B.C. ends daylight saving time permanently in 2026. WA is still waiting on Congress

Washington has wanted to end daylight saving time permanently for six years. Its neighbor to the north just did it.

British Columbia announced that the 2026 spring forward will be the last clock change the province ever makes. After clocks advance on March 8, B.C. will stop changing them altogether and adopt permanent year-round daylight saving time. Washington passed a law to do the same thing in 2019. It’s been collecting dust ever since.

Why WA can’t end daylight saving time on its own

Here’s the problem. States can adopt year-round standard time on their own. But the federal Uniform Time Act doesn’t allow states to observe permanent daylight saving time without congressional approval. Congress has to act first. And in six years, it hasn’t.

Back in 2019, then-state Rep. Marcus Riccelli didn’t hide his frustration. Sponsoring the Washington daylight saving time bill in Olympia, he told a state Senate panel, “This is an archaic deal. Switching the clocks is not necessary.” His bill passed the state House 89-7. Riccelli has since moved up to the state Senate, where he now serves as Majority Floor Leader.

Sen. Patty Murray said at the time she’d push for the federal approval needed to make permanent daylight saving time a reality in Washington. Standing in Olympia the same morning the Senate committee was hearing the bill, Murray told the Northwest News Network’s state capitol press corps at the time: “I had the chance to talk to both the House and Senate here that it will pass here. Of course, it will take some federal action once it does. I am committed to working on that.”

That was 2019.

WA-B.C. border time difference starting in November 2026

For now, nothing feels different. Washington and B.C. will both spring forward March 8 and be on the same clock all summer.

November is where it gets complicated. When Washington falls back an hour on Nov. 1, B.C. won’t. From November through March every year, B.C. will be one hour ahead of Washington. Border crossings, business calls, travel schedules, anyone with family on both sides of the line will feel that one-hour gap.

B.C. Premier David Eby said he hopes the time difference at the border doesn’t last long.

“I am hopeful that our American neighbours will soon join us in ending disruptive time changes,” Eby said when announcing the change.

Oregon and California are in the same boat as Washington state. All three passed legislation to end the twice-yearly clock change. All three are waiting on Congress.

Why British Columbia ended daylight saving time in 2026

B.C. has been trying to align with its West Coast neighbors since 2019, when the province’s permanent daylight saving time law took effect. A public survey that year drew 223,000 responses, with 93% supporting the end of the twice-yearly time change.

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma summed up why the province finally pulled the trigger: “We have heard the overwhelming majority of people in B.C. who want to end the back-and-forth of seasonal time changes. This shift offers more stability, supports public well-being, and reduces twice-yearly, unnecessary disruptions to the routines of parents, shift workers, small businesses, pet owners, and so many more.”

The province didn’t say it explicitly, but the message was clear: B.C. got tired of waiting on Washington D.C.

Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here. 

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