival times against local MST, as airlines always use the local time of the destination airport.
For those coordinating business meetings from the East Coast, remember that from March to November, Scottsdale is 3 hours behind you—don't be the person calling a local professional at 8:00 AM your time, which is a brutal 5:00 AM in the desert.