What is the time zone of South Carolina?
The state of South Carolina is in the Eastern Time zone. All counties and cities of the state have the same time zone, there are no exceptions. South Carolina is observing daylight savings so there are two different clocks depending on the time of the year.
- Eastern Standard Time (EST): – 5:00 UTC/GMT (behind)
- Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): – 4:00 UTC/GMT (behind)
| Eastern Time |
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All neighbouring states have the same time zone. So, the clocks are unchanged regardless if you cross the border with North Carolina or Georgia.
Daylight savings time (DST)
South Carolina is using daylight savings as also documented in the Uniform Time Act of 1966. During daylight savings the time changes from Eastern Standard time (EST) to Eastern Daylight time (EDT).
It starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. In March the clock is moved forward from 02.00 am to 03.00 am (so you will lose an hour of sleep during the night). While in November it’s reversed as the clock is moved backward from 03.00 am to 02.00 am and you will gain an extra hour of sleep. One way of remembering the movement sequence is that clocks “spring forward and fall back”.
The total period of daylight savings lasts for 34 weeks which is about 65% of the year.
South Carolina time news, bills and legislation
There is a continuous debate about which time should be applied. Several bills have been introduced to legalize daylight saving time as the year-round clock, whereas others try to align the time with bordering counties or states. The table below gives an overview of the latest bills in the state of South Carolina.
| Date | Bill | Status/Action | Title/summary |
| 2 Feb 2021 | H3111 | Intro, To House Judiciary Committee | Daylight saving time |
| 9 Dec 2020 | H3111 | To House Judiciary Committee | Provide That The Time Known As Eastern Standard Time Is Advanced By One Hour Beginning At 2:00 A.m. On The Second Sunday Of March Of 2021, And Beginning On This Date And Time And Thereafter Permanently Becomes Standard Time In South Carolina With No ... |
Other US states
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