Current time in Maine
Eastern Time UTC−5 · one zone statewide
Maine's time zone
All of Maine keeps Eastern Time: EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. No zone boundary crosses the state — the nearest clock change lies east, over the Canadian border, where New Brunswick runs an hour ahead on Atlantic Time.
Maine sits at the far eastern edge of the country: dawn reaches West Quoddy Head near Lubec before any other point in the contiguous United States. That easterly position also brings early winter sunsets — Down East towns lose daylight before 4:00 PM in December — which is why Maine lawmakers have repeatedly floated a switch to Atlantic Time, conditioned on Massachusetts and New Hampshire making the same move.
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 |
|---|---|
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 |
| IANA zone | America/New_York |
| vs Chicago | −1 h |
| vs Denver | −2 h |
| vs Los Angeles | −3 h |
Time in Maine cities
Maine's largest city has its own page with a live clock, today's sunrise and sunset, and DST dates.
Frequently asked questions
Is all of Maine in the same time zone?
Yes — every Maine county keeps Eastern Time, from Kittery to Fort Kent. The nearest zone change lies east across the Canadian border, where New Brunswick runs an hour ahead on Atlantic Time.
What is the time difference between Maine and California?
Maine is 3 hours ahead of California all year, since both observe daylight saving on the same dates. When it's 9:00 AM in Portland, Maine, it's 6:00 AM in Los Angeles. Full chart: EST to PST.
Does Maine observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks move forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March (March 8, 2026) and back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November (November 1, 2026). Details on the DST page.