Current time in Baltimore, MD
Eastern Time UTC−5 · IANA zone America/New_York
Time zone details
| Time zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 39.29° N, 76.61° W |
Time difference from Baltimore
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| Chicago | −1 h |
| Denver | −2 h |
| Phoenix | −2 / −3 h |
| Los Angeles | −3 h |
| Anchorage | −4 h |
| Honolulu | −5 / −6 h |
Baltimore ticks in unison with Washington DC, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and the whole Eastern Time Zone.
About time in Baltimore
Baltimore has been an independent city since 1851 — it belongs to no county, a legal status rare outside Virginia. Maryland observes Eastern Time in every jurisdiction, so Baltimore, Annapolis, and the western panhandle all share one clock.
The city holds a special place in American timekeeping history: the Baltimore & Ohio, chartered here in 1827 as the nation's first common-carrier railroad, was among the lines whose scheduling chaos under dozens of local sun times drove the industry to impose standard zones on November 18, 1883. Baltimore's own sun time that day was about six minutes behind the new Eastern standard.
At 39.3° N, Baltimore's daylight runs from roughly 9 hours 24 minutes at the winter solstice — sunset near 4:45 PM — to about 14 hours 55 minutes in late June. The Port of Baltimore's terminal gates and vessel schedules operate on ET.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Baltimore in?
Baltimore is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), running on EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Baltimore of Los Angeles?
Baltimore is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles throughout the year; Eastern and Pacific zones spring forward and fall back on the same Sundays. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Baltimore change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Baltimore's clocks jump forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and drop back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November (March 8 and November 1 in 2026). Full dates on the DST page.